Amina Gerba is an entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience. An ambassador for Afro-optimism, she has acted as an economic link between Canada and Africa for many years.
Hailing from Cameroon, Ms. Gerba worked for a number of Canadian companies from 1993 to 1995, with a focus on the development of African markets. In 1995, she started her own consulting firm, Afrique Expansion Inc., in order to build bridges between Canada and Africa, and encourage business opportunities. Since then, she has created and managed other businesses, including Flash Beauté Inc. and Kariliss Laboratories Inc., as well as the non-profit organization Forum Afrique Expansion.
From February 2018 until her appointment as an independent senator in the Parliament of Canada in July 2021, Ms. Gerba was Chair of the Board of Directors of Entreprendre ici, an organization set up as part of Quebec’s 2017-2022 Plan d’action gouvernemental en entrepreneuriat to support entrepreneurs from cultural communities. A very socially engaged woman, Ms. Gerba has served on several public and private boards, including the Université du Québec à Montréal and its executive committee, the organization ENSEMBLE for the respect of diversity, the Canadian Council on Africa, the African Business Roundtable, and CPCS Solutions for Growing Economies. She is a member and former president of the Rotary Club of Old Montreal, and a mentor for the Réseau des entrepreneurs et professionnels africains.
These multiple entrepreneurial initiatives have earned her several awards and honours, including Knight of the Ordre national du Québec in 2014, Business World Personality of the Year at the Gala Dynastie, and entrepreneur of the year by the Réseau des entrepreneurs et professionnels africains. A member of the International Women’s Forum, Mme Gerba was ranked among Quebec’s 25 most influential women by the newspaper Les Affaires.
Ms. Gerba holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a Master of Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She is the mother of four children: Ali, Aïcha, Habi, Kiari and grandmother of three.
