Saskatchewan plans to emerge from the pandemic with a larger presence on the international stage than ever before.
Eighteen months into the pandemic, Saskatchewan is halfway through an expansion plan that will witness the provincial administration open international trade and investment offices in London, Dubai, Mexico City, and Ho Chi Minh City by April.
The step follows the establishment of offices in Tokyo, New Delhi and Singapore in January of this year.
Trade and Export Development Minister, Jeremy Harrison revealed in a statement released on Aug. 30 that “Over the past several months we have seen significant investments into Saskatchewan and these new offices will help us continue this economic growth and strengthen our international relationships.” No details were disclosed about the costs of the expansion.
The region has had an office in Shanghai since 2010 but concluded to expand its international presence to develop trade in high-value markets.
“By taking Saskatchewan to the world and bringing the world to Saskatchewan we will increase exports and attract investment, which will create jobs, economic growth and strong communities across our province,” Harrison noted.
According to the government’s website, Saskatchewan exports an estimated 65 percent of what it produces and the exports were valued at $30 billion in 2020.
The government intends to raise the value of its exports by 50 percent and boost private capital investment to $16 billion yearly by 2030, it declared in the statement.
According to the statement, in the first six months of 2021, exports rose by more than 20 percent and it noted that Saskatchewan was the only region in the nation to increase exports in 2020.
