A Nigerian Canadian-based entrepreneur has been recognised with one of Alberta’s top export awards, underscoring the growing role of diaspora-led innovation in shaping Canada’s global trade corridors.
Damilare Bakare, founder and CEO of X-Innovations—which also operates under the brand XposureNow Technology—won the Export Plan of the Year 2025 Award at the Edmonton Region & Northern Alberta Export Awards, cementing his company’s reputation as a serious player in the artificial intelligence and digital solutions space.
The award, announced in Edmonton, honours businesses that have crafted a compelling, actionable strategy to take their products and services beyond Canadian borders.
Bakare’s winning plan stands out for its ambition: it sets out to build a deliberate technology bridge between Africa and Canada, with a focus on scaling AI-driven innovation across both continents.
The plan positions X-Innovations not merely as a service provider, but as a conduit for two-way technology transfer—helping Canadian firms explore African markets while equipping African enterprises with the tools and partnerships needed to compete globally.
Bakare developed the export roadmap through the Trade Accelerator Program (TAP), a rigorous initiative jointly delivered by Calgary Economic Development and Edmonton Global. TAP is designed to give ambitious companies the mentorship, market intelligence, and strategic frameworks they need to enter international markets with confidence.
Bakare’s participation in the programme, supported by the Trade Commissioner Service, the Government of Alberta, and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), underscores the importance of public-private collaboration in helping small and medium-sized enterprises break into new territories.
It’s a validation not just of a business model, but of a vision that sees Africa and Canada as partners in the next wave of technological transformation.
