The Canadian Council on Africa(CCAfrica) congratulates two of its long-time members, Cowater international and CRC Sogema on their recent merger. We invite you to view the press release below.

Original post: http://cowatersogema.com/press-release/

October 2017: Announcement: Merger of Cowater International and CRC Sogema to form CowaterSogema International

Cowater International Inc. (Ottawa) and CRC Sogema (Montreal) are pleased to announce the merger of the two companies to form CowaterSogema International.  The merger of two leading Canadian international development consultancies creates Canada’s largest and most diversified international development firm, combining 64 years of experience implementing more than 800 projects in over 80 countries worldwide.

The consolidated entity of CowaterSogema completes a vision which dates back more than 15 years, when the two companies first began actively pursuing opportunities to collaborate. This collaboration was formalized in 2011 when Cowater became a major shareholder in CRC Sogema. Since then, the companies have experienced a significant increase in demand for their collective expertise and services.

“This partnership began years ago, and since Cowater’s initial investment in CRC Sogema and following many successful joint initiatives, together we have leveraged the strong brand of both companies to expand our service offerings and enhance value to our clients,” says CowaterSogema CEO, David Baron.   “Forming CowaterSogema was the natural next step in the ‘one company, one team’ vision. Formalizing this merger is about further operationalizing the synergies between the companies – from our very strong presence in Francophone Africa and Haïti, to CRC Sogema’s Paris office and work with the EU, to Cowater’s  presence in Australia and the UK through our growing portfolio of work on behalf of DFAT Australia and DFID UK,” adds Mr. Baron.

The new company has integrated back-office operations and will continue Canadian operations with its HQ in Ottawa and an office in Montreal. The rebrand will also extend to corporate offices in Paris, France (CowaterSogema Europe) and Pretoria, South Africa (CowaterSogema South Africa).

“This is about bold, yet prudent growth and responding to the increased demand for our high-end and multidisciplinary services,” notes Hugues Lavoie, member of CRC Sogema Management Committee.   “The merged company provides us with a truly global footprint and allows us to tap into the worldwide operational support systems and excellence of both Cowater and CRC Sogema.  It is win-win for our clients and partners. Our entire team has been working on this for a long time and we are confident the continued transition will be smooth.”