Listening to Black Women Entrepreneurs in New Brunswick.

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Community Needs Assessment | Key Insights from Saint John.

By Djomo Aaron, July 2026, Updated October 31, 2026
NB SEED Summer Business Analyst

BBPN's Women in Business and Profession Community Town Hall in Saint John

Ambition was never the problem in the room. That was my biggest takeaway from BBPN’s Women in Business and Profession Community Town Hall in Saint John, organized in partnership with Black Moms NB and facilitated by Olaitan Onyebuoha, BBPN’s leadership representative.

“The women attending were not lacking ambition, determination, or creativity,” Djomo says. “Instead, many expressed that they lacked consistent access to practical guidance and long-term support systems.”

Business Growth Meets Real Barriers

The Town Hall gave African women living in New Brunswick a space to talk openly about building businesses, raising families, and integrating into Canadian life, all at once. A few themes came up repeatedly.

  • Mentorship gaps. Many women have strong business ideas and work ethic, but lack access to experienced mentors, funding information, and affordable marketing know-how.
  • Networking from zero. Newcomers often arrive without the years of local relationship building that established entrepreneurs rely on, making it harder to find customers, partners, and investors.
  • Settlement on top of business. New tax rules, unfamiliar regulations, and different workplace norms all have to be learned while also running a business and raising a family.
  • Navigating a new education system. Several parents raised concerns about how their children were adjusting to Canadian schools, including questions about fair and transparent assessment.

What Would Actually Help?

Participants didn’t just name the problems; they named what would fix them: long-term mentorship pairing experienced entrepreneurs with newcomers, clearer information on government grants, regular networking events between African-owned businesses, and practical workshops on financial management, taxation, and branding.

BBPN’s Role

For Djomo, the Town Hall reinforced something BBPN believes at its core: advice alone doesn’t build a business. “Sustainable business growth requires structured mentorship, professional networking, access to funding, and continuous business education,” he reflects. And the impact goes beyond any one entrepreneur. Successful women-led businesses create jobs, strengthen families, and mentor the next generation.

“Investing in African women,” Djomo says, “is therefore not only a community initiative but also an investment in the province’s social and economic future.”

Ready to build your business with real mentorship behind you? Learn more about BBPN’s Women in Business and Profession program, and join us at the Small Business Saturday Weekend Gathering, from November 27-28, 2026, at The Junction NB Moncton, NB.

The author of this blog was hired by the Black Business & Professional Network (BBPN) through the Government of New Brunswick’s Student Employment Experience Development (SEED) program, which supports summer employment opportunities for students while helping eligible employers provide valuable workplace experience.

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