Mante Molepo is a lawyer with the Federal Government of Canada. For several years she was Legal Counsel at the Trade Law Bureau of Global Affairs Canada, practicing international trade law.  During that time, Mante served as one of the only Black lawyers for the department providing legal advice during the negotiations of a number of free trade agreements.

Mante worked extensively on the key free trade agreements including the negotiations of Canada’s most ambitious free trade agreement, the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA). Under CETA Canadian oil and gas products enjoy duty-free, quota-free market access to the European Union (EU). She also worked on a number of other negotiations, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), from which the United States subsequently withdrew. The other ten countries decided to renegotiate and continue under a new name entitled Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Once this agreement is enforced, it will be one of the largest free agreements in the world and will provide enhanced market access to key Asian markets. In addition to trade negotiations, Mante advised federal government departments on issues affecting the Government of Canada’s international trade and investment obligations.

At one time, Mante worked for a women’s rights organization in Kuala Lumpur as well as for the Special Court in Sierra Leone. She also worked as a Senior Policy Advisor at Employment and Social Development Canada and at Global Affairs Canada on international trade policy involving labour, food and product labeling.