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6th Canada-Africa Business Conference Opens in Lagos, Headline Sponsored by Zenith Bank Plc

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Ateau Zola

Zenith Bank CEO Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji welcomes delegates as Canada and Africa’s private-sector leaders gather to advance trade, investment and partnership

LAGOS, Nigeria, June 24, 2026/APO Group/ –The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business (www.CanadaAfrica.ca) today opens the 6th Canada-Africa Business Conference in Lagos, Nigeria, headline sponsored by Zenith Bank Plc, bringing together senior decision-makers from Canada, Nigeria and across African markets for two days of trade and investment engagement.

In his message (https://apo-opa.co/43TPktb) to delegates, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney proudly offered his warmest greetings to delegates: “As we gather today, I would like to recognize the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business for convening leaders from across Canada and Africa to advance investment, trade, and partnership—connecting businesses and institutions to drive practical collaboration and shared growth.”

Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Hon. Maninder Sidhu underscored the vital importance of the program to accelerate trade and investment:

““Nigeria is Canada’s second largest merchandise trading partner in Africa, with bilateral trade exceeding close to $3 billion in 2025—and there is enormous potential to grow that relationship even further, including in financial services, infrastructure, energy, critical minerals, agriculture and clean tech.”

“Canada is committed to working with our Nigerian partners to attract investments, strengthen supply chains, and create good jobs and new opportunities in both our countries. The relationships built at this conference will help move that work forward, they will lead to new partnerships, new investments, and new opportunities for our people.”

— Hon. Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, Canada

The conference is designed as a practical platform for business leaders, investors, policymakers and institutional partners to identify opportunities, build relationships and advance commercial partnerships across sectors including financial services, infrastructure, energy, mining, agriculture, clean technologies and the wider innovation economy.

“On behalf of the Board, Management and Staff of Zenith Bank Plc, I extend a very warm welcome to all delegates attending the 6th Canada-Africa Business Conference in Lagos, Nigeria. As headline sponsor, we are honoured to enable the hosting of this this distinguished gathering in our home city, the commercial heartbeat of Africa.”

The relationships built at this conference will help move that work forward, they will lead to new partnerships, new investments, and new opportunities for our people

— Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zenith Bank Plc

In her conference message, Dame Dr. Umeoji commended The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business for convening senior decision-makers from across Canada and Africa to advance trade, investment and partnership, while also recognizing the Government of Canada’s commitment to deepening commercial ties with Nigeria and the wider continent.

“The opportunity before us is substantial. Nigeria is Canada’s second-largest merchandise trading partner in Africa, with growing demand across financial services, infrastructure, energy, mining, agriculture and clean technologies.”

— Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zenith Bank Plc

Zenith Bank’s participation underscores the importance of financial platforms, trade finance, treasury solutions and corporate and investment banking expertise in turning Canada-Africa relationships into bankable opportunities.

“Our commitment extends well beyond this conference: to every partnership that creates jobs, builds infrastructure and drives shared growth, innovation and sustainable prosperity between our two nations.”

— Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zenith Bank Plc

“Lagos is an ideal setting for this next chapter of Canada-Africa engagement. With Zenith Bank as headline sponsor, the Chamber is proud to convene a program that showcases Nigerian excellence, Canadian ambition and the commercial partnerships that can serve global markets.”

— Garreth Bloor, President, The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business

In addition to Zenith Bank Plc as Conference Headline Sponsor, the conference is supported by Elephant Trade-Services DRC as Headline Chamber Sponsor, GardaWorld Security as Gold Conference Sponsor, and Silver Conference Sponsors Banwo & Ighodalo, Baywood Group, CBI News, Dentons, Eko Hotels & Suites, and Voranex Africa. The Government of Canada is recognized as Chamber Partner, with Abide Consulting serving as Conference Partner.

The two-day program includes keynote addresses, interactive panels, executive networking and business-to-business engagement, with a focus on practical outcomes for Canadian and African companies seeking growth, market access and long-term partnership.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

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African SaaS Leader Becomes Seamless Technologies, Unveils Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Financial Solutions

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The move reflects the company’s long-term commitment to building technology infrastructure that supports productivity, access, and enables prosperity for working Africans

LAGOS, Nigeria, July 15, 2026/APO Group/ –SeamlessHR (www.SeamlessHR.com), a leading African HR technology company, today announced its evolution into Seamless Technologies, a strategic transition driven by the company’s expansion into AI and financial services and its ambition to build a broader technology platform serving businesses and workers across Africa.

 

Having established itself as a market leader in HR technology, Seamless Technologies is extending its capabilities beyond workforce management to address one of the continent’s most significant challenges: access to financial services. Working with partners, the company is enabling businesses and their employees to access financial solutions directly within the flow of work, creating new opportunities for financial inclusion, operational efficiency, and business growth.

Under the new corporate structure, Seamless Technologies operates through three core verticals: SeamlessHR, its flagship workforce management platform; Breeze, an embedded financial service that gives businesses and workers access to Employee Self-Service, financial solutions including payroll financing, earned wage access, and lifestyle services; and SeamlessProcure, a procurement solution designed to streamline enterprise purchasing and vendor management.

As part of this evolution, Seamless Technologies is expanding its workforce technology portfolio with the launch of BWOP (Blue Collar Operations Platform), a solution built for organisations managing frontline and shift-based workforces. Together with SeamlessHR’s existing platform for office-based teams, BWOP enables the company to support the full spectrum of workforce operations, helping businesses digitise attendance, payroll, workforce records, communication, and employee self-service regardless of where work happens.

This evolution reflects a much bigger opportunity than HR technology alone

Supporting these products is Samira, the company’s artificial intelligence layer, designed to help organisations and employees automate tasks, access insights, and interact more intelligently with technology across the Seamless ecosystem.

Commenting on the transition, Dr Emmanuel Okeleji, CEO and Co-Founder of Seamless Technologies, said, “This evolution reflects a much bigger opportunity than HR technology alone. As we looked at the challenges facing businesses and workers across Africa, it became clear that access to finance sits at the centre of economic participation and productivity. Our expansion into financial services is a natural extension of our mission, and Seamless Technologies gives us the platform to solve these challenges at a much larger scale.”

Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Deji Lana added, “The future belongs to platforms that connect people, work, and financial services in a seamless way. Through financial solutions, artificial intelligence, and our growing suite of products, we are building infrastructure that helps businesses operate more efficiently and enables workers to access more opportunities.”

Irfan Keshavjee, Chairman of the Advisory Board, said, “The transition to Seamless Technologies reflects the company’s maturity and ambition. Having built a leading position in HR technology, the business is now entering a much larger addressable market with the capabilities to create long-term value across multiple sectors.”

The transition provides a unified corporate identity designed to support product expansion and international market entry, while enabling individual product brands to maintain clear positioning and operational focus.

The move reflects the company’s long-term commitment to building technology infrastructure that supports productivity, access, and enables prosperity for working Africans.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of SeamlessHR.

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In Search of Unstoppable Africans, Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) Invites Nominations from Across the Continent

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Nominations open July 15 – September 9, 2026

We encourage people across Africa and around the world to nominate the individuals whose work deserves to be seen and recognized

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 15, 2026/APO Group/ –The search is on for “Unstoppable Africans”. The Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) (www.GABI.UNGlobalImpact.org) has opened nominations for a new community-led campaign to recognize and celebrate entrepreneurs, business leaders and changemakers whose ideas, leadership and actions are driving Africa’s economic transformation.

 

This global call to action leads into Unstoppable Africa 2026, GABI’s flagship event in New York from 20–21 September, co-convened by the United Nations and African Union and organized by the UN Global Compact.

Building on the momentum of the four previous Unstoppable Africa convenings, the campaign aims to recognize the business people whose work reflects the innovation, resilience and leadership driving Africa’s growth today.  An Unstoppable African is someone whose vision, courage, or actions are rewriting what is possible in their community, industry, country or continent. GABI is calling on people everywhere to propose business leaders who are driving meaningful change and influencing Africa’s present and future.

The campaign will spotlight changemakers across five areas: Energy, Digital Transformation, Trade, Creative Industries and Sports. The Energy category honours leaders driving Africa’s move to sustainable, reliable and affordable energy solutions. Digital Transformation celebrates those advancing Africa’s digital economy through technology, innovation and digital infrastructure. Trade recognises individuals creating economic opportunity, strengthening regional trade and helping African businesses grow. The Creative Industries celebrates those building sustainable businesses across film, music, fashion, art and design while strengthening Africa’s creative economy. Sports recognises athletes, investors, administrators and innovators using sports to create jobs, grow industries and unlock economic opportunity across the continent.

Through #UnstoppableAfricans, GABI is creating a global platform to amplify the people whose leadership and ideas are helping shape Africa’s future but whose stories are not always widely recognised.

UN Assistant Secretary-General Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, highlighted the spirit of the initiative: “With 12 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies in Africa, the continent’s contribution to business, trade and investment continues to grow. Every day, African entrepreneurs, innovators and business leaders are shaping industries, driving markets and strengthening economies. Through the Unstoppable Africans campaign, we want to recognize these changemakers, celebrate their achievements and provide a global platform to share their stories. We encourage people across Africa and around the world to nominate the individuals whose work deserves to be seen and recognized.”

How to Nominate

  • Opening date: July 15, 2026
  • Closing date: September 9, 2026
  • Who can nominate: Anyone may nominate themselves or someone else whose ideas, leadership or work are driving business, investment, innovation or economic opportunity across one or more of the campaign’s five focus areas.
  • Complete the nomination form here: Nominate your Unstoppable African (https://apo-opa.co/4bM3CAj)

Following the close of nominations, GABI will identify five changemakers, one from each focus area, to be featured in the #UnstoppableAfricans storytelling series ahead of Unstoppable Africa 2026. Their stories will be shared with a global audience of business leaders, investors, policymakers and partners, showcasing the people helping shape Africa’s future. Under the theme: ‘Powering Business, Scaling Economies, Shaping the Future’, Unstoppable Africa, GABI’s flagship event, will take place at the Marriott Marquis in New York on Sunday and Monday September 20-21.

For a chance to attend the Unstoppable Africa 2026 event in person in September, please register here: https://events.unglobalcompact.org/unstoppableafrica26/rta (https://apo-opa.co/4gFdQ8Z).

Follow the latest developments at www.GABI.UNGlobalImpact.org and (136) Unstoppable Africa — YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4wBAeF4)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Global Africa Business Initiative.

 

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Kora Highlights Africa’s Growing Role in Global Payments Conversations at iFX Expo International

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As demand for cross-border financial services continues to grow, Kora remains focused on helping global businesses access African markets through reliable, connected payment infrastructure that enables seamless money movement across the continent

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, July 15, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa’s growth potential was a recurring theme at iFX Expo International 2026, with brokers, payment service providers and fintech companies increasingly looking to the continent as a strategic expansion market. Businesses operating across multiple regions increasingly require solutions that can support local collections, cross-border payouts and settlements through a single platform.

This was a recurring theme at iFX Expo International 2026 in Cyprus, where brokers, payment service providers and fintech companies gathered to discuss the future of trading, payments and customer acquisition.

Africa remains a priority growth market

You can’t serve a growing market by making assumptions

Through conversations with industry players including B2Broker, Zotapay, Virtual Pay, Equals, Verify Africa, and Exness, Africa emerged as one of the most discussed growth markets. Participants highlighted the increasing demand for unified infrastructure that can simplify payment operations across multiple African countries.

Speaking during the panel session, “Who Will Power the Future of Global Payments’’ Kora’s Chief Financial Officer, Ayodeji Osisami highlighted why local expertise is essential to building payment infrastructure for Africa.“You can’t serve a growing market by making assumptions. You have to be on the ground, understand what customers actually need, and build infrastructure that reflects the realities of each market.”

His remarks reinforced the importance of combining local market knowledge with scalable infrastructure to help global businesses expand confidently across the continent.

Building the infrastructure behind growth

At the event, Kora shared how businesses can access Pay-ins, Payouts and settlement across multiple African markets through a single integration. These conversations reflected a growing need for payment infrastructure that can support expansion without adding operational complexity.

As demand for cross-border financial services continues to grow, Kora remains focused on helping global businesses access African markets through reliable, connected payment infrastructure that enables seamless money movement across the continent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kora.

 

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