Connect with us
Anglostratits

Business

APO Group Vice-President Lynne Krawchuk, and Acting Head of Content Bonnie Robinson, selected as Judges for the Africa’s Business Heroes

Published

3 years ago

on

APO Group

The ABH prize competition aims to identify, support, and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are significantly impacting their communities and the African continent

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 18, 2023/APO Group/ — 

APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, announces the selection of VP of Digital, PR and Media Relations, Lynne Krawchuk, and Acting Head of Content, Bonnie Robinson, as judges for the prestigious Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) prize (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org), the Jack Ma Foundation’s flagship philanthropic program in Africa to support entrepreneurs.

The ABH prize competition aims to identify, support, and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are significantly impacting their communities and the African continent. The Jack Ma Foundation is committed to fostering African entrepreneurship and has brought in some of the continent’s most esteemed businesspeople and leaders to help search for Africa’s Business Heroes.

Serving as a round two judge for the ABH prize competition, Krawchuk brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the evaluation process. With her extensive experience in PR and digital marketing spanning over 20 years, Krawchuk has established herself as a seasoned professional in the PR and communications industry. At APO Group, she plays a vital role in shaping and implementing effective media relations strategies. Her selection as a judge for the ABH prize competition demonstrates her deep understanding of the African entrepreneurial landscape and her commitment to supporting and recognising outstanding African entrepreneurs.

As a round one judge, Robinson offers strong entrepreneurial experience. She is highly respected and celebrated for her knowledge and insights as a PR professional with more than two decades of experience in the PR and communications industry. With her sound background in integrated strategic communications, brand reputation, and crisis management, Robinson consistently navigates complex challenges and delivers exceptional content, strategies, and results. As a judge for the ABH prize competition, Robinson’s experience contributes to the comprehensive evaluation, mentorship, and recognition of the most deserving entrepreneurs in Africa.

Additionally, both Krawchuk and Robinson have served on numerous adjudication panels in the PR and business industries. Their involvement in evaluating and assessing a variety of award-winning initiatives and campaigns reflects their deep understanding of industry standards and best practices. Through their participation in these judging panels, they have developed a keen eye for identifying excellence and innovation in various sectors.

Commenting on her selection as a judge, Krawchuk says, “It is an honour to be selected as a judge for the ABH prize. This competition represents a powerful platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative ideas and receive support to drive their businesses forward. I am inspired by the passion and resilience of African entrepreneurs, and I look forward to contributing to their growth and success.”

Robinson echoes Krawchuk’s sentiments and adds, “It is a privilege to recognise, support, and mentor innovative African entrepreneurs from all walks of life who drive positive change in their communities. The prize competition is highly inclusive in that it provides equal opportunity for business owners across all 54 African countries who have been operating for three years, a chance to evidence their business strategies, achievements, lessons, and most of all, their distinctive human stories that drove them to become an entrepreneur.”

I am inspired by the passion and resilience of African entrepreneurs, and I look forward to contributing to their growth and success

“I take great pleasure in walking alongside these outstanding business founders who are making a significant impact on Africa, getting to know them, and providing them with guidance to help them thrive,” says Robinson.

The selection of judges for the ABH prize competition is based on rigorous criteria, including business experience, industry knowledge, and commitment to fostering African entrepreneurship. Judges play an instrumental role in mentoring the finalists, providing valuable feedback, guidance, and support. Their involvement in the growth and success of the entrepreneurs makes the ABH judging process unique and ensures a fair and thorough evaluation process.

The ABH finalists are selected based on their demonstration of visionary entrepreneurship, embodying traits such as innovation and creativity, impact on communities and societies, leadership and vision, the potential for growth and scalability, market demand, and financial sustainability.  

Effective communication skills are also crucial as finalists are required to present and articulate their business plans to the judges while responding to thought-provoking questions within a specified number of minutes. Their ability to convey their passion, expertise, and unique selling points is essential to impressing the judges and securing their support.

The ABH competition not only empowers entrepreneurs but also captivates audiences with the diversity and ingenuity of the business plans submitted. Each business plan tells a unique story of resilience, creativity, and the drive to make a positive impact in Africa. From innovative tech solutions and beauty and fashion to sustainable agricultural initiatives, the business plans showcased in the competition offer fascinating insights into the entrepreneurial landscape across the continent.

Many of the business plans submitted demonstrate the remarkable depth of talent and the transformative ideas that are emerging from Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As part of the initiative, the ABH competition offers an impressive prize fund of US$1.5 million, with each of the top three winners receiving a share. However, the value of the prize goes beyond financial gain. It represents an extraordinary platform where all participants, including the winners and the finalists, benefit from the expertise and insights garnered by the ABH community of business leaders.

The ABH competition has become a significant platform for African entrepreneurs, providing them with the resources, mentorship, and exposure needed to thrive in the business landscape.

APO Group reaffirms its commitment to supporting and promoting African entrepreneurship while showcasing the immense potential and talent that exists on the continent to the rest of the world. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Business

AFRICLOUD Opens Lagos Region and Local-Currency Payments in African Markets

Published

5 hours ago

on

September 23, 2026

By

AFRICLOUD

The company’s third African region keeps Nigerian workloads in Nigeria, and customers from Abidjan to Nairobi can now pay in the currency they earn, without an international card

MIAMI BEACH, United States of America, September 23, 2026/APO Group/ –AFRICLOUD (https://AFRICLOUD.com), a cloud infrastructure company, has opened its third African region in Lagos and now accepts payment in local currency across West, Central, East and Southern Africa. Businesses across the continent can run servers in Nigeria, South Africa or Portugal from one account, and pay for them the way they already pay for everything else.

 




  

Download document (1): https://apo-opa.co/4Ardfz9

Download document (2): https://apo-opa.co/46FWH8Y

Buying cloud infrastructure in Africa has meant living with three compromises: traffic that leaves the continent and comes back, payment in dollars behind a card many businesses do not hold, and data sitting under somebody else’s law.

Lagos answers the first. Compute and storage for Nigerian customers stay in Nigeria, and the region also serves Accra, Abidjan, Lome, Douala and Ouagadougou. Traffic from landlocked West Africa that once reached comparable infrastructure by way of Europe now stays on terrestrial West African fibre. Johannesburg serves Southern and East Africa. Lisbon serves North Africa and Europe, and reaches Brazil over a direct subsea route. Across the three regions, AFRICLOUD’s own continent-wide measurements place 42 of the 53 African countries measured within a best-case round trip of 70 milliseconds, countries home to about 1.28 billion people.

A company in Accra or Abidjan now reaches West African infrastructure without leaving the region, and pays for it in the currency it earns

Payment answers the second. Customers across West, Central, East and Southern Africa pay in their own currency, including the naira, the cedi, the shilling and the CFA francs, by local card, bank transfer, USSD or mobile money, with no international card needed. Mobile money is live in twelve African countries, and cards, PayPal and more than 300 cryptocurrencies are accepted everywhere. The GSMA reports that 74 per cent of the world’s mobile money activity by transaction count took place in Africa in 2024.

Residency answers the third. Nigerian data runs under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, South African data under POPIA and European workloads under EU law, chosen server by server from the same dashboard.

“African businesses have been asked to choose between infrastructure that is close, infrastructure they can actually pay for, and infrastructure that keeps their data under their own law,” said Oluniyi Ajao, Founder of AFRICLOUD. “Removing that choice is the reason we built this.”

“Lagos is the piece that completes the map,” he said. “A company in Accra or Abidjan now reaches West African infrastructure without leaving the region, and pays for it in the currency it earns.”

All three regions run the same platform: AMD EPYC processors with all-NVMe storage, IPv4 and IPv6 on every server, and a new server online in about two minutes. Dedicated Servers are built to order in all three regions. Support is available around the clock by chat and email.

Cloud Servers are available now at https://AFRICLOUD.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AFRICLOUD LLC.

 

 




 

Continue Reading

Business

Hong Kong outlines strategies for deepening development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and enhancing green transformation

Published

10 hours ago

on

September 23, 2026

By

Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee announced the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (2026-2030) and his fifth Policy Address on September 16, rolling out measures to further sharpen Hong Kong’s edge amid global competition, consolidate development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and promote green transformation.

Initiatives aim to support high-quality development of the GBA, align rules and mechanisms within the region, and promote cross-boundary collaboration.

 




 
 

“The HKSAR Government will continue its efforts in fostering synergistic development of the GBA,” said Mr Lee. “We will strengthen co‑operation in technological innovation, promote ‘hard connectivity’ in infrastructure, foster ‘soft connectivity’ by deepening the alignment of rules and mechanisms, and achieve ‘connectivity of hearts’ among residents of the three places.”

The HKSAR Government will continue to actively participate in the development of the various major co-operation platforms, including Qianhai of Shenzhen, Nansha of Guangzhou, Hengqin of Zhuhai and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Co-operation Zone, to promote mutual benefits.

In terms of “hard connectivity” the HKSAR Government will support Nansha in its role as a high‑standard gateway for opening up, including encouraging the trade to participate in Nansha’s infrastructure development.

“To promote the co‑ordinated development of rail transit in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, we are pressing ahead with the Northern Link Project and the Hong Kong‑Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu‑Qianhai), with target commissioning in 2034 and 2035 respectively, to fully connect the rail transit networks of Hong Kong and Shenzhen,” Mr Lee said.

Regarding “soft connectivity”, Mr Lee said the HKSAR Government will set up a Task Force to explore ways to advance the alignment of rules and mechanisms within the GBA.

To achieve “Connectivity of Hearts” among residents across the GBA, Hong Kong will strengthen co-operation between its higher education institutions and those in other GBA cities by establishing cross‑disciplinary partnerships, facilitating scientific research, knowledge transfer, and commercialisation, with a view to promoting high‑level research.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Janice Tse, noted that the First Five-Year Plan clearly states that Hong Kong will participate in the development of the GBA into an international first‑class bay area and a world‑class city cluster with global influence.

“Hong Kong will forge closer alignment and synergy with the nine GBA cities in Guangdong Province and Macao, making full use of our respective advantages to jointly promote the high-quality development of the GBA,” Miss Tse said.

To foster financial development in the GBA, Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on institutional innovation, financial infrastructure upgrading and enhanced regulatory alignment to encourage the orderly flow of financial elements among GBA cities.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited’s Core Climate, in collaboration with the Guangzhou Power Exchange Centre, is working towards the pilot trading of national renewable‑energy, green electricity certificates in Hong Kong in 2026.

“On connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world, the HKSAR Government will continue to support green technology development through the HK$400 million (aboutUS$51 million) Green Tech Fund, leveraging Hong Kong’s function as a springboard for green technology and assisting national green technologies and products in going global,” said Hong Kong’sSecretary for Environment and Ecology, Tse Chin-wan. “On the development of hydrogen energy, we have participated in drafting national hydrogen energy standards with a view to helping these standards align with international practice.”

To meet the country’s “dual carbon” targets and fulfil Hong Kong’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2050, the HKSAR Government steered the establishment of a production base for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Dongguan, leveraging the leading position of Hong Kong enterprises in the international SAF industry.

“By combining technology strengths with industrial foundation, Hong Kong and Guangdong will jointly develop a globally influential green industry,” Mr Lee said.

The HKSAR Government will take forward the construction of an SAF blending facility in Hong Kong to build an end‑to‑end SAF value chain and reduce logistics costs to make SAF prices more competitive. The target is to achieve an SAF consumption ratio of 1% to 3% for flights departing from Hong Kong International Airport in 2030.

Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan promotes the integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism, to develop the GBA into a cultured bay area.

Under the strategic framework of the Agreement on Strengthening of Sports Cooperation and Promotion of Integrated Development, Hong Kong will deepen co-operation, and strive to co‑organise important regional and international single‑sport events. It will also strengthen cultural exchanges, pass on Cantonese opera and the characteristics of Lingnan culture, and promote the sales and cross‑boundary exhibition of Hong Kong publications.
 




 

Continue Reading

Business

Alamein Africa Forum to bring together key political and business leaders

Published

11 hours ago

on

September 23, 2026

By

Alamein

The forum is to become the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess, bridging the established engines of African growth with the new sectors defining its future

CAIRO, Egypt, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The inaugural Alamein Africa Forum (https://AlameinForum.com/) will take place from October 2-4 in the historic city of Alamein on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in parallel with the 2026 African Union mid-year summit.

Established in response to a mandate from the African Union, which called for a permanent African Business Forum to convene biennially in Egypt, the inaugural edition will bring together Heads of State and official delegations as well as some key actors in business and finance.
 




 

The forum is to become the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess, bridging the established engines of African growth with the new sectors defining its future.

The Alamein Africa Forum will serve as a pan-African platform bringing together the private sector, investment and financial institutions

The Presidents of Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa are expected in Alamein as well as President Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt who is the host of this year’s AU Mid-Year Summit. Business leaders from across the continent have confirmed their participation including Ralph Mupita, MTN; Idrissa Nassa, Coris Bank; Mohamed El Ketani, Attijariwafa Bank; Hichem Eloumi, Groupe Shakira; Wale Tinubu, Oando; and many more. Aliko Dangote, Africa’s biggest industrialist is also expected to attend, with the organisers hoping to set up a Business Advisory Council to help advance private sector priorities and investment throughout the continent.

Bringing together leaders in politics, business and policy from across the continent, the Alamein Africa Forum will provide a unique opportunity to shape Africa’s growth agenda by aligning policy and investment priorities, mobilising partnerships for implementation and strengthening financing and investment pathways. The private sector must become an integral part of Agenda 2063, the AU’s strategic 50 year masterplan to transform the continent.

Co-organised by the Government of Egypt, Afreximbank, the African Union and AUDA-NEPAD, the Forum brings together Africa’s most influential decision-makers in an unprecedented alliance of public and private sector leadership.

Speaking on the imperative of the summit at a joint press conference by the government of Egypt and Afreximbank on Thursday, September 17 2026, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Expatriates Abroad said (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag): “The Alamein Africa Forum will serve as a pan-African platform bringing together the private sector, investment and financial institutions, and representatives of various productive and service sectors, to strengthen direct links between companies and markets and decision making at the highest level.”

Continuing, he noted that the Alamein Africa Forum is part of a series of high-level African events that Egypt will host in early October, stressing that holding the forum reflects Egypt’s commitment to advancing continental economic cooperation

In his own comments, Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank described (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag) the Alamein Africa Forum as a pan-African platform for promoting intra-African trade and investment and connecting the business community and financial institutions with priority projects and investment opportunities in the continent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Alamein Africa Forum.

 




 

Continue Reading

Trending