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Bureau Veritas continues on its transformation journey to Shaping a Better Workplace

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Bureau Veritas

Making quantum leaps and bounds in gender equality as scientists make a difference to people and planet

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

Bureau Veritas (https://apo-opa.info/3sZvaPr), a world leader in testing, inspections and certification services, is continually on a passionate drive to fulfil its mission of shaping a world of trust through its unrivalled expertise, independent and worldwide presence to benefit society. The company is fast gaining ground on its sustainability trajectory to meet its 2025 ambitions towards transforming the world we live in. Committed to creating better workplaces, a cleaner environment and improved business practices, Bureau Veritas (BV) (www.BureauVeritas.com) enjoys an enviable reputation for being a company that walks the talk.

2025 ambitions and gender equality

With a strong commitment to achieving its 2025 objective of leading the Testing, Inspections and Certification evolution towards sustainable growth in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), BV invests heavily in People and Culture, Organization and Governance and Innovation and Technology. Human capital enjoys the utmost regard, and the company focuses on attracting the best talent to develop its next generations and ultimately build its culture across the globe – these factors are critical to accelerating the 2025 strategic direction of the company. Organizational development is strongly underpinned by a robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment, a living extension of the company’s mission to create a world where trust and truth are respected and exercised in daily life. Gender equality is intrinsic to this commitment to change lives and thus ensure a fairer world. International teams with broad-based skills and diverse profiles, creating a more representative organization which is fast on track to achieve its goals. In line with its commitment and policy on inclusion, Bureau Veritas has aligned to the SDG of Gender Equality, setting itself ambitious targets for 2025 to reach 35% of female representation in leadership positions, which is supported through several initiatives.

Global and Africa statistics to date

Bureau Veritas has made strides in its commitment to a more efficient and gender balanced operation, with increasing numbers of women in management and executive leadership, with robust plans in place to balance the corporate landscape even more. Today, on a global level, 69% of employees are male, whilst some 31% are female against an ambition of 35% by 2025. Women are present in a range of roles from executive leadership to subject matter experts in engineering, artificial intelligence, nuclear innovation, digital technology, human resources, accounting, marketing, and communications, legal and a host of alternative specialties.

In Africa, women make up some 28% of the human talent; with some 28% of these women being female senior decision-makers.

Dr Beatriz Magalhaes, Country Chief Executive Mozambique:

“Study hard, that is the most solid foundation you can create for yourself, it will help you with the confidence you require to focus on your achievements and not that of others. Secondly, choose the right partner on your journey, one that will add and not subtract,” she advises young woman. Education and job creation lie close to Magalhaes’ heart, and she has made it her business to impact the communities around her by driving social responsibility.

Brazilian born Beatriz Magalhaes is the Chief Country Executive of BV Mozambique and has been in her role for two years. With a PhD in Structural Biology from the University College, London (UCL); Dr Magalhaes joined BV in 2016 to “reinvent herself”. Initially a consultant, she was drawn to the company values of truth and transparency, which aligned closely to her personal value system. Her career has been steeped in science, having been a university lecturer in Brazil before founding a green technology startup in her home country. A family woman at heart, with her mother firmly placed as her role model, she is motivated by the pleasure of a job well done. Key to her many accomplishments are adaptability and a keen understanding of a host of cultures, having grown up in various countries around the world and speaking several languages. Always putting her team first is part of her leadership style and is the secret ingredient to her success as a woman and business leader. The simple joy of encouraging a team to their own personal success motivates and inspires her. Caring for her staff is an invaluable characteristic that lies close to her heart, as evidenced by the impact of one of her recent leaders.

This humble, competent, and ambitious scientist enjoys working in a global business and looks forward to feeding her curiosity by working more closely with new technologies, artificial intelligence, and new innovations in the future. When asked what words of advice she would offer her younger self, she commented: “Don’t be afraid of taking leaps, of reinventing yourself if needs be. You need to first trust yourself, trust what drives you and head on straight.”

Dr Swarupa Deshpande, Oil & Gas Market Leader Africa:

As BV advances towards supporting our clients in creating cities of tomorrow: smarter, greener, and more human, it will persist in tackling its ESG goals with pride of place

“Transparency is vital, be committed to your objective and work collaboratively. We need to constantly upgrade our knowledge and technology prowess for innovative solutions. It is important to be firmly rooted whilst building strong teams and external networks with partners, clients, and stakeholders. There are no short cuts to hard work and dedication; and no alternatives for patience and compassion,” she says, sharing the key ingredients to her success as a woman and business leader.

Dr Swarupa Deshpande spearheads Oil & Gas in Africa, one of BV’s largest markets and has also spearheaded the team in South Asia. The soft-spoken Indian-born Deshpande has a PhD in Oil & Gas Management, an MBA, and a diploma in International Business Management. She was initially drawn to the company some 16 years ago because of its strict testing and quality control measures, it’s absolute values of truth and transparency; collaborative and highly ethical culture.

She is inspired by being able to use her abilities to help contribute towards a better society, building an improved living world through BV’s quality, health, safety, and environmental service support to the crucial energy sector to maintain the natural balance of the globe. BV’s ability to use technology, digital innovations, and sustainability solutions to improve the wellbeing of the industrial sector of the world further propels her to making a marked difference. She remains inspired by her Human Resources Director, as a dynamic and smart female role model with strong leadership qualities and team building abilities, with the innate ability to connect great minds.

Bureau Veritas’ sectors range from infrastructure, agriculture, high end technology, to molecular biology, marine, oil & gas, aviation, engineering, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, and power. It is this wide spectrum that draws her to the business and keeps her curious, learning and tapping into various geographies and cultures. Given a magic wand, she would like to see the pace of knowledge transfer increase to every team member to expand their personal development, improving quality of life. Deshpande is most proud of carving a place for herself in the traditionally male driven oil & gas sector and securing many large contracts through excellent technical knowledge whilst always abiding by a high level of ethical practices. She encourages younger women who look up to her as a prominent engineer in a competitive environment: “Develop a deep understanding of your field, be bold and straight when giving your opinion, demand flexibility and specific needs as a woman and mother and be confident to lead.”

Continue to challenge, meet global targets, and equalize the landscape

As BV advances towards supporting our clients in creating cities of tomorrow: smarter, greener, and more human, it will persist in tackling its ESG goals with pride of place. The company will pursue a safer, fairer, and more sustainable economic system. Shaping a world of trust is crucial to the social fabric and values of the company, ensuring transparency and credibility as it encourages innovation, proactivity, and agility, keeping a watchful eye on women in the workplace whilst driving a client-centric organization. Gender equality targets will continue to climb as the company achieves its current objectives and then expedites even more ambitious goals.

Bertrand Martin – Senior Vice President Africa

“We will keep the capacity to continually challenge ourselves, to go beyond the comfort zone to innovate. We will embrace technology to develop new services and new ways to deliver the service.  We will continue to be catalysts for positive social change, to be part of the social compact that seeks to make a tangible difference to the lives of families and communities that we work and live in. We will ensure we support girls and younger women to secure a place at university to study the much-needed STEM subjects – to create illustrious careers for themselves and ultimately earn a seat at the boardroom table – this will form part of our legacy for generations to come.”

Bureau Veritas enjoys a geographical presence in 140 countries and unrivalled experience in certification processes, coupled with in-depth knowledge of local specifications and regulations are considerable assets the company provides to its clients, public authorities, and society as a whole.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Bureau Veritas.

Business

African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Technical Sessions Put Technology Behind Africa’s Next Energy Projects in Focus

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African Energy Chamber

Day 2 technical sessions at African Energy Week 2026 will examine frontier exploration, major gas developments, project economics and the technologies supporting Africa’s expanding oil, gas and LNG sectors

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –African Energy Week (AEW) 2026’s Day 2 Technical Stages will put the technology and technical expertise behind Africa’s next wave of energy projects in focus, with sessions covering subsurface interpretation, deepwater exploration, gas development, project economics, digitalization, offshore operations and infrastructure.

 




  

The program will unfold across two exhibition-hall stages, with the Drill Room focusing on practical applications across exploration, gas development, offshore operations and LNG, while the Innovation Hub will examine frontier exploration, energy markets, digital technologies and infrastructure. Together, the sessions connect project-level technologies with the wider investment and development challenges facing Africa’s energy industry.

The day opens with GeoEnergy Petroleum Director Maged Fahim, who will examine how legacy and newly acquired subsurface datasets can be integrated with modern technologies to identify additional upstream opportunities. TGS Principal Exploration Advisor Felicia Winter will then focus on Angola’s deepwater basins, examining how modern seismic acquisition and imaging can be used to reinterpret existing data and evaluate frontier plays.

The discussions come as Angola seeks to build on renewed offshore activity. TotalEnergies announced in September that it plans to invest $10 billion in Angola over the next five years, including in exploration, while advancing its $6 billion Kaminho deepwater development.

Gas development will take center stage through two presentations by TotalEnergies. Alexandre Depiesse, GPI Venus, will address appraisal strategies and commercial viability for Orange Basin discoveries, while Mozambique LNG Operations and Project Director Nicolas Cambefort will examine development and optimisation of the Rovuma Basin gas resources. Mozambique LNG, a 13.1-million-ton-per-year project in Area 1 led by TotalEnergies, resumed activities in January 2026 following the lifting of force majeure, putting development of Mozambique’s major offshore gas resources back into focus.

AEW 2026 reflects the practical challenges facing Africa’s energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production

The Republic of Congo National Showcase will provide another perspective on Africa’s expanding LNG industry. The country’s Congo LNG project reached a new stage in February 2026 with the start of commercial production from its second phase. The addition of the Nguya FLNG unit brought total liquefaction capacity to 3 million tons per year, expanding Congo’s ability to monetize its offshore gas resources.

The program will then broaden from individual projects to the continent-wide investment outlook with the launch of The State of African Energy 2027. AEC Senior Vice President Verner Ayukegba and S&P Global Energy Executive Director Max Pietzsch will present the outlook, covering upstream oil and gas, LNG, downstream markets, power, renewables and critical minerals against changing demand, trade flows and energy security requirements.

Project decision-making will remain under examination as S&P Global Energy Technical Research Analyst Tasnika Goorhoo presents “From Limited Data to Better Decisions: How Benchmarking Strengthens Upstream Project Outcomes.” The session will examine how comparative project data can help operators assess performance, costs and development outcomes.

NOV Vice President Mats Anderson will address offshore optimization through high-speed downhole connectivity and real-time distributed measurements, examining how faster access to downhole information can improve operational visibility and decision-making.

Infrastructure will also feature prominently, with Kenyon International West Africa CEO Victor Ekpenyong examining asset integrity and pipeline infrastructure through the company’s CACTUS and FlexSteel technologies. Honeywell Technologies Africa will close the technology-focused sessions with its end-to-end LNG offering, while SLB, InSwitch, the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone and PETROSEN will bring additional perspectives on technology, digitalization and energy services.

“AEW 2026 reflects the practical challenges facing Africa’s energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “From subsurface interpretation and deepwater exploration to LNG development, project benchmarking, digitalization and infrastructure, these technical sessions highlight the expertise and technologies needed to develop Africa’s resources efficiently and create lasting value across the energy value chain.”

AEW 2026 takes place from October 12–16 in Cape Town, bringing together governments, investors, operators and technology providers to discuss investment, project development and the future of Africa’s energy sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

 




 

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Rising power costs put energy strategy at the centre of industrial competitiveness

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South Africa

C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg to focus on the procurement, cost and investment decisions facing South Africa’s large energy users

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The cost of electricity is no longer only an energy issue for South African businesses. It is increasingly a question of competitiveness, investment and long-term operational resilience.

Recent figures show the pressure on large power users. Business Day reported on 7 September that South Africa’s mining and industrial majors paid Eskom R115 billion for electricity in the 2025/26 financial year. According to Eskom’s annual report, industrial electricity demand fell by more than 22% over the same period as high power costs weighed on energy-intensive operations.

 




  

At the same time, major businesses are moving to alternative supply. Reuters reported on 26 August that South African mining companies are accelerating investment in renewable energy to cut costs, diversify supply and meet decarbonisation targets.

For commercial and industrial energy users, the question is no longer simply how to secure power. It is how to buy it, what to invest in, and which energy strategy makes the strongest commercial sense.

Energy procurement is becoming more complex

Businesses are now weighing several procurement options at once. Should they sign a long-term PPA? Buy through an electricity trader? Wheel renewable power across the grid? Invest in behind-the-meter generation? Add battery storage? Each option carries different implications for cost, risk, contracting and long-term flexibility.

These decisions will take centre stage at the C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg, taking place on 28–29 October 2026 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton. The programme is built around the practical challenges facing energy buyers today, with a focus on real projects, commercial models and implementation rather than technology in isolation.

A programme built around the buyer’s decisions

The summit closes with the C&I Decision Clinic: Ask the Experts, a masterclass where attendees submit real project challenges in advance and receive practical, anonymised responses from experts. Questions on the table include whether to build onsite PV or sign a wheeled PPA, how much battery storage makes commercial sense, what a bankable project preparation pack should contain, and what financiers require before term sheet stage.

It follows The C&I Energy Playbook: Five decisions business leaders need to make now, a closing panel in which the moderators of key summit sessions distil the programme into the priorities C&I businesses should act on.

Other sessions address the questions buyers are asking now:

  • Energy storage beyond backup power: unlocking commercial value examines peak shaving, demand charge management, energy arbitrage and hybrid PV-plus-storage business models, along with the operational realities of dispatch, degradation and warranties.
  • Making public-private engagement work for you unpacks how wheeling agreements are structured in practice, where interface risks arise, and how businesses can engage utilities and municipalities early.
  • Reducing energy costs without building new generation is a case-study-led workshop on energy efficiency, operational optimisation, demand response and digital energy management.
  • Projects Spotlight gives energy users the floor to share the strategies they have implemented, the lessons learned and the outcomes achieved.

The programme opens with the keynote panel Threats and opportunities in South Africa’s industrial future, bringing together policymakers, industrial leaders, financiers, and energy and water experts.

Bringing energy buyers into the conversation

The summit’s Hosted Buyer Programme is designed for qualified end-user energy buyers across sectors including mining, manufacturing, property, agriculture and other energy-intensive industries. Hosted buyers take part in the full programme and receive curated engagement with solution providers across energy procurement, storage deployment and project development.

Four events, one venue

The summit is co-located with the EIUG Conference, Water Security Africa and the Data Centre Summit, bringing the energy, water and digital infrastructure communities together in Sandton. It is brought to you by Enlit Africa, with ESI Africa as host media, and is accredited by the SAIEE.

Qualified commercial and industrial energy users can apply for the Hosted Buyer Programme at https://apo-opa.co/4yPnXOg, and bring their project questions to the Decision Clinic.

Full programme: https://apo-opa.co/4xK2ANv

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

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Beyond the carbon credit: Who sets the terms for Africa’s carbon markets?

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From project ownership and verification to pricing and benefit-sharing, CMAS 2026 will bring African market leaders and global decision-makers together to examine who creates and captures value

KIGALI, Rwanda, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –A carbon credit may be traded as a single unit, but its value is shaped long before it reaches a buyer. Decisions about project ownership, finance, data, verification and benefit-sharing determine who participates, who carries the risk and who ultimately benefits. As new regulations and international partnerships expand market access, these questions are becoming increasingly important across Africa.

 




 
 

They will be central to the Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) 2026, taking place from 13 to 15 October at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda. The summit will convene African governments, project developers, investors, buyers and technical experts involved in decisions across the carbon-market value chain.

Countries are approaching these decisions from different regulatory, economic and environmental positions. While recent developments in East Africa demonstrate growing market activity, questions concerning international requirements, technical capacity, investment and benefit-sharing are relevant across Africa.

Ousmane Fall SARR, Coordinator of the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance, says:

“African countries are developing carbon markets from different starting points. Stronger African expertise and regional cooperation will be important if the continent is to contribute to the standards and market practices that determine how its projects compete, attract investment and create value.”

Against this continental backdrop, East Africa provides a timely example of how the market is developing. In January 2026, Rwanda and Singapore invited applications for carbon-credit projects under their bilateral Implementation Agreement, aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Credits from authorised projects may be used by eligible Singapore-based carbon tax-liable companies to offset up to 5% of their taxable emissions, subject to both governments’ requirements.

African countries are developing carbon markets from different starting points

Across the continent, carbon market frameworks are rapidly taking shape. Kenya and Uganda are strengthening regulatory oversight, regional partnerships are helping governments build market capacity and infrastructure, and South Africa is advancing reforms to modernise its carbon-credit ecosystem and attract investment. Together, these developments are bringing greater focus to questions of authorisation, project ownership, verification, pricing and access to international buyers, while also raising expectations that carbon finance should deliver sustainable economic and development value beyond the credit itself.

Emmanuelle Nicholls, Portfolio Director for CMAS, says:

“A carbon credit may be the final product, but behind it are decisions about ownership, data, risk, pricing and who ultimately benefits. The conversations in Kigali will examine what credible participation looks like across the full carbon-market value chain.”

These decisions have consequences beyond individual transactions. Carbon finance is increasingly connected to conservation, agriculture, soil restoration, food security, clean energy and waste management. Its success will therefore also be judged by whether projects produce credible environmental outcomes and lasting benefits for African economies and communities.

A practical example comes from the Chinko Conservation Area in the Central African Republic, where revenue from the Chinko Carbon Project is channelled through a community fund that supports locally selected initiatives, including the expansion of a medical centre in Agoumar. At CMAS 2026, African Parks and Welthungerhilfe, both Bronze Sponsors, will share perspectives on how carbon finance can support conservation, climate resilience, food systems and community development, while highlighting broader questions around project governance, impact and the distribution of value.

From project-level impact to market-wide structures, these questions will underpin discussions at CMAS 2026. The programme will address government authorisation, buyer requirements, pricing and offtake, investment risk, early-stage finance, registries and African measurement, reporting and verification capacity. It will connect the question of who sets the terms with the practical requirements for building credible, investment-ready projects and transactions.

CMAS 2026 is hosted by the Ministry of Environment of Rwanda, with UNDP and the African Development Bank as host organisations, the Development Bank of Southern Africa as host partner and AUDA-NEPAD as strategic institutional partner.

Taking place ahead of COP31, CMAS will focus attention on the decisions behind every carbon credit and what they mean for African governments, projects, investors and communities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

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