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Two Decades of Magic: Africa Magic Turns 20

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MultiChoice

The platform continues to invest directly and indirectly into the African entertainment industry

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 13, 2023/APO Group/ — 

As it marks twenty years of existence, MultiChoice’s (https://www.Multichoice.com/) Africa Magic channel celebrates two decades of significant expansion as a major platform for African content, and an engine for multiplying Africa’s creative talent.

Launched as a single channel showing mainly Nollywood movies in 2003, Africa Magic has since grown to include seven channels for movies, sitcoms, soap operas, telenovelas, music, reality and magazine shows showcasing quality content by Africans for Africans.

The platform continues to invest directly and indirectly into the African entertainment industry and especially Nigeria, providing skills support and training, as well as a platform for new and established entertainment talent to grow and succeed.

Successful Africa Magic productions such as Africa’s Next Top Model, The Voice Nigeria, Big Brother Naija, and the annual Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards have cemented the platform’s position as a provider of premium entertainment tailored to the tastes of its audience.

Africa Magic commissions series, reality shows, programmes and films in the Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and English languages, and has already created hundreds of thousands of hours of original local content, pumping billions of Naira’s directly into the creative industry and creating several thousand jobs in adjacent industries.

Popular Africa Magic series Tinsel, for instance, has clocked up to 3,600episodes, making it the longest running telenovela in Nigeria, while employing 1,200 staff and crew, and the AMVCA event creates 3 000 direct and indirect jobs every year.

The social impact of Africa Magic goes far beyond its financial investment. The West Africa academy of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) in Lagos, for example, is producing the next generation of Nigerian and Ghanaian content professionals.

Through the MTF Academy, the MTF MasterClass Series and the MTF Portal, the platform is already impacting the lives of young film makers, elevating the quality of storytelling and boosting Nigeria’s global image.

We have made an economic impact, but we are equally proud of the social impact that MultiChoice has had

West African MTF alumni are already employed in the industry, having set-up production companies, working to produce local content for the Africa Magic pipeline.

“We understand that the proof of the success of the MultiChoice investment in Nigeria lies in how it improves the quality of people’s lives,” says John Ugbe, CEO of West Africa, MultiChoice. “This is why we invest in people, so that they might multiply the impact we can have through the power of entertainment.”

MTF alumni have moved into production roles in major Africa Magic shows. Uchenna Ugwu has served as head writer on Africa Magic Igbo’s first commissioned TV series, Nwanyị Ike, and worked as a writer and script editor for Wura, the Nigerian adaptation of The River, and Covenant.

Fellow MTF graduates Horla Manuvor Jnr. and Teniola Oyelumade have launched a company, Gray Space, which was commissioned by MultiChoice Nigeria to handle live stream production for two Nigerian start-ups participating in the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator programme.

The Accelerator programme is another example of how MultiChoice is investing in multiplying the social impact in Nigeria. The programme invites applications from social-enterprise start-ups across Africa, and culminates in a finals event in Dubai, where shortlisted start-ups present their business plans to a panel of investors.

Two finalists were chosen from Nigeria. Dojah Inc is an end-to-end personal identity verification and compliance framework that supports digital businesses. Crop2Cash is a digital financial service that allows smallholder farmers to open a bank account on their feature phones in under two minutes, with no internet required.

“As MultiChoice Nigeria celebrates Africa Magic’s 20th anniversary, we recommit ourselves to not only growing our people but also growing our industry and its talent,” says Ugbe. “We will continue raising our standards and developing our people. As an African content provider, we see our role as being to add value to our community through the power of entertainment.”

Ugbe said the investments MultiChoice Nigeria had made in the country since its establishment in 1993, had been shown to have a ripple effect on the industry, and the economy at large.

“We have made an economic impact, but we are equally proud of the social impact that MultiChoice has had,” he says. “Through decades of engagement, we have grown a deep understanding of our audience, and we are committed to continuing to enable quality African storytelling that reflects their interests, their hopes and their aspirations.”

“We’re all about improving the quality of people’s lives through what we do,” says Ugbe. “We have been humbled to see our audiences respond to that, and we look forward to many more decades as part of the African entertainment landscape.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MultiChoice Group.

Business

Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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Sinclair

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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PAPSS

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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Sonangol

Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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