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Hollard gains East Africa foothold in deal with Kenya’s APA Insurance

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APA

It’s an exciting time for APA because the Hollard International partnership will open new doors and new avenues of growth for our busines

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, November 1, 2023/APO Group/ — 

Hollard International (https://apo-opa.info/3tUpGWD) will extend its footprint in Africa through the finalisation, on 31 October 2023, of an agreement to acquire a significant interest in Apollo Investments Limited, the holding company of Kenya-headquartered insurer APA Insurance.

This strategic investment, subject to regulatory approvals, gives Hollard International a presence in the East African market, supplementing its existing operations in Southern and West Africa.

Hollard becomes the second international investor in the Kenyan group, following Swiss Re, which acquired a stake in 2014.

For APA, the partnership gives Kenya’s second-largest insurer access to a larger market and expanded opportunities for growth, says Ashok Shah, Group CEO of Apollo Investments Limited.

“It’s an exciting time for APA because the Hollard International partnership will open new doors and new avenues of growth for our business. We’ll have access to substantial new expertise in classes of business such as Motor, Engineering, Marine and other specialist lines of insurance – which we believe will open up a number of profitable business opportunities.”

Expressing the significance of the partnership, Shah notes, “In addition to expanding our operations in Kenya, this venture will also enable us to strengthen our foothold in Uganda and Tanzania. Moreover, it positions us favourably to seize opportunities in the Ethiopian market once it becomes accessible.”

Pravin Kalpagé, CEO of Hollard International, is equally upbeat about the transaction, heralding it as “a vote of confidence in the Kenyan and East African markets”.

For APA, the partnership gives Kenya’s second-largest insurer access to a larger market and expanded opportunities for growth

He says, “Hollard International has been looking for an East African partner for some time, and APA ticked so many boxes – it has an established track record, an impressive value proposition with strong broker and customer relationships, and it shares our values around community, reliability and customer-centricity. All these elements resonated strongly with us.

“This investment continues Hollard International’s African model of finding strong local businesses and management teams with whom to partner in-country, rather than parachuting expatriates into a new market.”

He adds that exploring options in Francophone West Africa is next on Hollard International’s to-do list.

Kalpagé has also pledged to bring Hollard International’s model of “impact beyond insurance” to the East African market – as demonstrated in Mozambique and Ghana, among other countries.

Hollard Mozambique has developed risk-mitigation insurance products to protect smallholder and subsistence farmers – whose livelihoods are totally reliant on their crops – from extreme weather events through a partnership with local seed providers.

In Ghana, the MeBanbo microinsurance product arose from a partnership between Hollard Life, Vodafone Ghana and Sasai Fintech, a business of Cassava Technologies. It offers accessible, affordable life insurance cover, via an end-to-end digital platform, to the underserved Ghanaian market.

“This focus on being a catalyst for social impact in Africa is in line with Hollard’s business purpose, which is to enable more people to create and secure a better future,” concludes Kalpagé.

In South Africa, Hollard is the largest privately owned insurance group, offering both life and non-life product suites. Hollard International extends insurance solutions outside of South Africa through operations in Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Lesotho, Botswana and Ghana, with East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) being added to the list through the APA transaction. 

APA Insurance is owned by Apollo Investments Limited, which was founded in 1977 with a mission to provide “present and future peace of mind to the East African market and, in turn, enhance the quality of life for both our clients and loved ones”. Built on commitment, integrity and innovation, Apollo has since become one of the leading financial services groups in East Africa, with six companies under its belt.

Issued by Flow Communications on behalf of Hollard. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Hollard.

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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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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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