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Africa needs bold Innovative Initiatives to Unleash the Full Potential of the Continent—King Mohammed VI of Morocco

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Morocco

The Market Days, an initiative of the African Development Bank and seven other co-founding partners, is taking place in Marrakech, Morocco over the next three days

MARRAKECH, Morocco, November 9, 2023/APO Group/ — 

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI opened the 2023 Africa Investment Forum Market Days on Wednesday with a call for Africans to work together to attract the levels of private investment needed to drive the continent’s inclusive development.

The Market Days, an initiative of the African Development Bank and seven other co-founding partners, is taking place in Marrakech, Morocco over the next three days.

The platform advances projects to bankability, raises capital, and accelerates deals toward financial closure.

“Africa needs now more than ever bold, innovative initiatives to encourage private entrepreneurship and unleash the full potential of our continent,” King Mohammed VI said in a keynote speech read on his behalf by his advisor Omar Kabbaj, a President Emeritus of the African Development Bank.

The King said Morocco could serve as a model for other African countries’ efforts to overcome their infrastructure gaps. “Over the past two decades, Morocco has made infrastructure development a priority in all economic sectors,” he said. He also informed the gathering that the country was pushing toward its goal of deriving over 52% of its national electricity mix from renewable energy by 2030. 

The King also stressed that African countries should enhance “coordination and cooperation mechanisms to drive regional integration.” As an example of the country’s push to partner with neighbors, he cited the Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline Project. The project will “enable all countries along the pipeline route to have access to reliable energy supplies and to be more resilient to exogenous energy price shocks.” 

Several heads of state and over 1000 participants including CEOs, heads of multilateral and regional financial institutions, business leaders and project developers and government ministers are attending the 2023 Market Days. Heads of state and government took the opportunity to make the case for investment in their countries by participating in deal-focused boardrooms and thematic plenaries. They include Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros and current chairperson of the African Union, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, Rwanda’s Prime Minister Eduardo Girente and the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley.

A platform for smooth investments into Africa

In his keynote address, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, highlighted Africa’s prospects as a prime investment destination.

The continent is not as risky as perceived and is growing and showing resilience despite global challenges, he said, offering reasons for global investors to pursue high-risk-adjusted returns in Africa. “As investors, put your monies where the future is—The future is Africa,” said Adesina.

Heads of state took part in a conversation on Accelerating Africa’s Economic Transformation following opening statements.

As investors, put your monies where the future is—The future is Africa

The President of Comoros, Azali Assoumani, pointed out that manufactured African exports account for just 1% of world exports.  “We export them to developed countries and these countries re-export them to us processed and sell them back to us at ten times the price. Despite the obstacles, there are enormous opportunities for the development of value chains in Africa.”

President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania said technological and aviation “connectivity is a problem in Africa. We need to invest in the continent’s connectivity.” She noted that she recently had to travel via Paris from her country in East Africa to her destination in Dakar, West Africa.

President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone said, “Obstacles are opportunities and how we turn obstacles into opportunities is the most important thing. Our economies are not sufficiently diversified and as soon as there is a shock, we suffer the consequences. And we are at the mercy of fluctuations in commodities like oil.”

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley thanked the government of Morocco and the African Development Bank for inviting her, allowing Africans and Caribbeans to reclaim our Atlantic destiny. “We are finding more and more that opportunities for synergies and solidarities are clear,” she said. Mottley has been a forceful voice on behalf of the global south. In 2022, ahead of COP27, she announced the Bridgetown Initiative, an agenda for the reform of the global financial architecture and development finance in the context of three intersecting global crises: debt, climate, and inflation.

“Don’t ask us to choose people over planet or planet over people,” Mottley said, recommending a unified approach to the creation of a level playing field. She said there was scope for African and Caribbean people to partner in a range of spheres including pharmaceutical development and tourism, particularly the cruise ship industry.

Rwanda’s Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente commended the Africa Investment Forum. “I like events where we are discussing action rather than potential. We need action now,” he said. He urged the removal of barriers to the free movement of people.

Adesina, the chairperson of the Africa Investment Forum, also praised the platform. He said, what makes the Africa Investment Forum unique and remarkable is that it is highly innovative, and 100% transactional. “We develop and curate projects, reduce transaction costs and risks and accelerate the closure of deals,” Adesina said. “Our goal is simple: make investments to land in Africa smoothly.”

He urged attendees to seize opportunities presented during the Market Days: “Let us be concrete, bold, and decisive. The boardrooms have been well prepared. The clock is ticking. The project developers are here. The investors are here. The heads of state and governments are here. And the financial institutions are here. So, let the deals begin.”

The theme of the 2023 Market Days is Unlocking Africa’s value chains. The forum helps connect investors with bankable deals in several sectors including renewable energy, agribusiness and the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

Adesina also conveyed the solidarity of Africa Investment Forum partners for Morocco following the devastating earthquake that struck the country in early September. The African Development Bank will commit €782 million to help finance various projects in Morocco in 2023.

The 2023 Market Days runs from 8 to 10 November. Previous iterations of Market Days have drawn more than 16,500 participants and generated cumulative investment interest of nearly $143 billion.

The Africa Investment Forum’s eight founding partners are the African Development Bank Group, Africa50, Africa Finance Corporation, Afreximbank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and Trade and Development Bank.

Market Days 2023 Agenda (https://apo-opa.co/3sq4Uxt)

Dr Akinwumi Adesina’s speech (https://apo-opa.co/3QOI7oz)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Business

ACG CEO Paulo J. Cruz to Speak at the Leadership Summit 2026 in Luanda on How Sport and Entertainment Districts Can Accelerate Africa’s Productive Economy

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Paulo J. Cruz

Paulo J. Cruz joins CEOs from Angola’s telecoms, energy, data infrastructure, and technology sectors on the Productivity and Productive Economy panel at one of the country’s leading executive summits

LUANDA, Angola, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ –African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com), the leading strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems, today announced that its Founding CEO, Paulo J. Cruz, will speak at the 2nd Edition of the Leadership Summit 2026 (Cimeira de Liderança 2026) in Luanda, Angola, on 19 November 2026.

 




 
 

Mr Cruz will participate in Panel 3, “Productivity and Productive Economy,” alongside CEOs from Angola’s telecoms, energy, data infrastructure, and technology sectors, including the leaders of TVCABO Angola, Raxio Data Centres, Angola Cables, TIS, and EWT – Energy Water Telecom. The panel will be moderated by Kussi Bernardo, CEO of Multitel.

The Leadership Summit, held under the theme “Leadership that Generates Results: Strategy, Execution and Value,” convenes Presidents of Boards of Directors, CEOs, CFOs, and senior executives from Angola’s most strategic sectors, including oil and gas, mining, banking, telecoms, energy, industry, and agriculture. The event takes place at the Palmeiras Suite Hotel in Talatona, Luanda.

A Victory District™ generates revenue from 15 to 20 different asset types, creates thousands of permanent jobs, and operates 365 days a year

Mr Cruz will address how ACG’s origination of integrated sport and entertainment districts across Africa contributes directly to the transformation of the productive economy. His intervention will focus on how sport infrastructure, when conceived as a financially self-sustaining urban ecosystem rather than a standalone stadium, becomes a catalyst for job creation, tourism, diversified revenue generation, and long-term economic development.

“Sport infrastructure is not a social cost. It is a productive asset,” said Paulo J. Cruz, Founding CEO of ACG. “A Victory District™ generates revenue from 15 to 20 different asset types, creates thousands of permanent jobs, and operates 365 days a year. That is not a stadium. That is a contribution to the productive economy. I am honoured to share that vision alongside some of Angola’s most influential business leaders.”

ACG’s Victory District™ framework is designed to originate integrated, mixed-use sport and entertainment districts that move beyond single-venue development models. Each district combines stadiums, indoor arenas, training academies, hotels, conference centres, retail, entertainment, residential, and commercial space within a single masterplanned development, financed by private and institutional capital without reliance on public subsidy.

Mr Cruz brings more than 25 years of experience across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in originating, structuring, and delivering large-scale infrastructure, urbanisation, and real estate development initiatives. Prior to ACG, he served as Senior Vice President at DAMAC Group, the largest private real estate developer in the Middle East, and as Group CEO of LandAfrique, a pan-African development platform focused on industrial parks, infrastructure, housing, and power projects across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Leadership Summit 2026 is an initiative of Clube De Valor™, focused on leadership, strategy, execution, and value creation across Angola’s business landscape.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Collaborations Group (ACG).

 




 

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Energy

South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Djibouti to Headline South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026 Ministerial Panel

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SSOP

The Ministerial Panel will feature ministerial representatives from South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Uganda

JUBA, South Sudan, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ –Senior energy and government representatives from South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Djibouti will participate in a ministerial panel at South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026, taking place November 24-25 in Juba. The discussion will focus on strengthening regional energy cooperation, advancing cross-border infrastructure and attracting investment into East Africa’s petroleum sector.

 




 
 

Titled Regional Cooperation, Investment and Energy Security, the panel will feature Awow Daniel Chuang, Minister of Petroleum of South Sudan; Monica Musenero Masanza, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda; Silvester Kasuku, Advisor, Governance, Executive Office of the President, Kenya; and Wahib Ali Boulo, Director of Hydrocarbons, Djibouti.

Their participation comes as East Africa enters a new exploration and production cycle, backed by the start of upstream projects in Uganda and Kenya, a drive to strengthen cross-border trade by Djibouti and efforts to increase crude production in South Sudan. Regional cooperation is supporting these activities and SSOP 2026 will provide a platform to explore East Africa’s broader energy renaissance.

Minister Chuang joins the event as South Sudan opens its upstream market to international investors. Under efforts to raise production from 174,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 230,000 bpd in the near term, the country is inviting investors to support brownfield development, accelerate exploration and expand refining capacity. Around 14 blocks are currently available.

Uganda is also promoting investment in exploration as the country prepares to start oil production from the Kingfisher and Tilenga oilfields in June 2027. The fields represent the country’s entry into commercial oil production. Crude will be exported via the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, currently 92% complete, which connects the fields to Tanzania’s Port of Tanga. To sustain upstream investment, the country also plans to launch a licensing round in 2026/2027.

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Kenya is preparing to join East Africa’s oil producers as the country prepares for first production from the South Lokichar Basin in December 2026. Developed by Gulf Energy, the project targets 20,000 bpd in its first phase and 50,000 bpd in its second. The project coincides with investments in the downstream sector. In late-September 2026, Nigeria’s Dangote Group launched construction activities at a 700,000-bpd refinery in Lamu. A South Sudanese delegation, led by Minister Chuang, attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

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As regional neighbors prepare for commercial oil production, Djibouti continues to strengthen its cross-border partnerships. The country signed an agreement with South Sudan in 2025 to develop the White Nile Trade Corridor, which aims to establish river and dry-port infrastructure in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Renk, connecting South Sudan to international trade routes through Djibouti. Boulo’s participation at SSOP 2026 creates new pathways for strengthened regional ties.

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Returning for its seventh edition under the theme Resource Renaissance – Energy-Fueled Growth for a New Generation, SSOP 2026 will provide a platform for policymakers, national oil companies, investors and infrastructure developers to examine how regional partnerships can strengthen energy security and accelerate project development.

For more information, visit www.SouthSudanOilPower.com.

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

 




 

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Merec Industries, a subsidiary of Invictus Investment Company PLC, builds first pasta manufacturing plant in northern Mozambique

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Merec

The plant will significantly expand Mozambique’s pasta production capacity and bring production closer to consumers in the north, while increasing the availability of high-quality fortified pasta in line with the country’s national food fortification requirements

Today, pasta is part of the basic food basket of Mozambicans

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ —

  • Merec Industries, Mozambique’s largest flour milling company, is building the first pasta manufacturing plant in the north of the country, taking its coverage countrywide
  • Once complete, Merec’s plants will have the capacity to meet Mozambique’s domestic pasta demand and export the surplus, contributing to the country’s food security
  • The investment comes as Merec Industries prepares for its next phase of growth, with Helios Investment Partners set to become a minority shareholder in the business alongside Invictus Investment
  • Governor of Nampula Province visited the site in Nacala to view construction progress

 




 
 

Invictus Investment Company PLC (https://InvictusInvestment.ae/) (ADX: INVICTUS), a leading holding company specialised in agro-food commodities across the Middle East and Africa, today announced that its subsidiary Merec Industries (“Merec”) is building the first pasta manufacturing plant in the northern region of Mozambique, in Nacala. Once the plant is complete, Merec will be the only company in Mozambique with pasta manufacturing facilities in all three regions of the country: the north, central and south. Together with the expansion of its Machava industrial facility in the south, the new plant will take Merec’s total pasta production capacity beyond Mozambique’s national demand, enabling the country to meet its pasta demand from local production and export the surplus. Nacala is home to a deep-water port and is the gateway to the Nacala Logistics Corridor, which links Mozambique to Malawi and Zambia.

The Governor of Nampula Province, His Excellency Eduardo Abdula, visited Merec’s facilities to view construction progress and learn more about the developments of this investment. The plant will significantly expand Mozambique’s pasta production capacity and bring production closer to consumers in the north, while increasing the availability of high-quality fortified pasta in line with the country’s national food fortification requirements. It will also create direct and indirect jobs, develop local skills and involve businesses across the value chain, from production and logistics to distribution and sales.

Merec’s operating performance has improved significantly since it joined Invictus Investment in January 2025, prompting a more ambitious growth strategy to expand it beyond its core operations into new food categories in Mozambique and across the wider Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. In October 2026, Invictus Investment and Helios Investment Partners announced that Helios Fund V had entered into an agreement to acquire up to a 49% interest in Merec’s holding company, with Invictus Investment remaining the majority shareholder. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Merec and Invictus Investment also signed cooperation agreements with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, at the Lusophone Africa Investment Forum in Cabo Verde last month, to advance agribusiness in Mozambique and across Africa.

Commenting on the announcement, Amir Daoud Abdellatif, CEO of Invictus Investment, said: “Completing Merec’s pasta manufacturing footprint across Mozambique brings production closer to consumers and provides the local capacity needed to build a more resilient food business. This investment is part of our wider approach to growth, which involves taking majority positions in strong businesses, investing in their expansion and bringing in partners who can help take them further. Our ambition is to develop Merec into a regional food platform for Southern Africa, and this plant is an important part of the foundation for that.”

Eng. Luís Aveleira, Executive Board Member at Merec, added: “Today, pasta is part of the basic food basket of Mozambicans. Through this investment, we want to help ensure that Mozambique has the capacity to meet the needs of its own market, reducing its dependence on imported products. With industrial facilities in the north, central and south regions, we are strengthening our ability to supply the national market and contributing to the country’s objectives of promoting local production and import substitution. Beyond ensuring the supply of the domestic market, we also aim to build the capacity to generate production surpluses for export, contributing to foreign currency earnings and the growth of the national economy. We believe that investing in domestic production means investing in food security, industrialisation and the future of Mozambique.”

In addition to strengthening Mozambique’s food security and reducing its reliance on imports, the project reflects Invictus Investment’s focus on midstream and downstream assets across key African markets in support of its aim of becoming a fully integrated agro-food enterprise.

*Please refer to https://apo-opa.co/4sT7DdG for more information. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Invictus Investment Company PLC.

 

 




 

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