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London Internet Exchange (LINX) Nairobi Goes Live – The New Interconnection Hub for Kenya

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LINX

LINX Nairobi is the new Internet Exchange Point (IXP) for East Africa, located out of three data centre locations across Kenya’s capital

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 14, 2023/APO Group/ — 

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) (https://www.LINX.net/) have announced that their interconnection hub in Nairobi, Kenya is now live and ready for business.  

LINX Nairobi (https://apo-opa.co/3stuMbZ) is the new Internet Exchange Point (IXP) for East Africa, located out of three data centre locations across Kenya’s capital. The IXP has the vision to further enhance the countries connectivity and digital ecosystem.

Kenya is considered one of the leading technology powerhouses of Africa, undergoing a digital revolution since the early 2000’s the country has reported an average of 10.8% growth per year since 2016.

The country is uniquely positioned to serve all of East Africa with fast-growing fibre connectivity throughout the whole region, with a well-connected submarine cable network providing pathways to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Established in 1994, LINX is a recognised leader in the global interconnection market. Their reputation as a technical leader in the industry and proven success internationally, will provide future proof solutions to further strengthen the rapidly evolving ecosystem in Kenya.

Nurani Nimpuno, Head of Global Engagement for LINX has led on the LINX Nairobi project and is excited to see the IXP go live.

“I feel very proud to have led on this exciting new venture for LINX in Kenya and the welcome we have received from local stakeholders has been very supportive. We can learn a lot from the country’s technical advancements, for example their adoption of M-PESA with Safaricom, taking Kenya strides ahead in the way of digital finance innovation compared to other countries. I strongly believe LINX Nairobi can only compliment and continue to grow the ecosystem in Kenya.”

At LINX we depend on our data centre partners, fibre providers, ISPs and content providers, customers, and other partners, and we come together to enable each other

LINX are true champions of collaboration within the industry and have been working with key stakeholders on the ground in Kenya leading up to the launch of LINX Nairobi.

Nurani continues;

“At LINX we depend on our data centre partners, fibre providers, ISPs and content providers, customers, and other partners, and we come together to enable each other. But it is when we work together and complement each other’s strengths that we become successful.”

The LINX Nairobi interconnection hub is a multi-site, interconnected platform accessible from IXAfrica (https://IXAfrica.co.ke/) but also from Africa Data Centres (https://apo-opa.co/3MG0TMs) NBO1 and iColo (https://apo-opa.co/3uaQXE9) NBO1 facilities.

Networks located in any of these facilities can plug into the LINX Nairobi hub and peer their traffic, creating a secure and redundant digital environment for them to manage their network more effectively. 

Peering allows networks to improve the control of their network traffic and the route it takes. It’s often more cost effective than other methods of traffic management and improves network latency.

In addition to the data centre stakeholders in Kenya, LINX are working with a number of high profile, selected technical partners. Nokia were announced as one of these technical partners (https://apo-opa.co/3QWBUad) with the IXP implementing their 7220 IXR D3L and SR Linux Network Operating System (NOS) in order to deliver this future-proof and scalable solution. Smartoptics (https://apo-opa.co/3FYE96I) and Flexoptics were also selected as the right fit to complete the technical set up.

With a large government led focus on the future of digital services in Kenya including the Kenya Digital Superhighway Project (https://apo-opa.co/3MG1huo), set to improve the fibre network coverage as well as ‘smart hubs’ for more rural areas, the timing couldn’t be better for LINX Nairobi.

LINX have been pioneers of peering for nearly 30 years and have changed the Internet and connectivity landscape in the UK. They are fully invested in working for the good of the internet in Kenya as they roll out their peering solutions as well as further interconnection services in the future.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of London Internet Exchange (LINX).

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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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