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Alfa Romeo “MILANO” History in a name

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Alfa Romeo

In April 2024 in Milan, Alfa Romeo will unveil to the world the first Sport Urban Vehicle in its history, which will also be available in a 100% electric version

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POISSY, France, January 18, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Its name will be MILANO. Alfa Romeo (www.AlfaRomeo.com) has chosen a name with a strong historical value for the brand’s first Sport Urban Vehicle, faithful to its sporting DNA, which will also be available in a 100% electric version; A clear tribute to its hometown, ambassador of Made in Italy around the world, international capital of design, symbol of innovation and sustainability, and leader in the automotive transition to electric; Since 1910, the Alfa Romeo logo has consisted of the Cross, the historical symbol of the capital of Lombardy, and the Biscione serpent, the coat of arms of the noble Visconti family. For over 60 years (from 1910 through 1972), the city’s name formed an integral part of the logo; Alfa Romeo MILANO will be unveiled to the international press in April 2024, in Milan itself; Alfa Romeo will be taking advantage of this opportunity to take stock of the founding of Stellantis in 2021: solidity and discipline in the implementation of the announced plan, full compliance with the transition process to electric, quality targets achieved and acknowledged globally; Finally, a focus on 2023, now coming to an end with figures showing solid global growth: up 34% compared to 2022 in the year to date to November.

In April 2024 in Milan, Alfa Romeo will unveil to the world the first Sport Urban Vehicle in its history, which will also be available in a 100% electric version. It will be named MILANO, a genuine tribute to the city where it all began on June 24, 1910.

With Alfa Romeo MILANO, the brand rejoins the B-segment, the biggest in Europe, with a new proposal that fully embodies the brand’s DNA of noble Italian sportiness.  The first 100% electric Sport Urban Vehicle that represents the new gateway to the Alfa Romeo world for everyone, Alfisti fans and beyond, who has been awaiting the brand’s return to the segment.

Jean-Philippe Imparato | Alfa Romeo CEO

With the arrival of MILANO in 2024, Alfa Romeo completes a line-up capable of meeting the desires of all our enthusiasts and much more. MILANO is intended as a symbolic ‘welcome back’ to all our Alfisti fans. As owners of the Giulietta and Mito, they have been waiting to confirm their love for Alfa Romeo. It also serves as a ‘welcome’ to anyone looking for a unique sporting experience in this segment and the distinctive beauty of Italian design.

MILANO is the first milestone in the brand’s transition process to electric and, like the Tonale, has the important task of further strengthening Alfa Romeo’s global presence.

The choice of the name “MILANO”, encapsulated in the brand’s history.

Little marks the identity of an automaker more than its identifying logo.

Since 1910, the Alfa Romeo emblem has included two of the symbols that identify Milan: The cross, the historical symbol of the capital of Lombardy, and the Biscione serpent, the coat of arms of the noble Visconti family and one of the city’s most iconic emblems. For over 60 years (1910–1972), the name MILANO featured in the lower part of the logo. Through 1918, it was accompanied by the acronym “A.L.F.A.” (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), then from 1919 by “ALFA ROMEO.”

Always a symbol of the avant-garde, Milan now acts as an international manifesto of modernity, innovation, and sustainability. Considered one of the icons of the arts and of Made in Italy around the world, Milan has always played a crucial cultural role in the fields of fashion, design, and music.

Alfa Romeo has chosen Milan, its home, to embark on a new, exciting, and daring chapter in its history: reinterpreting sportiness in the 21st century.

This decision therefore goes beyond the iconic names of past models and those of mountain passes used more recently, to link up once again with its Italian origins. Its bold ambition is to export around the world the values that have always made it a unique brand.

The brand’s balance sheet, almost three years after Stellantis was founded

MILANO is the first milestone in the brand’s transition process to electric and, like the Tonale, has the important task of further strengthening Alfa Romeo’s global presence

The brand’s commercial performance in 2023 serves as natural recognition of the work of a team whose solidity and discipline has enabled them to pursue the strategies of a long-term product plan decided on when Stellantis was founded in 2021. One by one, the most important goals achieved during this period have been:

  • Bringing the brand back to profitability. This objective was achieved in the second half of the same year, 2021.
  • An approved and funded long-term product plan, named by Alfa Romeo as “From 0 to 0”, with the bold objective to go from “0” electrified vehicles in 2021 to a line-up with “0” emissions in 2027, to become the fastest transition to electric in the entire automotive landscape. With one new product every year:

2022 – The Tonale Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid Q4 made their debut.

2023 – Alfa Romeo returned to the world of ‘custom-built cars,’ presenting the 33 Stradale (BEV – ICE).

2024 – debut of the first 100% electric Alfa Romeo (Alfa Romeo MILANO).

2025 – unveiling of the first vehicle exclusively available in a 100% electric version.

2027 – The Alfa Romeo range will be 100% electric.

  • Uncompromising quality standards guide all the brand’s strategic actions with great rigor, and the results were immediately acknowledged globally. Indeed, in November 2022 Alfa Romeo ranked first among the premium brands in the J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction Index, rising nine positions in the rankings and obtaining 25 points more than in 2021, the sharpest improvement in the premium segment.

One year later, Alfa Romeo took the top step on the podium in the overall rankings of premium brands and third place in the entire industry, according to the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS). It rose by 24 places, the largest growth recorded in the IQS research into the industry.

  • Increase in residual value, made possible by a strict stock management policy and line-up strategy.

Evident growth in 2023

All this served as a suitable foundation for the outstanding commercial performance Alfa Romeo is recording ahead of the end of an intense and challenging 2023:

 up 34% compared to 2022 in the year to date to November, a figure that confirms the solid growth in global sales.

Europe has contributed a robust increase of 53%.

Middle East & Africa is confirmed as the region experiencing the fastest growth, with a rise of 95%. Also contributing with growth of 6%, the India Asia Pacific region, where Alfa Romeo is strengthening its presence in Singapore and Hong Kong.

In North America, the Tonale’s debut in September was greeted with great enthusiasm, and likewise in China where the line-up has now been completed by the arrival of the Tonale. Both regions represent areas of strategic importance, where Alfa Romeo is making major investments to create the ideal conditions for growth.

The History of Milan in the Alfa Romeo Logo

Little marks the identity of an automaker more than the brand name on the grille. For A.L.F.A. first, later for Alfa Romeo, the coat of arms was intended to reaffirm the manufacturer’s origins in Milan. Over the years, its variations reflected the events that took place in the history of the company and of Italy. The cross of the Municipality of Milan, the Visconti Biscione serpent, and the Alfa Romeo lettering (A.L.F.A. only through 1918) have always remained the brand’s hallmarks since its foundation.

On June 24, 1910, the new company A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili) was officially registered and the managing director Ugo Stella asked Giuseppe Merosi to draw up a coat of arms to adorn the radiator of its future cars. The history books tell us that the young draughtsman Romano Cattaneo told Merosi that he had been struck by the Visconti Biscione serpent he had seen on the Torre della Filarete in Piazza Castello as he waited for the #14 tram one morning. The Piacenza designer not only took on the suggestion but sketched the coat of arms there and then for his associate. At the same time, he added a red cross on a white background, surrounding the whole thing with a blue roundel bearing the lettering “A.L.F.A.” and “MILANO” in gold, separated by two Savoy knots. The sketch was approved by the nobleman Ugo Stella, and Cattaneo himself was entrusted with the final design for production. The first major change was in 1919: the company passed under the control of Nicola Romeo and the lettering “ALFA ROMEO” appeared on the coat of arms. In 1925, the GP Tipo P2 won the first Grand Prix World Championship, and a laurel wreath was added around the brand’s symbol to celebrate. After World War 2, the coat of arms underwent a complete overhaul: the Savoy knots gave way – with the advent of the Italian Republic – to two wavy lines, whereas the coat of arms was stylized and made of die-cast metal, painted in a single color. From 1950, the enameled brass branding returned in the 1900, replaced in 1960 by an identical version made of plastic. In 1972, when the Alfasud plant opened in Pomigliano d’Arco, the “MILANO” lettering disappeared. At the same time, the Biscione serpent was simplified, with its second coil no longer rolled round itself. In 1982, a further stylization was added: the laurel wreath gave way to a line of gold. On June 24, 2015, a new evolution of the logo was unveiled during the launch of the Giulia at the recently opened Alfa Romeo Museum.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Alfa Romeo.

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Nigeria’s Upstream Reform Program Captures 40% of Africa’s Final Investment Decision (FID) Activity After a Decade on the Margins

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May 8, 2026

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African Energy Chamber

A government three-year review documents how executive action under President Tinubu reversed a decade of upstream decline

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 8, 2026/APO Group/ –Nigeria has gone from capturing 4% of Africa’s upstream final investment decisions (FIDs) to commanding 40% in two years, according to Nigeria’s Energy Sector Reforms 2023-2026: A Three-Year Review, published by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and spearheaded by Special Adviser Olu Verheijen. The $50 billion project pipeline now in development beyond 2026 points to sustained capital commitment at a scale not seen in the Nigerian upstream for at least a decade.

 

Between 2014 and 2023, Nigeria was among the continent’s weakest performers for upstream FIDs despite holding 37.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the second-largest endowment in Africa. Algeria captured 44% of African upstream FIDs during that period, Angola held 26%, while Nigeria trailed Mozambique, Ghana, Senegal and Namibia. In the third quarter of 2022, crude production briefly dropped below one million barrels per day, as years of underinvestment, pipeline vandalism and regulatory ambiguity compounded each other. However, reforms instituted by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu have dramatically turned this trend around. Through deliberate and coordinated steps, the government has reset the trajectory.

Addressing Fiscal Terms, Regulatory Scope and Contracting Speed

President Bola Tinubu’s administration moved simultaneously on fiscal terms and regulatory architecture. Policy directives in 2023 clarified the boundary of jurisdiction between the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), resolving an ambiguity that had complicated project sanctioning. Presidential Directive 40 introduced targeted tax incentives, and a separate Notice of Tax Incentives for Deep Offshore Production in 2024 was designed to draw international oil companies (IOCs) back into capital-intensive, long-cycle deepwater projects. The VAT Modification Order 2024 and Upstream Cost Efficiency Order 2025 addressed the cost structures that had rendered marginal projects uneconomic. NNPCL contracting timelines were compressed from 36 months to a maximum of six months.

Four Divestments Transferred Onshore Control to Indigenous Operators

In parallel, the administration deployed targeted security directives and accelerated ministerial consents for four IOC asset transfers. Renaissance acquired Shell’s onshore portfolio. Seplat Energy completed its acquisition of ExxonMobil’s Nigerian upstream interests. Oando took over from Agip, and Chappal acquired Equinor’s local assets. The four transactions totaled approximately $4 billion. The transfer of onshore and shallow-water blocks to indigenous operators contributed directly to production recovery. Output rose by approximately 400,000 barrels per day between 2023 and 2025 to reach 1.6 million barrels per day, the highest onshore production level in 20 years.

When a government rebuilds fiscal competitiveness and regulatory predictability at the same time, capital responds

Signed Projects Total $10 Billion, With a $50 Billion Pipeline Beyond

The reforms produced a concrete FID response from Shell and TotalEnergies. Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) sanctioned the $5 billion Bonga North deepwater development in December 2024 and committed a further $2 billion to the HI Non-Associated Gas (NAG) project. TotalEnergies and NNPCL took a joint FID on the $550 million Ubeta gas field development in June 2024.

Together those three commitments account for more than $10 billion in signed investment after a decade of near-zero sanctioning activity. The pipeline beyond 2026 spans a further $50 billion across 11 projects including Bonga South West, Owowo, Usan and Erha. Nigeria approved 28 field development plans valued at $18.2 billion in 2025 alone, targeting an estimated 1.4 billion barrels of reserves.

“When a government rebuilds fiscal competitiveness and regulatory predictability at the same time, capital responds,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Nigeria has done both, and the FID numbers are concrete proof.”

The Counterfactual Illustrates How Much Was at Stake

The presentation includes a no-reform projection that puts the gains in context. Without intervention, total crude and condensate production was on track to fall from 1.371 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2022 to 579,000 by 2030. Under the reform trajectory, output reached 1.77 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2026, with a stated government target of 3 million barrels per day. Export gas utilization rose 39% over the same period, while domestic utilization grew by 7%.

The durability of these gains will be tested by two factors: whether the institutional architecture put in place under the Tinubu administration holds over the long term, and whether the deepwater commitments signed in 2024 and 2025 advance to execution on schedule. The project pipeline is large enough that partial delivery would still represent a generational shift in Nigeria’s upstream output profile.

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Angola Strengthens Global Investment Drive Across Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources

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May 8, 2026

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Angola

With sweeping reforms across the extractive sector, Angola is entering a new phase defined by transparency, regulatory modernisation, value addition, and international partnership

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 8, 2026/APO Group/ –At a defining moment in Angola’s economic transformation, the Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG) (https://CMAGAfrica.com), together with the Government of Angola and the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas of the Republic of Angola (MIREMPET), will convene global investors, policymakers, and industry leaders in London for the Angola Oil, Gas & Mining Investment Conference on 14 May 2026.

 

More than a conference, this gathering represents a strategic international engagement at a time when Angola is actively reshaping its economic future and positioning itself as one of Africa’s most compelling destinations for long-term investment in natural resources, infrastructure, and industrial development.

With sweeping reforms across the extractive sector, Angola is entering a new phase defined by transparency, regulatory modernisation, value addition, and international partnership. The country’s leadership is sending a clear message to global markets: Angola is open for investment and ready to build transformational partnerships that support sustainable growth and economic diversification.

This is not simply about resource development, it is about building long-term industrial growth, strengthening energy and mineral supply chains, and shaping Angola’s future

The event will be headlined by H.E. Diamantino Azevedo, Minister for Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of Angola, whose leadership since 2017 has been central to advancing Angola’s mineral and hydrocarbons agenda. Under his stewardship, Angola has accelerated institutional reform, strengthened governance frameworks, promoted private sector participation, and prioritised sustainable resource development.

As global demand intensifies for critical minerals, energy security, and resilient supply chains, Angola is uniquely positioned to become a strategic partner to international investors and industrial economies. The country’s vast untapped mineral wealth, significant oil and gas reserves, expanding infrastructure ambitions, and commitment to economic diversification present a rare investment window for global stakeholders.

Speaking ahead of the event, Veronica Bolton Smith, CEO of the Critical Minerals Africa Group said:

“Angola stands at a pivotal point in its national development. The reforms taking place across the country’s extractive sectors are creating unprecedented opportunities for responsible international investment and strategic partnership. This is not simply about resource development, it is about building long-term industrial growth, strengthening energy and mineral supply chains, and shaping Angola’s future as a globally competitive investment destination. We believe this moment represents one of the most important opportunities for international partners to engage with Angola’s leadership and participate in the country’s next chapter of economic transformation.”

The event is expected to attract a distinguished international audience, including sovereign representatives, institutional investors, mining and energy executives, infrastructure developers, development finance institutions, and strategic partners seeking direct engagement with Angola’s leadership.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Critical Minerals Africa Group (CMAG).

 

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The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group Successfully Concludes Private Sector Roadshow in Baku

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2 days ago

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May 8, 2026

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Islamic Development Bank

Bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders, the Forum showcased IsDB Group services, activities, and initiatives across its 57 member countries, with particular emphasis on Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 7, 2026/APO Group/ –The Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) affiliates (www.IsDB.org) – namely the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) – in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank Group Business Forum (THIQAH), organized the “IsDB Group Private Sector Roadshow” in Baku, Azerbaijan, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO).

 

The high-profile event which took place on Thursday, 7th May 2026, at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economy, came as part of ongoing preparations for the upcoming IsDB Group Annual Meetings and Private Sector Forum (PSF 2026), scheduled to take place from 16 to 19 June 2026, under the high patronage of His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

 

Bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders, the Forum showcased IsDB Group services, activities, and initiatives across its 57 member countries, with particular emphasis on Azerbaijan. It highlighted the Group’s ongoing support for private sector development and its efforts to stimulate promising investment and trade opportunities in the Azerbaijani market.

 

The event also served as a unique opportunity inviting the audience to participate actively in IsDB Group Annual Meetings and the Private Sector Forum (PSF 2026). The program included panel discussions and specialized workshops on ways to enhance economic partnerships and the role of IsDB Group’s institutions in supporting the needs of member countries. The spectra of services, solutions and financial tools were also presented, including lines and modes of Islamic financing, trade finance and trade development solutions, corporate private sector financing, as well as risk mitigation solutions plus investment insurance and export credit insurance services.

 

Keynote speakers, in their speeches, underlined strong commitment to deepening engagement with the private sector and fostering meaningful partnerships that drive sustainable economic growth in light of the upcoming IsDB Group Annual Meetings in Baku, all to showcase integrated solutions especially in Islamic finance, trade, investment, and risk mitigation while working closely and collectively with private sector partners to unlock new opportunities, support innovation, and empower businesses contributing to inclusive and resilient development across IsDB Group member countries.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group).

 

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