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Yellow Card introduces USD Coin (USDC) on Stellar Network for Lightning-Fast Cross-Border Transactions

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USDC

With USDC on Stellar, Yellow Card users gain access to expedited transactions, enhancing the convenience and utility of their digital currency dealings

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LAGOS, Nigeria, February 13, 2024/APO Group/ — 

As Africa slowly inches towards widespread adoption of digital assets, it has become imperative that exchanges provide more cost-effective ways for buying, selling, receiving, and sending other digital assets. Among these assets, stablecoins have emerged as the preferred option for people seeking to invest, send remittances, and make cross-border payments. The preference hinges on the fact that stablecoins are tied to the value of the dollar, which protects against inflation and eliminates the fear of volatility that is seen with other digital assets.

On this premise, Yellow Card, the largest and only licensed stablecoin on/off ramp on the African continent, is set to introduce USDC (https://apo-opa.co/3SEUG5l), a digital stablecoin on the Stellar network, an open-source decentralised blockchain network, revolutionising cross-border payments, remittances, and treasury management globally.

Empowering Financial Transactions with USDC on Stellar

Yellow Card (https://YellowCard.io), known for its user-friendly platform and expansive presence across 20 African countries, is set to elevate user experience by integrating USDC on the Stellar network. This integration combines the robust features of the Stellar network, such as low transaction fees and lightning-fast transactions with the rapid growth of one of the world’s fastest-growing digital currencies, USDC, offering users a seamless, near-instant, and cost-effective solution for various financial transactions. With this integration, users on the Yellow Card app can now send USDC on the Stellar network.

Game-Changing Convenience for Yellow Card Users

With USDC on Stellar, Yellow Card users gain access to expedited transactions, enhancing the convenience and utility of their digital currency dealings. This partnership marks a significant milestone in the digital assets and blockchain industry, with the potential to reshape global payments and drive widespread digital currency adoption.

Chris Maurice, Yellow Card’s CEO, expressed excitement about the integration, stating, “We are thrilled to bring USDC on Stellar to our users. This is a giant leap forward for global payments, making it easier, faster, and more affordable for people around the world to access and utilise digital dollars.”

This is a giant leap forward for global payments, making it easier, faster, and more affordable for people around the world to access and utilise digital dollars

Stellar Network’s Prime Performance in Financial Products and Services

The Stellar blockchain, tailored for everyday financial products and services, boasts speed, scalability, and sustainability. The emphasis on optimising payments ensures low fees and transaction speeds that scale with increased adoption. Having processed billions of operations with millions of accounts since its launch, Stellar is a trusted choice for financial institutions and innovators worldwide.

Instant Global Transactions and Accessibility

A key feature of the Yellow Card-Stellar integration is the ability for consumers to instantly send and receive digital dollars globally. This convenience extends to users without a traditional bank account, as the Yellow Card App facilitates these transactions seamlessly.

Revolutionising Financial Infrastructure with USDC on Stellar

One of the major challenges people in Africa face with making cross-border payments is hidden charges. There are several cases where people try to send money to loved ones in a different country but end up losing a significant part of the money to fees and hidden charges. Yellow Card understands this, so their users stand to gain significantly from this collaboration as transferring USDC to other USDC-supported exchanges on the Stellar network is much cheaper compared to other blockchain networks. This is in addition to its already existent cross-border payment feature Yellow Pay (https://apo-opa.co/3wfJ1m6), a stablecoin-powered transfer feature.

The app will now serve as a crucial access point for companies and users seeking to leverage the efficiency and speed of the Stellar network. USDC on Stellar enables near-zero transaction costs, swift settlement, and transactions finalised in as little as 3 seconds. This positions Yellow Card as a facilitator for fintechs, and exchanges to harness the speed and low costs of USDC on Stellar for various use cases, from remittances to real-time payments.

To further empower its users, Yellow Card is set to  award $5 USDC to customers who send at least $3 USDC using the Stellar network on the App. This will help introduce this new technology to users where they can experience -fast transaction speeds of the network. It’s a win-win for users.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Yellow Card Financial.

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.

https://apo-opa.co/4kJJLXP

https://apo-opa.co/4sOQOQW

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.

https://apo-opa.co/4kJ16QA

https://apo-opa.co/4BV1kKL

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.

https://apo-opa.co/3WvoZ4h

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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