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Cassava Technologies and Rockefeller Foundation Expand Access to Artificial Intelligence Computing to African Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)

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Cassava Technologies

Cassava Technologies (Cassava) (www.CassavaTechnologies.com) and The Rockefeller Foundation announced a new effort to harness the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for good across Africa. Cassava, which previously announced plans to build Africa’s first AI factory powered with NVIDIA AI infrastructure, will provide access to compute capacity to several The Rockefeller Foundation’s grantees working in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe.

 

While enabling Africa’s full participation in the US$1.2 trillion projected AI economy (http://apo-opa.co/3XEsfHC), this collaboration will boost productivity and power innovation at African organizations that are improving lives and livelihoods across the continent.

“AI presents Africa with one of the best opportunities to drive economic development and access to economic opportunity for the continent’s youth. This requires investment in ensuring that AI developers across Africa have the resources and platforms to create solutions to Africa’s unique challenges. Powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure, our AI factory will enable startups, enterprises, the public sector, and educational institutions to focus on developing AI applications using local datasets, languages, models, and voices to build inclusive solutions. We are excited to partner with the Rockefeller Foundation to bring local compute capacity to Africa’s AI ecosystem,” said Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies.

While nearly one-in-five people worldwide lives in Africa, the continent currently has less than 1% (http://apo-opa.co/48gsdvP) of global data center capacity. Africa’s AI market, which is currently estimated at $5.17 billion, is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. Locally accessible computing capacity is necessary to power Africa’s AI ambitions.

“AI can be transformative in the right hands, contributing to healthier communities, more productive farmers, and better education for children. If we get AI right in Africa, we can help Africans create jobs, advance opportunity, and pursue their dreams. Our collaboration with Cassava reflects The Rockefeller Foundation’s foundational belief that the latest advances in science and technology should serve everyone, not just the fortunate few, and that includes empowering African innovators with the tools they need to shape the continent’s future,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation.

Through this new collaboration, Cassava and The Rockefeller Foundation are ensuring that  African-led innovations in agriculture, healthcare, and education sectors have resources to improve outcomes with AI. Initial organizations that will benefit from this new collaboration include:

Our vision is simple but bold: to put the power of AI directly in the hands of every farmer, helping them grow more resilient, prosperous, and connected to the future

  • Digital Green, a company using AI in Ethiopia and Kenya to empower smallholder farmers with localized, real-time agricultural advice that increases productivity, resilience, and growth.

 

“Farmer.Chat, Digital Green’s AI assistant, is reimagining how smallholder farmers access knowledge—delivering trusted, localised guidance at nearly 100x lower cost than traditional extension. With GPUs now available on the African continent, we can unlock breakthroughs in speech-to-text, local language translation, image recognition, and retrieval-augmented generation—dramatically reducing costs and expanding reach. This new capacity makes it possible to bring climate-smart, real-time advice to millions of farmers, while continuously improving accuracy, safety, and support for Africa’s diverse languages and agricultural ecologies. Our vision is simple but bold: to put the power of AI directly in the hands of every farmer, helping them grow more resilient, prosperous, and connected to the future.” — Rikin Gandhi, CEO, Digital Green

  • Jacaranda Health, which is harnessing technology to improve the quality of care for mothers and their children in Kenya.

 

“Jacaranda Health is deploying AI-powered tools that connect millions of mothers and babies with life-saving care in real-time. Access to advanced compute resources on the continent will accelerate our development of culturally-attuned, multilingual AI models while slashing costs—enabling us to reach millions of women with critical health information in their native languages. This infrastructure will prevent maternal deaths, empower informed healthcare decisions, and build Africa’s capacity to solve its own health challenges with homegrown AI innovation.” — Cynthia Kahumbura, Co-Executive Director, Jacaranda Health.

  • Rising Academies, a West African company leveraging technology to improve outcomes for more than 250,000 students in Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone.

 

“In just one academic year, we’ve seen how AI can reshape learning in Rwanda’s classrooms. More than 13,000 students gained access to structured literacy and numeracy content, teachers cut grading time by 60% through LearnLens, and 85% of learners told us they enjoy using Rori to strengthen their math skills. One student in rural Rwanda told us that technology is no longer just for city children, but for those of us in rural areas as well. Our vision is clear: to make effective, inclusive, and locally relevant learning support available to every child—helping them thrive today and shape the future of our country.” — Fidele Hagenimana, Head of Rwanda Programs, Rising Academies.

This year, Cassava launched its GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), housed in its secure data center facilities, powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure. The company continues to invest in the infrastructure across additional hubs in East, West and North Africa; thereby reinforcing its broader commitment to responsible AI adoption, innovation and productivity growth in Africa. The collaboration highlights Cassava’s commitment to ensuring that GPUaas is accessible to organizations working throughout the social sector.

“Cassava’s collaborations with key stakeholders are critically important to the development of Africa’s AI ecosystem to ensure that Africans are not just consumers of AI, but builders of it. This partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation highlights Cassava’s intent to lay the foundations for an ecosystem that is inclusive, sustainable, and globally competitive,” concluded Hardy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Cassava Technologies.

Business

Afreximbank Backs DOTT Services Limited, Uganda with a US$28 Million Facility for Regional Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Projects

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The financing will enhance DOTT’s capacity to execute strategic projects across the continent, facilitate intra-African trade in goods and services and strengthen regional value chains

CAIRO, Egypt, November 4, 2026/APO Group/ –African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has activated and approved a US$28 million dual-tranche facility for DOTT Services Limited, the leading Uganda-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, and has begun disbursing funds to support the execution of its EPC projects pipeline, valued at more than US$550 million.

 




 
 

Provided under Afreximbank’s EPC Contract Promotion Initiative, the facility is designed to strengthen the capacity of African EPC champions to secure and execute large-scale infrastructure projects across the continent. Specifically, the financing will support DOTT Services Limited in executing contracts and pursuing near-term opportunities valued at approximately US$550 million across Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Commenting on the transaction, Mr. Humphrey Nwugo, Director of Regional Operations at Afreximbank’s Eastern Africa office, said:

Through the initiative, the Bank provides support, including financing, twinning and matchmaking

“This facility reflects Afreximbank’s commitment to building strong African EPC champions capable of delivering the infrastructure that underpins Africa’s industrialisation, trade and economic integration. By supporting DOTT Services Ltd, a well-established regional contractor with operations across five African countries, we are addressing a critical financing gap that has historically constrained the ability of African firms to participate meaningfully in large-scale, cross-border infrastructure projects.

The financing will enhance DOTT’s capacity to execute strategic projects across the continent, facilitate intra-African trade in goods and services and strengthen regional value chains. It also advances Afreximbank’s EPC Contract Promotion Initiative, which seeks to increase African participation in the development and delivery of Africa’s infrastructure.

Through partnerships such as this, we are ensuring that greater value, expertise, employment opportunities and economic benefits are retained within Africa while fostering the emergence of globally competitive African contractors.”

Mr. Nwugo further noted that most local commercial banks lacked the capacity to support intra-African and regional projects because they were poorly placed to absorb the associated cross-border risks, while international banks tended to prioritise non-African contractors. As a result, African entities were often left without adequate financial support.

He said: “Afreximbank’s EPC Initiative was therefore designed to address this challenge by supporting African EPC contractors in securing and executing a greater share of infrastructure contracts across the continent. Through the initiative, the Bank provides support, including financing, twinning and matchmaking, as well as issuing letters of support, among others”, he explained.

DOTT Services Limited presence in Africa spans 28-years, with operations in Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). It also has European offices in Italy and the UK, and a workforce of over 6,000 people. The company procures from, and distributes to, African countries goods such as bitumen, asphalt, steel and spare parts, as well as yellow goods equipment and services, making it a significant player in intra-African trade. Its track record of promoting trade-supporting infrastructure across the continent makes it a natural partner for Afreximbank’s EPC Contract Promotion Initiative, which seeks to build African EPC champions capable of delivering the infrastructure that underpins intra-African trade.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

 

 




 

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Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) invests in Africa’s leadership potential through EDGE

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Coca-Cola

Developed in partnership with Henley Business School Africa, the programme equips high-potential leaders with the skills, experiences and perspectives needed to drive growth, create value and deliver impact across the business

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, November 4, 2026/APO Group/ –Thirty-one leaders from across 12 African countries have graduated from Coca-Cola Beverages Africa’s (CCBA) (https://www.CCBAgroup.com) EDGE Senior Leadership Acceleration Programme, marking the completion of the programme’s second generation and the first pan-African EDGE cohort.

 




 
 

Created by CCBA, EDGE is the company’s flagship senior leadership development programme. Building on previous participation from The Coca-Cola Company, the programme was further expanded in 2026 to include leaders from Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, creating a broader pan-African learning experience across the Coca-Cola system.

Developed in partnership with Henley Business School Africa, the programme equips high-potential leaders with the skills, experiences and perspectives needed to drive growth, create value and deliver impact across the business.

The 2026 cohort marks an important milestone for EDGE as the programme brought together leaders from across the Coca-Cola system

The graduating cohort represented leaders from multiple countries and business functions. Through classroom learning, business projects, mentoring and coaching, participants gained practical experience in addressing real business opportunities and challenges.

With CCBA serving more than 840,000 customers across Africa, the company requires leaders who can navigate complexity and create value in diverse markets. EDGE helps build these capabilities through practical, business-focused learning.

“People are at the heart of everything we do, and programmes like EDGE demonstrate our commitment to investing in their growth and future success,” said Natasa Prodanovic, Chief People and Culture Officer at CCBA.

“The 2026 cohort marks an important milestone for EDGE as the programme brought together leaders from across the Coca-Cola system. By learning alongside colleagues from The Coca-Cola Company, Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, participants were able to build meaningful connections, share diverse perspectives and strengthen collaboration across our markets.”

The curriculum focused on strategy, value creation, transformation, commercial decision-making, leading self and leading teams. Participants also presented business projects aligned to organisational priorities as part of the programme’s graduation requirements.

EDGE forms part of CCBA’s broader commitment to developing future leaders and building the capabilities needed to drive sustainable growth and impact across Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa.

 

 




 

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Africa and Caribbean trade potential could reach $1.65 billion annually by 2030: International Trade Centre (ITC)-Afreximbank report

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Afreximbank

The report finds that around 80% of Africa’s annual goods export potential to the Caribbean remains untapped

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda, November 3, 2026/APO Group/ –Annual trade in goods and services between Africa and the Caribbean could reach up to $1.65 billion by 2030, excluding mineral fuels, according to a new report launched today by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.

 




  

The report, Reshaping Africa-Caribbean Trade: Opportunities for Economic Transformation, (https://apo-opa.co/4eiz62u) finds that while Africa and the Caribbean share deep historical and cultural links, trade between the two regions continues to represent only a small share of each region’s overall trade, despite complementarities across sectors ranging from agribusiness and manufacturing to services and the creative economy.

A look at the numbers

The report finds that around 80% of Africa’s annual goods export potential to the Caribbean remains untapped, with are significant opportunities for export growth if trade and investment is actively promoted and facilitated.

Africa and the Caribbean must transform a shared history into shared prosperity

Caribbean export potential lies in the services sector, reaching $481 million. The report identifies business opportunities across several priority sectors, including processed food and animal feed, chemicals, minerals and metals, apparel and textiles, leather and footwear, tourism, transport services and creative industries.

These findings – and more – are based on trade and export potential analysis, detailed sector assessments and a survey of 1,175 businesses and business support organizations across Africa and the Caribbean.

Tapping into priority sectors

ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton (https://apo-opa.co/3WHHZMU), in launching the report, said: ‘At a time of major shifts in global trade, countries need to strengthen regional ties and invest in value addition, to build resilience. We know the major trade opportunities between Africa and the Caribbean – and now we can focus on helping businesses take advantage of those opportunities through better market intelligence, improved logistics and greater access to finance.’

Commenting on the report, Denys Denya, Senior Executive Vice President at Afreximbank, said: ‘Africa and the Caribbean must transform a shared history into shared prosperity. With our CARICOM office in Barbados, about $1 billion in approved transactions and a $5 billion regional financing commitment, Afreximbank is advancing this vision through financing, deposit mobilization under CENDEP, business links through the annual Afri-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum, local-currency payments through CAPSS and creative-industry collaboration through CANEX. This report offers a practical roadmap to turn untapped potential into bankable opportunities across agribusiness, manufacturing, tourism and the creative economy. Through targeted financing, stronger transport and logistics links and strategic partnerships, we can build a Global Africa connected by heritage, trade, investment and shared opportunity.’

The report finds that businesses continue to face significant challenges, including high transport costs, limited direct shipping links, regulatory barriers, limited access to finance and difficulties in identifying trusted commercial partners. It highlights that future economic cooperation should extend beyond traditional trade in goods, including through joint investment ventures, digital services, creative industries and tourism. It also calls for targeted action to improve market intelligence and business matchmaking; expand access to trade finance and payment solutions; strengthen transport and logistics connectivity; support sector-specific value chain development; improve regulatory cooperation and market access; and foster stronger partnerships among business support organizations.

Read the full report HERE (https://apo-opa.co/4exHBH9)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

 




 

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