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Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) Joins Forces with European and African Partners

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AWIEF

WITH is a two-year initiative that aims to skill and empower a new generation of climate and sustainability conscious women intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners

SEVILLE, Spain, May 26, 2023/APO Group/ — 

Seven organisations from Africa and Europe have partnered to form a consortium and launched the project, WITH: Boosting Women Entrepreneurship Education in Tourism and Hospitality in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Co-funded by the European Union, WITH was officially launched last week in Seville, Spain.

The partner organisations are: Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), South Africa; Seville Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation, Spain; International Consulting and Mobility Agency (INCOMA), Spain; Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nigeria; Centro Studi e Iniziative Europeo (CESIE), Italy; Equip Consulting Group, Malawi; and Gift Women Link Foundation, Uganda.

WITH is a two-year initiative that aims to skill and empower a new generation of climate and sustainability conscious women intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners to succeed in the tourism and hospitality industry in Sub-Saharan Africa.

WITH’s key objectives are to empower young women with the soft skills and personal and social competences needed to succeed as entrepreneurs, support trainers and educators in updating their knowledge and practices aligned with labour market needs and international practices, introduce and promote sustainable tourism and hospitality concepts, and boost experiential learning opportunities by working with public and private institutions active in vocational education and training (VET) and in the labour market.

Francisco Herrero León, President of the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Seville, welcomed the WITH partners at their headquarters for a kick-off meeting last week, and said that the organisation was very proud of being involved in a project where entrepreneurship and women are linked.

“At the Seville Chamber of Commerce, we are working intensely to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem every day, especially in recent years, we are boosting the role of women entrepreneurs, supporting them through programmes and initiatives. We hope to continue helping women entrepreneurs around the world thanks to the WITH project.

During these two years, the European and African entities involved will work together to reinforce the entrepreneurial mindset of young women in Sub-Saharan African countries

“The kick-off meeting has been just a starting point of inspiring organisations. During these two years, the European and African entities involved will work together to reinforce the entrepreneurial mindset of young women in Sub-Saharan African countries and bring sustainability consciousness to the new generations in the fields of tourism and hospitality.”

AWIEF Founder and CEO, Irene Ochem, added: “We are passionate about helping African women entrepreneurs build and scale the next generation of innovative and sustainable businesses that impact the lives of all of us in the coming years. We are taking this to the next level by engaging in effective multi-stakeholder partnerships as the WITH project, to mobilize and share knowledge, expertise and resources to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.”

Juan Guerrero, Head of Research and Innovation, INCOMA, said: “INCOMA will bring to WITH its more than 20 years of experience in highly relevant projects, such as ATHENA, SMART Volunteering for Female Migrants, CulTVET and EU4BCC, among others. We are very excited and inspired after this partnership kick-off meeting and launching of the project in our city, and looking forward to seeing the results start to show.”

Giulia Tarantino, Coordinator, International Cooperation at CESIE said, “CESIE is thrilled to work on the WITH project, as it focuses on three key aspects at the heart of our activities: women empowerment, entrepreneurship and tourism. Having developed several initiatives in this field, providing training and coaching opportunities to people interested in starting a business, we will try to capitalise on all these experiences to make a positive contribution to the WITH project.”

Rollins Chitika, Managing Director, Equip Consulting Group, said, “The WITH Project will inspire young women to seize opportunities, overcome challenges and actualize their entrepreneurial goals. This is the generation that promises to circumvent existing barriers to economic development in our country and Equip Consulting Group is thrilled to be working with partners from Africa and Europe in our contribution to making economic growth a reality.”

Follow WITH Project on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more information. For enquiries, email withproject@awieforum.org.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF).

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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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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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