By launching these cards, Access Bank has improved its overall offering to its retail and private bank customers
LAGOS, Nigeria, June 12, 2023/APO Group/ —
In maintaining its leadership status as Nigeria’s most innovative bank, Access Bank (https://www.AccessBankPlc.com/) has unveiled two new consumer credit cards: the Access Bank American Express Gold Card and the Metal Platinum Card.
These are the first American Express cards to be issued in Nigeria and West Africa.
By launching these cards, Access Bank has improved its overall offering to its retail and private bank customers, who can now enjoy the Membership Rewards loyalty programme and a wide range of travel and lifestyle benefits.
In 2019, Access Bank signed an agreement with American Express to start acquiring merchants, enabling businesses across the country to accept payments from international American Express Cards. The bank is now ready to issue the first American Express credit cards in West Africa.
The Gold and Platinum Cards showcase the international American Express card design, featuring the distinctive ‘Centurion’ icon.
Similar products are also issued outside of Nigeria by American Express or third parties licensed by American Express and provide cardmembers with extensive rewards and benefits.
Through Access Bank, this credit card experience is now available in Nigeria.
Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director, Access Holdings, said the cards will be available by request and invitation and customers who have signified interest will begin to enjoy the usage from Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
He said, “We are a bank of many firsts. We do have a wide network and with this partnership, AMEX will have 60 million customers supporting this partnership. It is a massive endorsement for us to work with AMEX in this partnership.
Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank said: “The launch of American Express Cards in Nigeria is another milestone in the continued development of a vibrant and fast-growing payments industry. Customers want more than transactions – they want real value.
“With American Express, we can provide valuable card benefits, strong loyalty rewards, and a real reason to use electronic payments instead of cash. By diversifying our services to facilitate payments, we can connect more consumers to the SMEs and retail businesses across the country who we know are the engine of economic growth.”
Chizoma Okoli, Deputy Managing Director, Retail South, Access Bank, said the unveiling of the credit cards is a testament to the bank’s leadership role in the country.
We are a globally integrated payments company and one of the world’s largest card issuers
Her words, “We are always at the forefront in the banking sector here in Nigeria and this is our newest innovation as we lead others. You can see these AMEX cards anywhere in Nigeria except here at Access. I know our customers who are going to reap the benefits will be proud of us”.
Victor Etiokwu, Deputy Managing Director, Retail North, said the partnership with American Express is not the first and won’t be the last.
He said, “In the payment world, it is important to have varieties and as a financial sector supermarket, we have varieties of lovely items for the benefit of our customers. AMEX is a unique brand and we have always wanted to have them on our portfolio and we are glad this has become a reality. We will continue to collaborate with AMEX.
Mohammed Badi, President, Global Network Services at American Express, said, “By granting Access Bank a license to launch the first-ever American Express Cards in Nigeria, American Express’ presence in Africa is becoming even more vibrant. The Access Bank American Express Gold Card and the metal Platinum Card enhance the credit card experience in Nigeria with special benefits, access, and service – for Cardmembers both in Nigeria and when travelling overseas.”
Alongside dual-currency functionality (NGN/USD) and international acceptance, the American Express cards include airport lounge access, car rental perks, membership rewards, loyalty points, as well as insurance and protections.
On top of these features, the Platinum Card also offers expanded airport lounge benefits, with complimentary access to more than 1,400 lounges through the American Express Global Lounge Collection.
There are also Hotel perks and upgrades through The Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels + Resorts, special status access in the Hilton Honours, Radisson Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy rewards programmes.
Other benefits include complimentary access to hotel membership programmes, with Tablet Plus membership and Mr & Mrs. Smith Gold status, 24/7 travel and lifestyle concierge services.
At the launch, Briana Wisley, Vice President and General Manager, Network Partnerships EMEA, American Express, while commenting on the partnership between Access Bank and AMEX said it was only Access Bank that ticked all the boxes they were looking for and AMEX is happy to be doing this with Access Bank.
She said, “Across Nigeria and in West Africa, Access Bank has a great record of expertise and innovations in the payment space. And this is why we are excited to have them as the issuing partner for this product in Nigeria and West Africa. So it is very exciting for both of us.
“We are a globally integrated payments company and one of the world’s largest card issuers. We are happy with Access Bank and we give customers access to products, insights and experiences that make life better and help grow business value. Today, we have more than 135 million cards globally. You can use them in over eight million locations in 198 countries and territories.
“So you can see that we are a global brand and we are glad that Access Bank customers are now going to enjoy all the benefits of having AMEX cards. One of our key objectives is to continue expanding that scale and relevance globally. And we do this in many ways by investing to modernize the AMEX network by launching innovative products and granting licenses to financial institutions like Access Bank, which can issue cards and grant access to our cards to millions of merchants.
“In fact, since 2017, the number of places you can use your AMEX cards globally has more than tripled. And that is a great part, thanks to our wonderful partners like Access Bank”.
For more information on the cards, customers can visit the Access Bank website or contact the Access Bank account officer or relationship manager.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Access Bank PLC.
The “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production” session will examine how Namibia can turn its offshore oil boom into a broader industrial opportunity through local suppliers, skills development, technology transfer and domestic investment
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 27, 2026/APO Group/ –After a series of major offshore discoveries transformed Namibia into one of the world’s most closely watched exploration frontiers, attention is shifting from proving resources to building the infrastructure, partnerships and industrial capabilities needed to bring them into production. At African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, the session “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production.Orange Basin’s Path to First Oil” will examine how the country can capture value beyond the development of individual oil fields and use the emerging petroleum sector as a catalyst for wider economic growth.
TotalEnergies’ Venus discovery is technically ready to move toward a Final Investment Decision, with negotiations on fiscal terms still underway. The project’s development concept targets around 150,000 barrels per day at peak production, with first oil potentially around 2030. FEED has been completed and major contractors selected, bringing Namibia’s first potential deepwater oil development closer to execution.
The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home
Meanwhile, the Orange Basin continues to attract major international players. TotalEnergies and Galp strengthened their positions across the Venus and Mopane discoveries in 2025, with TotalEnergies becoming operator of Mopane and Galp taking a participating interest in Venus. In August 2026, Equinor agreed to acquire a 17.4% stake in Chevron’s PEL 90, marking its first upstream entry into a new country since 2017. The block is expected to see another exploration well before the end of the year.
The scale of investment now being contemplated makes the question of local economic participation increasingly urgent. Namibia’s draft Local Content Policy identifies the development of national capabilities, employment, local procurement and stronger domestic value chains as central to ensuring that petroleum resources generate benefits beyond government revenues. The government has also highlighted technical training and partnerships with universities and industry as priorities for preparing Namibians for the emerging oil and gas sector.
For Namibia, this means moving beyond an export-led model in which capital, equipment and specialist expertise flow in and crude flows out. Developing local suppliers, financing Namibian businesses, building research and training hubs and creating opportunities for joint ventures could help establish capabilities that extend well beyond the life of individual oil projects. The opportunity spans engineering and fabrication, logistics, marine services, environmental management, digital technologies and other areas of the petroleum supply chain.
“The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Namibia has a chance to build a competitive African energy industry around its discoveries – one that creates jobs, develops local companies, transfers technology and gives Namibians a meaningful stake in the country’s energy future.”
The session will look beyond first oil itself to the ecosystem required to sustain production and translate upstream investment into long-term industrial development. With Venus, Mopane and further Orange Basin exploration moving toward development, Namibia has an opportunity to establish the commercial partnerships, financing structures and technical capabilities needed to ensure its petroleum boom becomes an economy-wide growth story.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ –The consortium comprising Nareva, Kanadevia Inova and Itochu Corporation, through its 33.5-year concession agreement with the Municipality of Casablanca, has entrusted BUTEC (www.BUTEC.com) with a major Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Casablanca’s landmark Waste-to-Energy (WtE) project, leveraging BUTEC’s multidisciplinary engineering and contracting capabilities for one of Morocco’s most significant waste management and energy recovery developments.
For the delivery of this landmark project, BUTEC has joined forces with the Switzerland-based Kanadevia Inova, a global leader in Waste-to-Energy and renewable gas solutions.
Located northwest of the Mediouna landfill in the Casablanca-Settat region of the Kingdom of Morocco, this ultra-large waste incineration facility will process approximately 1.5 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste annually, significantly reducing reliance on landfill.
By diverting the waste from landfill and converting it into energy, this plant is expected to prevent up to 1.0 tonne of CO₂-equivalent emissions per tonne of waste while generating 126 MWe of baseload electricity.
BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector
Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management, while supporting Morocco’s broader energy transition and long-term decarbonization ambitions.
BUTEC’s Scope of Work:
While Kanadevia Inova is responsible for the technology and the process part of the EPC works, as well as operations support, long-term maintenance, and financing of the facility, BUTEC will be responsible for civil works for the whole facility and for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of Non-Process buildings, facilities, and associated works, including all civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, as well as the external infrastructure works required for the Project.
Commenting on the significance of the award, Raymond Daou (SVP Strategy & Business Development) stated:
“Building on our affiliates’ long-standing presence in Morocco, where BUTEC has established itself as one of the country’s leading players in Electromechanical Solutions, the Group is reinforcing, through this landmark contract, its contribution to the Kingdom’s sustainable development ambitions.
Furthermore, with three consecutive large-scale Waste-to-Energy projects across the geographies in which it operates, BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector. This latest award confirms once again our ability to combine multidisciplinary engineering expertise, strong local execution capabilities and close cooperation with world-leading process technology partners to deliver complex energy and environmental facilities.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BUTEC Group.
The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors
WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ —
Asantehene presented a royal vision for Africa’s economic renaissance
Day 1 proceeded under the theme – The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”
Fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe on The Diaspora Return
The Africa Business Investment Summit 2026 opened this morning at the MGM National Harbor, in Washington D.C. Metro, with a royal keynote by the Summit’s Patron, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, as the Millennium Excellence Week hosts its first event outside of Ghana.
The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors. They were drawn together under a single mandate: to facilitate $500 million in structured capital commitments between African deal originators and US institutional capital during the two-day summit.
Delivering his keynote address, His Majesty articulated a vision of African economic sovereignty where the diaspora serves as architects of continental development. Speaking with characteristic authority, His Majesty called on African governments, diaspora communities, and international institutional partners to align capital, policy frameworks, and political will behind a shared agenda for the continent’s economic future.
In his address, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene said: “For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies.We have heard of the roads not built, the electricity not generated, the jobs not created, the capital not available, and the institutions not strong enough,”
For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies
Speaking further he noted that “Africa must no longer be regarded merely as a continent of future potential. Africa is already becoming a central part of the future global economy, and those who understand this early will position themselves advantageously.”
Honorable Sampson Ahi, Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, who represented the President of the Republic of Ghana, detailed macroeconomic indicators signalling domestic economic recovery and industrial policy priorities: “ Our ambition is transformation. We want an economy that moves beyond exporting raw materials to manufacturing finished products, creating value, jobs, and shared prosperity. We want capital that drives productivity, entrepreneurship, and innovation. This is the philosophy behind the twenty-four-hour economy program, which is a commitment stimulating round-the-clock production, improving productivity, and developing a competitive and export-oriented economy.”
The first day of the summit concluded under the theme “The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”, exploring through a series of plenary sessions the most pressing deal themes in US–Africa investment today.
Programme spotlights included: The Diaspora Return, a fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe, Beyond Remittances: Building Africa’s Sixth Region, diaspora capital beyond transfers, The New Gold Rush: Africa’s Seat at America’s Critical Minerals Table, Ghana’s Gold Moment: From the Gold Coast to Global Market Power, The Diaspora Dollar: Fintech and the Next Remittance Corridor and Powering the Continent: Energy, Infrastructure and the US–Africa Partnership
The second and final day of the event will continue to explore investment opportunities across the continent through sector spotlights on the Creative Economy, Health & Pharma, Technology, and Digital Financial Services.
Following these plenaries, the event will conclude with bilateral investment meetings that will translate the vision outlined in the plenary hall into concrete investment decisions.
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