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Access Bank’s Africa Trade Conference Ignites New Era of Intra-Africa Commerce

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Africa Trade Conference

The prestigious African Icon Award was presented to IHS Group, Dangote Industries Limited, and MTN Group Limited for their significant contributions to Africa’s economic progress

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ –Access Bank PLC (www.AccessBankPLC.com) successfully hosted the inaugural Africa Trade Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and trade experts to drive solutions for accelerating intra-African trade and unlocking the continent’s economic potential. The conference tackled critical challenges, including limited access to capital, market information gaps, trust deficits between trading partners, and the urgent need for modernised trade infrastructure.

Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank, delivered the opening remarks, setting the tone for discussions by highlighting the critical barriers hindering trade across Africa. He emphasised the urgent need for financial sector collaboration to facilitate seamless access to capital and foster a business environment where African enterprises can scale and compete globally.

 

“We must invest in the initiatives that ensure that we can bring businesses together, forge trust, and create the connections necessary for trade. In doing so, we must stamp out the narrative that ‘Made in Africa’ is inferior to any product made anywhere else in the world. We must buy Africa, be proud to wear Africa, and invest in Africa because that is what the continent needs to leap forward into the next generation,” Ogbonna stated.

With Africa’s population projected to surge to 2.5 billion by 2050 from 1.2 billion, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) stands as the most significant free trade initiative since the formation of the World Trade Organisation. By fostering economic integration, AfCFTA has the potential to reshape trade dynamics across the continent, creating a unified market that enhances industrialisation, boosts employment, and strengthens Africa’s global competitiveness. Recognising this transformative opportunity, H.E. Wamkele K. Mene, Secretary-General of AfCFTA, emphasised the urgency of fully implementing the agreement to unlock its immense benefits.

“The AfCFTA is not just a trade agreement; it is an instrument for Africa’s industrialisation and economic sovereignty. It is a tool that will enable us to break down historic trade barriers and build an Africa that is self-sufficient, competitive, and prosperous. But for this to happen, we must commit to operationalising the agreement fully, ensuring that businesses, particularly SMEs and women-led enterprises, have access to the information, capital, and platforms they need to thrive,” Mene stated.

Also, Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, emphasised the importance of financing mechanisms that support African businesses in their expansion across borders. She reaffirmed Afreximbank’s commitment to championing trade finance solutions and infrastructure investments that will unlock Africa’s trade potential.

“At Afreximbank, we understand that trade finance is the lifeblood of economic development. Without it, businesses cannot scale, industries cannot innovate, and Africa cannot fully realise its trade potential. This is why we have developed instruments such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to facilitate seamless transactions across borders, reducing reliance on foreign currencies and strengthening intra-African trade,” Awani remarked.

We must invest in the initiatives that ensure that we can bring businesses together, forge trust, and create the connections necessary for trade

The conference featured an insightful testimonial from Nathalie Louat, Global Director at the IFC/World Bank Group, who pointed out the pivotal role of trade finance in enabling cross-border transactions and supporting financial inclusion. She underscored the long-standing partnership between IFC and Access Bank in fostering Africa’s economic resilience.

Several high-level panel discussions explored strategies to overcome trade barriers and enhance market access through innovative solutions. Experts from leading institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Traydstream, OWP Partners, Fiducia International, and more, examined how infrastructure improvements, digital solutions, and policy harmonisation could drive economic growth and boost intra-African trade.

Dr. Marc Auboin from the World Trade Organization (WTO) shared key insights on how digital transformation is reshaping Africa’s supply chain landscape, creating efficiency and unlocking new global market opportunities. Tanya Dos Santos-Ford from GIBS Business School also led a session on sustainable trade practices, emphasising the need for environmentally responsible economic growth strategies.

The event culminated in an awards ceremony recognising outstanding contributions to intra-African trade and economic transformation. Tradepass Commodities Limited (Ghana), Chemaf International FZE (DR Congo), and Harvest Group of Companies (Zambia) were honoured for their impact on SMEs and women-led trade enterprises. Bulkstream Limited (Kenya) and Electricidade de Moçambique (Mozambique) received awards for advancing intra-African trade, while Tennant Metals South Africa Pty Ltd was recognised as an Emerging Leader in Trade.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was awarded the Climate Finance Leadership Award, while Afreximbank received the Champion of Intra-African Trade Award. The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) were celebrated for their roles in economic transformation and infrastructure finance, respectively. The prestigious African Icon Award was presented to IHS Group, Dangote Industries Limited, and MTN Group Limited for their significant contributions to Africa’s economic progress

As the conference ended, Seyi Kumapayi, Executive Director, African Subsidiaries at Access Bank, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to supporting trade finance, fostering regional integration, and championing policies that create an enabling environment for businesses across Africa.

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Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Access Bank PLC.

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ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Accelerates AI Ambitions, Achieves Certification under NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center Program

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March 14, 2025

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ST Telemedia Global

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2025 – ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), one of the world’s fastest-growing data centre colocation service providers headquartered in Singapore, today announced it is now an NVIDIA colocation partner. Two of its data centre facilities in Southeast Asia (SEA) – STT Singapore 6, and STT Bangkok 1 – have achieved certification in the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center programme. These are the first facilities in STT GDC’s portfolio to achieve this certification.

The NVIDIA DGX platform is purpose-built for enterprise AI, powering AI workloads spanning analytics, training, and inference. It offers advanced compute density, performance and scale with a single, unified system that can power the complete enterprise AI lifecycle. The NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center certification enables STT GDC to offer our customers access to world-class, state-of-the-art data centre facilities to run their most important AI workloads.

STT GDC is among the first Singapore-headquartered companies to achieve this certification, recognising its continued focus on supporting the global growth ambitions of businesses as they transition from the digital era to the intelligent era. This is driven by accelerated computing, a key driver of AI innovation, and by STT GDC’s ability to support advanced AI capabilities and next-generation infrastructure, such as NVIDIA DGX GB200 systems. STT GDC’s AI-ready data centres are designed to accommodate the thermal demands of such cutting-edge technology, with support for both immersion cooling and direct-to-chip cooling technologies.

“The DGX-Ready Data Center certification helps ensure that our customers have access to the robust infrastructure and expertise required to deploy and scale high-performance AI workloads. Achieving this certification underscores our commitment to supporting the rapid growth of AI adoption across industries, helping our customers focus on innovation, accelerate their AI initiatives with confidence and achieve a quicker time-to-value for their AI investments,” said Daniel Pointon, Group Chief Technology Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres.

“As organizations embrace AI to enhance customer experiences and drive better business outcomes, robust environments that are optimized for AI infrastructure become critical,” said Tony Paikeday, senior director of AI systems at NVIDIA. “STT GDC’s achievement of the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center certification empowers enterprises in Southeast Asia to simplify their AI initiatives with optimized, high-performance infrastructure and facilities that enable the delivery of data-fueled insights sooner.”

AI continues to transform industries globally, driving innovation in everything from predictive analytics to autonomous systems. Worldwide spending on AI is expected to more than double by 2028, reaching US$632 billion[1]. AI has the potential to fundamentally disrupt global markets by innovating new business models and offerings. Strategic investments in AI will be necessary to enable businesses to both unlock competitive advantage and maximise the full potential of AI.

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Tima Networks to Create $100M Fund with African Energy Chamber (AEC)

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March 14, 2025

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African Energy Chamber

MoUs were signed with Tima Networks and Yunan County Chuangxing Industrial Investment Group

SHANGHAI, China, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org) – the voice of the African energy sector – signed two Memoranda of Understanding at the Invest in African Energies Forum in Shanghai on Thursday. The deals support China-Africa energy ties by facilitating partnerships and technology exchange between Chinese and African companies.

The first deal, signed with B2B technology company Tima Networks, will see the company bring its automated fleet management technology to Africa. Tima Networks is a software company that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to enhance EV efficiency and management, promoting technology-driven transportation. The partnership will work to implement this innovative fleet management technology across Africa, supporting the utilization and adoption of EVs across the continent.

The second deal, signed with Yunan County Chuangxing Industrial Investment Group, was a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement aimed at facilitating interactions between the Chinese and African energy and chemical industries. Under the terms of the deal, the parties will work together to encourage African firms and projects establish themselves in the Yunfu Yunan Industrial Park. The parties will also establish a platform for technological exchange and resource-sharing between Chinese and African enterprises to support sustainable development.

The Invest in African Energies Forum in Shanghai served as a prelude to the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference, slated for September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town. As the largest event of its kind in Africa, AEW: Invest in African Energies fosters collaboration and investment in Africa. For Chinese companies, the event offers a strategic opportunity to gain insight into African projects while strengthening ties with African firms.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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China-Africa Business Ties a Key Focus at Invest in African Energies Shanghai Forum

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March 14, 2025

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African Energy Chamber

The African Energy Chamber and Shanghai Development Research Foundation convened Chinese companies at a forum in Shanghai to discuss opportunities for collaboration

SHANGHAI, China, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ —

China has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Africa’s drive for enhanced energy access and industrialization, according to speakers at the Invest in African Energies Shanghai Forum. Leveraging China’s expertise in technology-driven oil, gas and energy development, African firms can tap into a valuable partnership and greater investment by Chinese firms would further efforts to make energy poverty history in Africa.

With over 600 million people living without access to electricity and 900 million people without access to clean cooking solutions, Africa is seeking to leverage global partnerships to fast-track energy production and development. China stands to play a major part in facilitating this growth and the Shanghai Forum – co-organized by the African Energy Chamber (AEC) and the Shanghai Development Research Foundation – drew insight into strategic areas of collaboration.

“We want to see investments in African energy. The AEC will continue to support Chinese businesses that want to invest in China and give you the priority needed for you to invest in our beautiful continent,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

For emerging African players seeking to unlock the full potential of their underdeveloped resources, Chinese partnerships have the ability to unlock new capital and technology to advance projects. Partnerships also serve to support mature players enhance their production capacity as Africa drives long-term energy development. Phuti Joyce Tsipa, Consul General, South African Consulate-General Shanghai, highlighted the value of enhanced cooperation with China.

“Together, China and South Africa can work towards building a high-quality international community that can work on a prosperous future, centered on balanced economic growth. Increased energy investment in Africa is at the heart of our future prosperity. We see China as a critical country to partner with, not only with South Africa, but the entire continent,” she said.

The AEC will continue to support Chinese businesses that want to invest in China and give you the priority needed for you to invest in our beautiful continent

The Shanghai Forum sought to bolster China-Africa relations by facilitating market entry and expansion by Chinese firms in Africa. The Forum featured the participation of 100 companies, including consulates, private firms, investors and policymakers, with presentations centering on opportunities for Chinese firms in Africa, strategies for advancing African industrialization and electrification and the impact Chinese technology will have on the African energy market.

Dr. Bieni Da, Chief Representative for China at the AEC and Yide Qiao, Vice Chairman and Secretary General, Shanghai Development and Research Foundation, underscored the need to facilitate energy ties between China and Africa. According to Qiao, “China has strong technology in green energy and cooperation can be extended to Africa.”

Chinese firms are leading in terms of innovative, low-carbon energy solutions. With a national goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2060, China is supporting domestic companies through policy improvements, capital and research and development. Africa stands to leverage this expertise to advance its own development agenda. This expertise extends to the oil and gas sectors and Chinese companies have begun to expand their footprint in Africa.

Dr. Wang Zengye, Deputy Director-General of Policy Research Office, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) provided an overview of the projects CNPC has led in Africa. He said: “Bilateral relationships between China and Africa is already quite strong and high-level cooperation has been established. This ensures that investment can flow.”

China has also effectively established industrial hubs which support the economy by centralizing manufacturing. Bi Mingze, CFO of Yunan County Chuangxing Industrial Investment Group, said that the company has established an industrial hub in Yunan in China. This hub can be replicated across Africa.

The Shanghai Forum served as a prelude to the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference, slated for September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town. As the largest event of its kind in Africa, AEW: Invest in African Energies fosters collaboration and investment in Africa. For Chinese companies, the event offers a strategic opportunity to gain insight into African projects while strengthening ties with African firms.

“If you work in any energy field, we are able to help you connect with key stakeholders. We support policy that enhances local content and infrastructure development. It is time to invest in Africa,” stated Johnson Kayode Obembe, Sales Director, African Energy Week.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber

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