CAIRO, Egypt, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The inaugural Alamein Africa Forum (https://AlameinForum.com/) will take place from October 2-4 in the historic city of Alamein on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in parallel with the 2026 African Union mid-year summit.

Established in response to a mandate from the African Union, which called for a permanent African Business Forum to convene biennially in Egypt, the inaugural edition will bring together Heads of State and official delegations as well as some key actors in business and finance.
 




 

The forum is to become the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess, bridging the established engines of African growth with the new sectors defining its future.

The Presidents of Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa are expected in Alamein as well as President Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt who is the host of this year’s AU Mid-Year Summit. Business leaders from across the continent have confirmed their participation including Ralph Mupita, MTN; Idrissa Nassa, Coris Bank; Mohamed El Ketani, Attijariwafa Bank; Hichem Eloumi, Groupe Shakira; Wale Tinubu, Oando; and many more. Aliko Dangote, Africa’s biggest industrialist is also expected to attend, with the organisers hoping to set up a Business Advisory Council to help advance private sector priorities and investment throughout the continent.

Bringing together leaders in politics, business and policy from across the continent, the Alamein Africa Forum will provide a unique opportunity to shape Africa’s growth agenda by aligning policy and investment priorities, mobilising partnerships for implementation and strengthening financing and investment pathways. The private sector must become an integral part of Agenda 2063, the AU’s strategic 50 year masterplan to transform the continent.

Co-organised by the Government of Egypt, Afreximbank, the African Union and AUDA-NEPAD, the Forum brings together Africa’s most influential decision-makers in an unprecedented alliance of public and private sector leadership.

Speaking on the imperative of the summit at a joint press conference by the government of Egypt and Afreximbank on Thursday, September 17 2026, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Expatriates Abroad said (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag): “The Alamein Africa Forum will serve as a pan-African platform bringing together the private sector, investment and financial institutions, and representatives of various productive and service sectors, to strengthen direct links between companies and markets and decision making at the highest level.”

Continuing, he noted that the Alamein Africa Forum is part of a series of high-level African events that Egypt will host in early October, stressing that holding the forum reflects Egypt’s commitment to advancing continental economic cooperation

In his own comments, Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank described (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag) the Alamein Africa Forum as a pan-African platform for promoting intra-African trade and investment and connecting the business community and financial institutions with priority projects and investment opportunities in the continent.

CAIRO, Egypt, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has issued a US$ 29 million guarantee to BSMART Technology Ltd to support the implementation and scaling of the EAC Customs Bond, the technology-enabled regional customs guarantee solution that facilitates the movement of goods across East African countries.

 




  

Aimed at strengthening the financial capacity underpinning the EAC Customs Bond and supporting the transition to a more seamless digital and integrated customs environment, the facility will enable BSMART Technology Ltd to strengthen the implementation and market uptake of the EAC Customs Bond

The financial support builds on Afreximbank’s close collaboration with the EAC Secretariat, which began with the pilot phase of the EAC Customs Bond in August 2025 and the subsequent launch of the Bond during the Heads of State Summit in March 2026. Through the Afreximbank African Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme (AACTGS), the Bank has been in the lead in supporting the development of regional customs guarantee and digital solutions that facilitate intra-African trade.

Afreximbank considers the EAC Customs Bond a significant step towards simplifying and digitising customs processes across the East Africa region as it enables clearing and forwarding agents and other eligible users, like guarantors and customs authorities, to access customs bonds through a digital platform, reducing reliance on physical documentation and improving cross-border movement of goods. The solution is designed to eliminate the need for physical bond documentation to be posted at each border for the entry and exit of goods, supporting a seamless transit environment.

By strengthening the financial capacity supporting the digital customs ecosystem, the new facility is expected to lead to the expansion and adoption of the EAC Customs Bond across the region, improve access to capacity, reduce administrative and documentation requirements and facilitate faster movement of goods across the borders. It is also expected to support greater digitisation of customs processes, thereby contributing to the broader objective of increasing intra-Africa trade.

Highlighting the significance of the facility, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said:

“This facility demonstrates Afreximbank’s commitment to developing practical solutions that break down the barriers to intra-African trade. With the EAC Customs Bond, we are supporting the digitisation and simplification of access to customs guarantees for businesses moving goods across the region – cutting costs and improving the efficiency of customs procedures.

“The Bond complements Afreximbank’s broader AACTGS programme to strengthen capacity across Africa. It deepens our relationship with the EAC Secretariat and other stakeholders, including the regional economic commissions. Above all, this intervention aligns with the Bank’s mandate to support the implementation of the AfCFTA and accelerate the integration of African markets.”

Mr Stephen Teang, Managing Director, BSMART Technology Ltd said: “This facility provides important support for BSMART’s growth ambitions and reflects strong confidence in EACBond. We thank Afreximbank for their partnership and support.”

The EAC Secretariat began piloting the EAC Customs Bond in Uganda in 2025. It then followed with the onboarding and participation of Rwanda and Burundi in January 2026 and an official launch at the 25th Summit of Heads of State in March 2026. Under the Bond digital platform, an agent moving goods across multiple countries can do so digitally rather than go through the traditional physical submission of documents at each border post, reducing administrative processes and avoiding delays.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Kenya’s energy story is no longer confined to developing its nascent oil industry or expanding its already substantial renewable power base. In 2026, the country has emerged as a potential hub for both upstream and downstream investment, while continuing to build out the electricity infrastructure needed to support a growing economy, with Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum James Opiyo Wandayi set to bring Kenya’s evolving energy agenda to African Energy Week 2026.
 




 

At the center of that shift is the proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu, which Dangote Industries plans to develop at a cost of around $15-16 billion. The company expects to break ground later this month and complete the project by 2030, with the facility intended to supply refined products to Kenya and neighboring East African markets.

The project would give Kenya a much larger role in regional fuel supply, but it also highlights the infrastructure and supply questions facing the country’s petroleum ambitions. Kenya does not yet have commercial crude production, meaning the proposed refinery will need to secure feedstock from domestic production as it develops or from producers elsewhere in the region and international markets. Reuters has reported that potential sources include South Sudan and Uganda, although infrastructure and geopolitical considerations complicate those options.

That makes Kenya’s upstream progress particularly relevant. In May, Wandayi said the country expected to begin commercial oil production in Turkana by the end of 2026, marking a significant step beyond the small-scale early oil program that has operated in the South Lokichar Basin.

The petroleum push is unfolding alongside an ambitious electricity strategy. Kenya recently raised its planned additional generation capacity from 1,500 MW to 5,500 MW, with the revised pipeline incorporating geothermal, hydropower and nuclear generation. The country already produces approximately 93% of its electricity from renewable sources, with geothermal playing a particularly important role.

The challenge now extends beyond adding generation. Kenya is also examining the cost and structure of its electricity market, including power-purchase agreements, transmission and distribution infrastructure. The government has been under pressure to address electricity costs even as it seeks to attract the investment needed for new capacity.

For Wandayi, whose portfolio encompasses both petroleum and the wider energy sector, those developments converge around a common question: how to turn major energy projects into infrastructure, investment and industrial growth.

“Kenya is entering an important period for its energy sector, with opportunities emerging across the petroleum value chain as well as geothermal, renewables and power infrastructure,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “The proposed Lamu refinery, the development of Kenya’s oil resources and the country’s expanding power ambitions demonstrate the breadth of investment opportunities available. What matters now is creating the conditions for capital and technical expertise to move these projects from ambition into execution.”

Wandayi’s participation at AEW 2026 will put that broader agenda before investors, developers, financiers and energy companies from across Africa and beyond. His portfolio places him at the intersection of Kenya’s efforts to develop domestic petroleum resources, build new downstream infrastructure and expand a power system increasingly dominated by renewable generation.

AEW 2026 takes place in Cape Town from October 12-16, bringing together African governments, energy companies, investors and financiers for discussions spanning oil and gas, power, renewables, infrastructure, critical minerals and energy finance.