Multilateral finance institution the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is expanding its role in Angola’s energy and infrastructure sectors, having invested close to $1 billion across the country’s power, rail, logistics and critical minerals industries. Reflecting its growing commitment to the market, the institution has joined the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference & Exhibition as an Elite Sponsor ahead of this September’s event in Luanda.

The sponsorship comes as AFC and Angola continue to strengthen their partnership. In 2025, Angola became a sovereign shareholder in AFC through a landmark $184.8 million equity investment commitment, reinforcing the institution’s role in mobilizing capital for strategic projects across the country. Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund also invested $25 million in AFC, further demonstrating the country’s confidence in the pan-African infrastructure financier.

That partnership is already translating into major transactions. In July 2026, AFC reached financial close on a $753 million financing package for the Lobito Corridor Railway Project, serving as Co-Financial Adviser alongside Eaglestone. The financing includes $553 million from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and $200 million from the Development Bank of Southern Africa and will support the rehabilitation, upgrade and long-term operation of the 1,300-km railway linking the Port of Lobito with the Democratic Republic of Congo border.

Beyond transport infrastructure, AFC is also supporting Angola’s upstream oil and gas industry. The Corporation invested $60 million as part of a $190 million debt facility backing Angolan independent Etu Energias’ acquisition of interests in offshore Blocks 14 and 14K. The transaction enabled Etu Energias to acquire a 20% stake in Block 14 and a 10% stake in Block 14K, doubling its net production at the time from approximately 9,000 to 19,000 barrels per day.

AFC’s participation at AOG 2026 reflects its expanding footprint in Angola and creates new opportunities to engage with project developers, operators and government stakeholders. As the country’s premier oil and gas event, AOG has established itself as the leading platform for advancing investment, financing and partnerships across Angola’s hydrocarbon value chain.

Taking place on September 9-10, with a pre-conference program on September 8, AOG 2026 will bring together government officials, financiers, operators, service companies and investors to examine the opportunities shaping Angola’s energy future. As an Elite Sponsor, AFC will showcase its expertise in structuring and mobilizing capital for large-scale African infrastructure and energy projects while reinforcing its long-term commitment to Angola’s economic development.

As an official Media Partner, Sputnik Africa will help amplify discussions surrounding investment opportunities, policy developments and commercial partnerships emerging from the conference. The collaboration broadens AEW’s engagement with audiences across Africa and internationally while expanding coverage of major announcements, strategic dialogues and project developments taking place throughout the event.

The 2026 program features an expanded agenda focused on investment mobilization across the energy value chain. Town Hall sessions will examine fiscal reforms and regulatory competitiveness, while the Upstream E&P Forum will address frontier exploration, gas development and regional cooperation. dedicated finance, downstream and technology tracks will further explore infrastructure investment, AI adoptions and digital transformation.

Country spotlights will showcase licensing rounds, upstream opportunities and national reform programs from African producers seeking new investment. These sessions will provide international companies and financial institutions with direct access to policymakers and project developers while highlighting commercially attractive opportunities spanning hydrocarbons, power generation, infrastructure and emerging energy technologies.

As such, Sputnik’s participation reflects its growing presence across the continent through multilingual news coverage and regional broadcasting platforms. Publishing in English, French, Swahili and Amharic, the outlet covers diplomacy, business, infrastructure, technology and economic developments affecting African markets while expanding distribution through digital platforms, FM radio and institutional media partnerships.

In recent months, Sputnik Africa has expanded coverage of Russia-Africa economic cooperation, infrastructure investment, transport connectivity and energy collaboration. The platform has also reported extensively on discussions surrounding nuclear energy, industrial development, AI governance and broader Global South partnerships, reflecting growing international interest in Africa’s evolving economic landscape.

The organization has steadily expanded its physical footprint since establishing its first African editorial center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February 2025. The bureau serves as a production hub for English and Amharic programming while supporting locally produced reporting and strengthening the organization’s long-term presence on the continent.

Operational growth continued through the launch of FM broadcasting services in Ethiopia before expanding radio operations into additional African markets, including Burkina Faso. Sputnik Africa has also broadened institutional engagement through journalism training initiatives and educational partnerships, including collaboration with the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana under its SputnikPro program.

“African Energy Week has always been about connecting Africa’s energy opportunities with global investors, technology leaders and strategic partners. Sputnik Africa’s participation as a media partner expands the reach of those conversations, helping showcase the projects, policies and partnerships that are driving the continent’s energy future to audiences across Africa and beyond,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

The partnership between Sputnik Africa and AEW 2026 reinforces the conference’s commitment to engaging a broad international media network capable of showcasing Africa’s investment story to global audiences. By expanding coverage across multiple languages and regions, the collaboration supports greater visibility for investment opportunities, policy reforms and commercial partnerships shaping Africa’s evolving energy sector.

“I’m only important when something goes wrong,” a payroll administrator once confided in me. “If I make a mistake, then suddenly I get emails. People become rude and angry. But I have to push those same people for things I need to complete the work. It really takes the enjoyment out of this career.”

I understand completely. Payroll is often treated like a distant family member or the neighbour we never talk to unless there is a serious reason.

People usually only contact payroll when there is a problem or if they need something: an error in their salary, updates to banking details, questions about deductions, or what wage legislation changes will cost the business. Meanwhile, payroll staff have to constantly chase timesheets and request other information.

This dynamic can become very stressful, especially when preparing payment runs or tax filings. The responsibilities never end, because salaries are a business cost, a legal responsibility, and tie closely to people’s sense of security.

Expanding payroll into the business

Yet, payroll staff aren’t destined to always chase paperwork and jump to every request. We cannot change the nature of payroll, but we can change how it runs and how others contribute to its processes. People in charge of payroll don’t have to be babysitters.

I’ve worked in the payroll world for decades. I enjoy the satisfaction derived from meticulously producing accurate salary runs. But that passion could only do so much to compensate for the job’s demands. This contradiction drove my interest in payroll technology, which has since become my major career.

Payroll’s demands primarily stem from its importance to finance and human resources functions. Modern payroll technologies address those demands in at least three ways.

• Integration: Payroll staff often manually source and capture information such as timesheets and accruals. Integrating information flows between business systems reduces the errors that lead to angry emails and phone calls. It also supports payroll processes, drawing finance information directly from business systems and syncing with timesheet and HR databases.

• Self-service: Payroll teams spend much of their time fulfilling information requests, such as onboarding. This is where self-service makes an enormous impact. An employee uses a portal through their computer or mobile device to access things like payslips or leave applications. Chatbots help them find what they need and answer pertinent questions. Managers and executives generate reports and process approvals directly, even if they are travelling.

• Auto compliance: When laws change, payroll staff need to know what is different and update affected calculations. Leading payroll platforms fix this through auto-compliance or compliance-as-a-service. The payroll software provider takes responsibility for updating its platform with any legislative changes, pushing the outcomes to its customers. Payroll staff don’t have to do anything because their calculations update automatically.

Change with modern payroll software

These three examples are standard features in the best cloud-native payroll software platforms. They move responsibilities such as compliance updates to the software vendor, share information between business systems, and give access to payroll documentation and knowledge. Modern software puts the passion back into payroll, saves time, and increases its value to every business, from an SME to a global enterprise.

Get rid of babysitting others and return to accurate processing, thoughtful problem-solving, and meaningful interaction with others. When you modernise your payroll software, it brings back the satisfaction of seeing your good work have a real impact on your co-workers.