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African Development Bank and Central African Republic forge stronger alliance to tackle fragility and drive sustainable development

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African Development Bank

Despite fragility stemming from political and security factors, the Bank has remained resolute in supporting the country’s sustainable development objectives

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 9, 2024/APO Group/ — 

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the Central African Republic (CAR) have reinforced their partnership during an official visit by Marie Laure Akin-Olugbade, Vice President for Regional Development and Business Delivery, from 25-27 March.

Akin-Olugbade engaged with key stakeholders and government leaders, including President Faustin-Archange Touadera and Prime Minister Felix Moloua, reaffirming the Bank’s commitment to advancing the Central African Republic’s development agenda. She also met with development partners and beneficiaries of Bank-funded projects.

Prime Minister Moloua expressed satisfaction with the fruitful cooperation with the Bank, emphasizing its pivotal role in advancing national objectives. “The Bank’s support has been instrumental in advancing our national development agenda and addressing key challenges, and we look forward to continued collaboration to further drive progress and prosperity for our nation,” he said.

The Bank’s current partnership with the Central African Republic focuses on two primary pillars: supporting agricultural development and infrastructure for social inclusion, and enhancing institutional capacity building and governance. This framework aims to facilitate the country’s emergence from fragility and lay the foundation for robust and inclusive economic growth.

The Bank’s support has been instrumental in advancing our national development agenda and addressing key challenges

“I am proud to say that the Bank’s investments are not just merely financial; they are truly transformative enablers of progress and prosperity in the lives of the people of the Central African Republic,” Akin-Olugbade said. She reiterated that the portfolio reflects alignment with the country’s strategies, particularly in infrastructure, governance, and agriculture.

Despite fragility stemming from political and security factors, the Bank has remained resolute in supporting the country’s sustainable development objectives.

During the visit, Akin-Olugbade inspected key Bank-funded initiatives, including the Fibre Optic Backbone Project, which is pivotal in propelling the country towards a digital future. The project encompasses 900 km of fiber optic infrastructure, 11 technical sites, and a cutting-edge National Data Center.

Another transformative project supported by the Bank is the Multimodal Transport Corridor Project to connect Pointe-Noire, Brazzaville, Bangui, and N’Djamena—major cities in the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Chad, respectively. A component of this project is the $280 million Brazzaville-Bangui river corridor initiative, which will provide landlocked CAR and Chad a second maritime access to catalyze trade, foster job creation, and expand market access, thereby boosting regional integration for over 6 million people across Central Africa.

Despite economic challenges, including a modest growth rate of 1% in 2023, the Central African Republic is poised for progress. Projections indicate potential increases in key sectors such as industrial agriculture, forestry, and gold mining could spur growth to 2.9% in 2025.

As of the end of March 2024, the Bank’s active portfolio in CAR comprised 20 public projects with a total commitment of $454.6 million, spanning transport, energy, agriculture, and social infrastructure sectors.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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Liquid Intelligent Technologies revitalises access to cloud and cyber security services in support of improved national digital resilience

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Liquid Intelligent Technologies

These services will be available to existing and potential customers in Botswana, and at the centre of the new offering is Secure360, the company’s integrated security framework

GABORONE, Botswana, May 13, 2026/APO Group/ –Liquid Intelligent Technologies (https://Liquid.Tech), a business of Cassava Technologies, a global technology leader, brings cloud and cyber security solutions and services to businesses and enterprises of all sizes in Botswana. The announcement comes as Liquid celebrates a decade of operations in the country.

 

These services will be available to existing and potential customers in Botswana, and at the centre of the new offering is Secure360, the company’s integrated security framework that enables organisations to move beyond reactive breach response towards proactive intelligence, protection and assurance. The solution combines local delivery with continental-scale infrastructure and global technology partnerships to provide organisations with enterprise-grade digital security and cloud capabilities aligned with national digital priorities.

When organisations engage with Liquid Intelligent Technologies in Botswana, they are connecting to the strength of Cassava’s integrated digital ecosystem

“Over the last decade, Liquid has deployed over 1174.08 km of fibre, bringing multi-terabit capacity and unmatched resilience to the region. By establishing a 730km backbone along the A1 road, we’ve positioned Botswana as a critical hub, linking networks from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan,” said Odirile Tamajobe, Managing Director of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Botswana. “Now, by bringing the cloud and cyber security services into the country, we are empowering local businesses with world-class digital solutions, ensuring they can compete and win on the global stage.”

The expansion of Liquid’s offerings in the market reflects the broader Cassava strategy to deliver integrated digital infrastructure and platforms through its One Cassava approach.

“When organisations engage with Liquid Intelligent Technologies in Botswana, they are connecting to the strength of Cassava’s integrated digital ecosystem,” said Ziaad Suleman, CEO of Cassava Technologies SA and Botswana. “Beyond cloud and cyber security, customers can access data centres, AI readiness reviews, and tailored technology journey roadmaps, all within a unified platform designed to support secure innovation and long-term digital resilience”.

As Botswana advances on its Vision 2036 ambitions to expand digital services across government, financial services, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure sectors, Cassava’s digital services aim to strengthen national digital resilience, fostering pride and confidence in the country’s progress.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Liquid Intelligent Technologies.

 

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Verdant IMAP Act as Financial Advisor and Arranger to Metro Africa Xpress (MAX) on its USD 8 Million in Debt Capital Raise

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Verdant IMAP

The transaction establishes a foundation for further institutional capital deployment into the business

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 13, 2026/APO Group/ –Metro Africa Xpress (MAX), Africa’s leading electric mobility platform, has secured USD 8 million in debt funding from Triple Jump, marking a key milestone in scaling its clean mobility operations.

Triple Jump, a Netherlands-based impact investment manager with a strong track record of financing inclusive financial institutions and clean energy businesses across emerging markets, represents one of MAX’s first international institutional lenders. Its participation underscores confidence in MAX’s operating model, asset-backed lending structure, and long-term scalability within Africa’s evolving mobility sector.

The funding will support:

  • Expansion of MAX’s electric vehicle (EV) fleet
  • Rollout of battery swap infrastructure
  • Continued development of its Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) financing platform

MAX’s model is designed to lower barriers to asset ownership for commercial drivers (“Champions”), enabling income generation through access to productive mobility assets while reducing operating costs relative to internal combustion alternatives.

Operating across Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon, with Nigeria as its core market, MAX is building an integrated ecosystem comprising:

  • Purpose-built EVs adapted for local conditions
  • Battery swapping infrastructure to address charging constraints
  • IoT-enabled fleet management systems
  • Embedded financing solutions for underserved drivers

Verdant IMAP acted as sole financial advisor and arranger on the transaction, supporting structuring, investor engagement, and execution. The transaction establishes a foundation for further institutional capital deployment into the business.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Verdant Capital.

 

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Rhino Resources Joins African Energy Week (AEW) as Gold Sponsor as Southern African Exploration Expands

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African Energy Chamber

Rhino Resources will participate at the 2026 edition of the African Energy Week conference and exhibition – Africa’s premier event for the energy sector – as a gold sponsor

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 8, 2026/APO Group/ –Exploration company Rhino Resources has joined the African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Conference and Exhibition as a Gold Sponsor, reinforcing its role as one of Africa’s emerging independents driving frontier and greenfield exploration across Southern Africa.

 

Scheduled for October 12–16 in Cape Town, AEW 2026 comes as Rhino Resources accelerates exploration activity across Namibia’s Orange Basin while broadening its footprint into South Africa’s Karoo Basin. The sponsorship reflects the company’s strategy to deepen engagement with investors, service providers and policymakers as it advances multiple assets toward development readiness and future final investment decisions.

At the core of Rhino Resources’ upstream momentum is its multi-well deepwater drilling campaign in Namibia’s Orange Basin – one of the world’s most prolific frontier exploration hotspots. The company is targeting FIDs between late 2026 and early 2027 across operated and partner-led assets, including the co-development of the Volans and Capricornus discoveries in Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 85.

Rhino Resources represents a new generation of African-focused independents that are willing to take on frontier risk to unlock long-term energy value

Recent drilling results have strengthened the commercial case of these Namibian assets. The Volans-1X well delivered strong gas-condensate flow rates in February 2026, while the earlier Capricornus-1X well confirmed the presence of light oil, positioning Rhino Resources among the key players contributing to Namibia’s ambition of achieving first oil production by 2030.

Beyond Namibia, Rhino Resources is broadening its portfolio through onshore exploration in South Africa’s Karoo Basin. The company is advancing a six-well campaign targeting helium, methane and hydrogen resources in the Free State Province – a move that reflects both geographic diversification and a wider strategy to support a more resilient and diversified regional energy mix.

This expansion comes at a time when Southern African economies face energy security challenges due to ongoing disruptions to global shipping routes, reinforcing the importance of unlocking domestic resource potential to support industrial growth and reduce external vulnerabilities.

Rhino Resources’ role as Gold Sponsor at AEW 2026 therefore comes at a pivotal stage in its growth trajectory. The event provides a platform to showcase its exploration progress, strengthen partnerships and position its projects within the broader African energy investment landscape.

At AEW 2026, Rhino Resources’ executives are expected to participate in high-level panel discussions, offering insights into frontier basin development, cost-efficient exploration strategies and pathways to fast-tracking project commercialization across emerging African markets.

“Rhino Resources represents a new generation of African-focused independents that are willing to take on frontier risk to unlock long-term energy value,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “The company’s recent discoveries in Namibia and expanding exploration strategy in South Africa highlight the scale of opportunity across the continent and the critical role independents play in translating resources into production, investment and economic growth.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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