The award celebrates PAC Capital’s consistent track record in structuring and executing high-impact transactions across various sectors, including infrastructure, energy, transport, and financial services. This international recognition highlights the firm’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and delivering value-driven advisory services.

Humphrey Oriakhi, Managing Director of PAC Capital, expressed his pride and appreciation for the recognition:

“This award is a strong validation of our efforts to lead with insight, integrity, and innovation in the transaction advisory space. We are truly honored to be acknowledged on a global platform. I dedicate this achievement to our clients who trust us with their most strategic decisions and to our team whose dedication fuels our success.”

Bolarinwa Sanni, Executive Director of PAC Capital, emphasized the importance of collaboration and resilience in the firm’s journey:

“Winning this award reflects the strength of our advisory team and the boldness of the clients we serve. At PAC Capital, we are committed to delivering transformative financial solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. This recognition inspires us to keep pushing boundaries and shaping Africa’s investment landscape.”

As part of the PanAfrican Capital Holdings Group, PAC Capital continues to expand its footprint across Africa and globally, with a focus on impact-driven transactions that promote sustainable economic growth.

Speaking during an event organized by the African Refiners & Distributors Association (ARDA) in Cape Town this week, Ayuk proposed tapping into the $400 billion available through Africa’s pension funds to support oil and gas projects. With this capital, Africa can advance key infrastructure projects, such as pipelines, refining facilities and power generation, ensuring enhanced intra-Africa energy trade to address energy poverty. With over 600 million Africans living without access to modern energy and 900 million people living without access to clean cooking solutions, securing greater investment is key.

As such, Ayuk called for greater regulatory reform in Africa, citing the need to advance intra-African trade through the ease of movement of products and industry stakeholders, while ensuring infrastructure sharing across the continent. He pointed out that the greatest obstacle to realizing an ‘Africa-First Vision’ is not external challenges, but rather internal, owing to outdated and restrictive regulations that hinder trade and the free movement of people across borders.

“How can we move commodities across the continent yet we struggle to move people?” stated Ayuk, advocating for improved visa and immigration policies to facilitate mobility for industry stakeholders and citizens.

Ayuk also called for African policymakers to address high intra-African taxes that hinder trade, while encouraging greater collaboration between African energy markets. By addressing key challenges to trade, including lack of shared infrastructure and funding, Ayuk highlighted that the continent can achieve its downstream goals. A strategy for this is collaboration. Rather than competing against one another for limited capital, Africa can pool its resources to create an integrated value chain across the continent.

“We shouldn’t compete for capital amongst ourselves,” he said. “Our competition should be with international markets.”

Besides increasing investment in downstream infrastructure and revamping policies, Ayuk highlighted that achieving the ‘Africa First Vision’ requires fully utilizing every drop of oil and gas available on the continent to power Africa’s development. He emphasized the crucial role LPG and LNG will play in advancing access to clean cooking as well as the role of natural gas in providing baseload power for the foreseeable future.

In closing, Ayuk applauded ARDA for promoting investment in African oil and gas, despite challenges posed by the energy transition. Centered around the theme Africa First: Delivering Our Energy Future, the event sought to chart a course for energy security and industrial development through increased investments across the downstream sector across the continent.

U.S.–DRC Partnership to Unlock Mineral Wealth

In March 2025, the U.S. State Department reaffirmed (https://apo-opa.co/43JPLr8) its interest in engaging with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to unlock its estimated $1.2 trillion in untapped mineral resources. Cooperation between the two countries could yield a transformative impact on the sector, with U.S. financing and technical expertise unlocking the potential of the world’s largest cobalt producer and Africa’s largest copper producer. The U.S. has already played an active role in the financing and development of the Lobito Corridor, facilitating mineral transport and trade between the DRC, Angola, Zambia and international markets.

EU Expands Mining, Green Energy Investments

This month, the European Union (EU) pledged €4.7 billion (https://apo-opa.co/42q3265) to South Africa to support raw material value addition, the energy transition, local vaccine manufacturing and green hydrogen production. South Africa, home to the world’s largest deposits of platinum group metals (PGMs), will leverage this funding to enhance PGM production to meet growing demand for electrolysers used in green hydrogen applications. This follows South Africa’s $1 billion green hydrogen partnership with Denmark and the Netherlands established in 2023. Neighboring Namibia has also attracted European investment, with the EU committing €25 million to Namibia Hydrogen Fund Managers in September 2024 to propel the country’s green hydrogen sector. Meanwhile, Uganda is taking steps to develop its mining sector with the support of the EU and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, having launched the Sustainable Development of the Mining Sector project earlier this month.

China Strengthens its Position in African Mining

China remains one of the largest investors in African mining, with both state-owned and private firms driving sector growth. In September 2024, China pledged $50 billion over three years for infrastructure and mineral development across the continent. Key projects in the DRC include CMOC’s $2.5 billion expansion of the Tenke Fungurume Mine and Sinohydro and China Railway’s $7 billion infrastructure-for-minerals deal in copper and cobalt mining. China has also invested heavily in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector and pledged $1 billion to upgrade the Tazara Railway, improving East Africa’s mineral exports.

Growing Global Interest in Africa’s Mining Sector

Beyond the U.S., EU and China, countries like Canada, Australia and the UAE are ramping up mining investments in Africa. Canadian firms are expanding their footprint in West Africa’s gold sector, Australian companies are backing lithium and rare earth projects in southern Africa and the UAE is securing stakes in critical mineral supply chains through strategic joint ventures. African Mining Week, taking place October 1-3 in Cape Town, will provide a platform for African nations to engage global investors, strengthen cooperation and accelerate resource development.