Ashley Ndir, Principal Commercial Officer with the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration, and Raúl Santiago Ailán, Head of Mission and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Argentina in South Africa, have joined the conference, signaling growing international interest in Africa’s mining opportunities.

Ndir will join the U.S.–Africa Roundtable on Advancing Local Beneficiation and Standardizing ESG Frameworks. Drawing on her role in expanding American market opportunities and economic partnerships, Ndir is expected to bring a commercial diplomacy perspective to discussions on U.S.–Africa market integration.

Her participation comes as the U.S. advances its African mining strategy, centered on facilitating investment in mineral development and exports. Through agencies like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the U.S. Export–Import Bank and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency alongside private industry, the U.S. continues to back major project development across key mining jurisdictions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Ailán joins the conference at a time when Argentina is accelerating its own mining expansion. The country is a major lithium producer and is seeking to expand copper development, while African mineral producers are similarly working to attract investment into exploration, processing and supporting infrastructure. This creates scope for greater cooperation between African and Latin American mining jurisdictions across investment, technical expertise and mineral development.

Ailán will join the panel discussion on Realigning National and International Goals to Advance Global Investment in Africa’s Value Chain. The session will examine how national development priorities can be aligned with international investment requirements to support greater value addition.

Under the theme Mining the Future: Unearthing Africa’s Full Mineral Value, AMW 2026 will bring together governments, investors, mining companies and international partners to advance investment across mineral exploration, production, processing and supporting infrastructure. The event offers a strategic international forum to foster engagement, strengthen mineral ties and advance development in Africa and across international markets.

As the organiser of DRC Mining Week and the DRC Critical Minerals & Industrialisation Forum, VUKA Group RDC will showcase its platforms and programmes and mobilise its network of operators, investors and suppliers around the four-day programme. The two organisations will also jointly promote the forum across their respective channels, bringing Makutano Mining 2026 to the attention of mining industry stakeholders in the DRC, across Africa and internationally.

This collaboration brings together two complementary platforms. While DRC Mining Week has focused on operations and on-the-ground realities from Lubumbashi, Makutano Mining brings to Kinshasa a space for vision, strategy and national decision-making, in close proximity to the Presidency, ministries and governors of the mining provinces. Bringing these two levels together is what has been missing from the Congolese mining conversation.

“This partnership reflects our commitment to strengthening the bridges between platforms that contribute to the development of the mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are pleased to participate in Makutano Mining 2026 and to put our platforms and network at the service of this collective momentum.”

Papy Luzala, Managing Director, VUKA Group RDC

“Bringing VUKA to Kinshasa means bringing together in one room those who produce and those who make decisions. Our two platforms are complementary, and the Congolese mining sector has everything to gain from this collaboration.”

Nicole Sulu, Founder, Réseau Makutano

Beyond November, the two organisations intend to promote knowledge sharing, strengthen connections between stakeholders and support the development of more integrated mining and industrial value chains in the DRC. They share a common conviction: that the mining sector should be a driver of local value creation, industrialisation, skills development and employment.

Makutano Mining 2026 will take place from 22 to 25 November 2026 in Kinshasa. Four days bringing together the country’s highest-ranking government authorities, industry leaders and international financiers around the theme of mining sovereignty.

The company’s participation comes as Venezuela considers how to develop its substantial natural gas resources and address persistent power-generation and infrastructure needs. Eneva has been exploring potential opportunities in the country, with CEO Lino Cançado saying in June 2026 that the company sees opportunities in gas-fired power generation as Venezuela undergoes regulatory and administrative changes. He also said the company was assessing opportunities across exploration and production, power generation and other areas, but that no concrete projects or partnerships had yet been established.

Eneva’s relevance to Venezuela lies in its experience integrating gas production with electricity generation. The company has developed the Reservoir-to-Wire model in Brazil, connecting natural gas production directly to thermal power generation and, where applicable, the electricity grid. The model is designed to reduce intermediate transportation requirements, improve supply reliability and monetize gas resources in areas where conventional infrastructure may be limited.

The Parnaíba Complex in Maranhão is one of the largest examples of this model, with 1.9 GW of installed gas-fired generation capacity in operation. Eneva produces gas from fields near the complex and uses it to supply the power plants, integrating upstream production and electricity generation within the same development.

Eneva has also applied integrated gas and power solutions in more remote markets. In Amazonas, its Azulão–Jaguatirica system combines gas production and treatment with liquefaction, road transportation, storage and regasification before the gas is used for power generation at the Jaguatirica II plant. Eneva describes the project as a Reservoir-to-Wire application designed to serve a region without conventional pipeline access.

This experience is relevant to Venezuela because gas development does not have to be limited to exports. Gas can also provide fuel for power generation serving upstream operations, industrial facilities and communities, particularly where transmission or pipeline infrastructure is constrained.

Venezuela has substantial natural gas resources alongside its oil reserves, but developing those resources will require investment in production, processing, transportation and power infrastructure. Integrated projects that link gas supply directly with electricity generation could offer one route to monetizing resources while addressing local energy needs.

Eneva has also developed small-scale LNG capabilities to supply customers outside traditional pipeline networks. Its Parnaíba facility began supplying LNG to off-grid industrial customers in 2024, providing another example of how gas can be commercialized where pipeline infrastructure is unavailable or uneconomic.

Eneva’s participation in Venezuela Energy Week 2027 comes at a time when the country is assessing multiple pathways for rebuilding its energy sector. The company brings a specific area of expertise to those discussions: connecting domestic gas resources with reliable power generation and new commercial markets.

Venezuela Energy Week 2027 will bring together governments, national oil companies, international operators, investors and service providers in Caracas to advance investment across the country’s energy value chain. As a Silver Sponsor, Eneva will contribute a Brazilian perspective on gas monetization, integrated power generation and energy solutions for markets where infrastructure gaps remain a major investment consideration.

Supporting Venezuela’s Earthquake Recovery

Our thoughts are with the people and communities affected by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. As the country begins the long process of recovery, we encourage members of the global energy community to support relief and reconstruction efforts through the CAF Recovery and Reconstruction Fund for Venezuela, which channels contributions from individuals, companies and organizations to emergency assistance, essential services and long-term rebuilding efforts.

To learn more or make a contribution, please visit the CAF Recovery and Reconstruction Fund for Venezuela (https://apo-opa.co/3SHOUnW).