Connect with us
Anglostratits

Events

APO Group Wins Gold Stevie® Award In 2026 Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards

Published

on

APO Group

Winners to Be Celebrated During a Gala Event on 11 September at the InterContinental Hotel, Istanbul, Türkiye

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 30, 2026/APO Group/ –APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the pan-African communications consultancy integrating advisory, execution, and proprietary news distribution, today was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Most Innovative Public Relations Agency of the Year category in the seventh annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, sponsored by the RAK Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards are the only business awards programme to recognise innovation in the workplace in 18 nations in the Middle East and North Africa.  The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in programmes such as The International Business Awards® for 24 years.

More than 1,400 nominations from organisations across the Middle East and North Africa were considered this year in categories such as Award for Excellence in Innovation in Products & Services, Award for Innovative Management, and Award for Innovation in Corporate Websites, among many others.  APO Group won in the Most Innovative Public Relations Agency of the Year category.

APO Group’s winning submission presented a body of work spanning major international brands, humanitarian organisations, and global technology and business investment platforms, collectively generating over USD1.2 billion in PR value, more than 1,500 media features and interviews, and over 20 million social media impressions. Together, these results reflect a communications model built on integration: strategy, on-ground PR, and guaranteed visibility operating as one high-impact system.

These campaigns, executed for organisations such as Africa’s Business Heroes, Canon, Mercy Ships, The Basketball Africa League (BAL), GITEX Africa, and the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), demonstrate APO Group’s ability to operate at scale across sectors and markets, delivering innovative strategic communication with measurable results.

We are delighted to recognise the achievements of such a diverse group of organisations across the MENA region in the 2026 edition of the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards

“This award recognises something specific: a communications model that treats consultancy, execution, and distribution as one system rather than three separate disciplines. The MENA Stevie® Awards reflect APO Group’s commitment to delivering PR and communications strategies that match the realities of operating across Africa,” said Bas Wijne, Chief Executive Officer at APO Group. “Effective pan-African work requires deep knowledge of how individual markets function, how media ecosystems differ, and how audiences in each context connect with a narrative. We’re proud to help African and MENA organisations engage with impact across one of the world’s most complex and rewarding media landscapes.”

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 150 executives around the world acting as judges on six juries.

“We are delighted to recognise the achievements of such a diverse group of organisations across the MENA region in the 2026 edition of the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller.  “We look forward to celebrating Stevie winners during our gala event on 11 September at the InterContinental Hotel, Istanbul, Türkiye.  The quality of nominations received this year was exceptional. The programme has grown every year, showing the vast amount of innovation in the MENA region.”

APO Group has received multiple major industry honours over the past year, including consecutive Gold Sabre Awards and Gold at the Davos Communications Awards for excellence in strategic communications and campaign execution. The company was also named Africa’s Leading PR Agency – 2025 by Brands Review Magazine and Best Public Relations & Media Consultancy Agency of the Year – 2025 by World Business Outlook.

Operating across 54 African countries, APO Group provides communications advisory services, public relations, and media distribution through its proprietary newswire, Africa Newsroom, which places content on more than 250 Africa-focused news platforms worldwide.

This latest accolade adds to APO Group’s growing record at these prestigious awards. In 2025, Rania El-Rafie, Vice President, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, was awarded a Bronze Stevie® Award in the ‘Most Innovative Woman of the Year’ category. El Rafie also chaired the Public Sector & Thought Leadership Awards Judging Committee at this year’s competition.

Details about the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards and the list of Stevie Award winners are available at https://MENA.StevieAwards.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.

Business

Industrial competitiveness takes centre stage at C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg

Published

on

C&I Energy

The summit opens with a shared question: how can businesses protect production and investment while navigating changes to the systems that supply their energy and water

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 27, 2026/APO Group/ –Rising electricity and water costs, changing energy procurement options and pressure to decarbonise are putting South Africa’s industrial competitiveness under scrutiny. These challenges will lead the opening agenda of the C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg, which begins tomorrow, bringing the relationship between infrastructure resilience and business performance into focus.

Held alongside the Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG) Conference, Data Centre Summit and Water Security Africa on 28–29 October, the summit opens with a shared question: how can businesses protect production and investment while navigating changes to the systems that supply their energy and water?

 




  

Following welcomes from Chanelle Hingston, VUKA Group Director: Power, Energy & Water, and EIUG Chairman Murendeni Matshinyatsimbi, NTCSA CEO Monde Bala will deliver the keynote address. He is expected to explore how grid expansion, fair access and system reliability can support a competitive electricity market and unlock industrial investment.

These opening contributions will set the context for the keynote panel, “Threats and opportunities in South Africa’s industrial future”. Moderated by Kay Walsh, Managing Director of Nova Economics, the discussion brings together Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, Founding Director of Southern Transitions; Charles Dos Santos, Managing Director of Air Products South Africa; and Lubabalo Luyaba, Senior Water Specialist at the World Bank.

The panel will examine how escalating tariffs, electricity market reform and pressure on water resources are influencing industrial competitiveness. Wheeling frameworks, market liquidity and regulatory clarity will feature alongside the growing need for resilient water supply and better water management.

For commercial and industrial businesses, these issues have direct implications for operating costs, procurement decisions and long-term investment. The discussion will explore how companies can manage regulatory uncertainty, strengthen resilience and assess opportunities in energy procurement and carbon markets.

Water security will receive further attention through a keynote address and MOU signing featuring Ramateu Monyokolo, Chairperson of AWSISA. Earlier morning discussions will ask what a loss of Johannesburg’s water supply would mean for business and explore water’s role as a strategic asset.

The opening agenda will lead into practical Day 1 sessions on reducing energy costs, electricity market reform and financing the transition. Industrial case studies from Isuzu Motors South Africa, Sibanye-Stillwater and Harmony Gold Mining Company will examine approaches to cost certainty and energy security.

Across the day, the emphasis will be on decisions businesses can act on: improving efficiency, diversifying supply and investing in infrastructure that supports reliable operations and sustained competitiveness.

Sponsors across the events include WEG, Gold Sponsor; Standard Bank, Gold and Registration Sponsor; Huawei, EIUG Gold and Registration Sponsor; NOA and South32, EIUG Gold Sponsors; Envusa Energy, Scatec (Lyra) and Seriti Green, EIUG Silver Sponsors; LONGi and MATTLA Engineering Solutions, Bronze Sponsors; Africa International Advisors, EIUG Bronze Sponsor; Webber Wentzel, Water Bronze Sponsor; and Air Liquide and Air Products, Session Sponsors.

Download the full programme to explore the keynote speakers, industry case studies and practical sessions taking place on 28–29 October: https://apo-opa.co/4sqc9QL

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

Continue Reading

Energy

Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027 Places Infrastructure at the Center of Libya’s Energy Expansion with Dedicated Forum

Published

on

From gas processing and ports to downstream infrastructure and regional pipelines, LEES 2027 will examine the infrastructure required to support Libya’s next phase of energy growth

TRIPOLI, Libya, October 26, 2026/APO Group/ –Libya’s push to expand oil and gas production is creating a parallel requirement for investment in the infrastructure needed to process, transport and commercialize additional energy supplies. With more than $20 billion committed to the Waha concessions alone and major gas, industrial and logistics projects advancing, infrastructure integration is emerging as a key component of the country’s investment agenda.

 




 
 

Against this backdrop, the Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027, taking place January 23–25 in Tripoli, will feature a dedicated Infrastructure and Integration Forum. The forum will examine how Libya can convert its growing resource base into productive domestic infrastructure and stronger regional ties.

As Libya seeks to process more hydrocarbons domestically and capture greater value from refined products, the country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) is pursuing refinery modernization and expanded petrochemical manufacturing. That strategy is being reinforced by upstream expansion, including a more than $20 billion, 25-year Waha development deal with TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips targeting up to 850,000 barrels per day (bpd) of additional capacity.

Meanwhile, the National Development Agency has signed 13 agreements with Chinese companies for projects at the 1,000-hectare Magroun Industrial Zone, covering industrial chemicals, advancing manufacturing and construction materials. The Ministry of Industry’s 100-Day Plan is supporting the country’s wider development push through infrastructure and digital reforms aimed at improving industrial investment.

Gas provides another major infrastructure opportunity set to be showcased at LEES 2027. Eni’s $8 billion Structures A&E project is designed to move offshore gas to the Mellitah treatment plant, with infrastructure targeting 750 million cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) in 2027. The project follows the successful start-up of the Sabratha Compression Project in June 2026. Led by Eni in partnership with the NOC – through the Mellitah Oil & Gas joint venture – the project has an overall compression capacity of 440 mmscf/d.

On the maritime side, the $2.7 billion Misurata Port expansion is set to transform the facility into a major Mediterranean logistics hub, with planned capacity of 4 million containers annually and 8,400 direct jobs. The project also incorporates local supplier development, linking maritime expansion with efforts to build domestic supply chains.

Beyond domestic infrastructure Libya is strengthening its connections to regional neighbors. The country is advancing negotiations with Egypt for an 800-km Tobruk-Alexandria crude pipeline, estimated at $1.5 billion–$2 billion and targeting initial capacity of 150,000–250,000 bpd. The NOC is also working to maximize the 11-billion-cubic-meter annual capacity of the GreenStream pipeline, connecting coastal facilities in Libya to European markets via Sicily.

Taken together, these projects show an increasingly integrated Libyan investment agenda – connecting upstream production with downstream industry, gas infrastructure, logistics and cross-border energy markets. LEES 2027’s Infrastructure and Integration Forum will bring those investment opportunities together in one platform, highlighting the NOC and Ministry-led push to build the infrastructure required for Libya’s next phase of economic growth.

For more information about LEES 2027, please visit https://LibyaSummit.com/​.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 

 




 

Continue Reading

Energy

Ghana Energy Minister John Jinapor to Speak at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026

Published

on

Etu Energias

Ghana’s Energy Minister joins MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 as the country advances upstream investment, gas monetization and infrastructure development

DAKAR, Senegal, October 26, 2026/APO Group/ –Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Green Transition Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor will participate as a speaker at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 in Dakar, Senegal, from December 1–3. His participation comes as Ghana pursues upstream investment, domestic gas monetization and power-sector reforms to strengthen energy security and attract capital.

 




  

Minister Jinapor’s participation brings Ghana’s experience in balancing hydrocarbon development, electricity reliability and renewable energy investment to a regional forum focused on cross-border infrastructure and resource development. The fifth edition, held at the CICAD under the high patronage of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, will connect policymakers, operators and investors across the MSGBC basin.

Ghana’s latest initiatives combine upstream recovery with major downstream infrastructure plans. On October 20, Jinapor pledged to lead inter-ministerial talks addressing land acquisition, compensation and financing hurdles facing the proposed $28-billion Petroleum Hub in Jomoro, following an agreement between the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation and a United Arab Emirates consortium led by Global Sphere.

https://apo-opa.co/4ijaUOu

The proposed development includes a 300,000-barrel-per-day refinery, petrochemical facilities and deepwater ports, with construction targeted for early 2027. If delivered, the project could expand domestic processing capacity, support industrial activity and position Ghana as a regional petroleum-products trading hub.

At African Energy Week 2026 in Cape Town, Jinapor also reported $3.5 billion in upstream investment commitments for Ghana’s Jubilee, Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme, and Offshore Cape Three Points fields. The commitments support expansion and drilling campaigns as the country seeks to reverse declining production and sustain output from mature offshore assets.

His contribution will enrich regional discussions at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026, fostering opportunities for cross-border cooperation

https://apo-opa.co/4BoGjrs

Gas supply and power-sector efficiency remain central to that strategy. Ghana is implementing its Second Gas Processing Plant, while plans for additional offshore infrastructure aim to increase gas availability; the government has also reported savings of $500 million from reducing liquid-fuel imports for electricity generation.

https://apo-opa.co/4jGStFP

Regional integration offers another route to improving supply security. Jinapor recently outlined discussions with Nigeria on exchanging Ghanaian electricity for Nigerian natural gas delivered through the West African Gas Pipeline, while Ghana is procuring a 200 MW battery energy storage system alongside a 200 MWp solar facility.

https://apo-opa.co/4Bxfr94

These measures complement efforts to address energy-sector liabilities, which exceeded $3 billion at the start of 2025, and improve payments to independent power producers. Ghana’s longer-term plans include expanding renewable capacity, increasing electricity access to 99% by 2030 and developing nuclear power as part of its future generation mix.

“Minister Jinapor’s participation brings valuable perspective on how Ghana is mobilizing investment across upstream production, gas monetization and power infrastructure to strengthen energy security and support industrial growth. His contribution will enrich regional discussions at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026, fostering opportunities for cross-border cooperation, infrastructure development and investment partnerships across West Africa,” says Sandra Jeque, Vice President, Energy Capital & Power.

MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 will also feature Senegal’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum Dr. El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf; Guinea-Conakry’s Minister of Energy Laye Sékou Camara; Algeria’s Minister of State for Hydrocarbons Mohamed Arkab and Minister of Energy and Renewable Energies Mourad Adjal; Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Natural Resources Baldé; and Mali’s Minister of Energy and Water Tiémoko Traoré.

Organized by Energy Capital & Power and held under the High Patronage of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 takes place December 1–3 in Dakar and will convene heads of state, ministers, investors, operators and development partners from Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry. Explore opportunities and secure your participation at www.MSGBCOilGasandPower.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 




 

Continue Reading

Trending