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

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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 & ServicesAward 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.

Events

Paddles up! Hong Kong marks 50 Years of international dragon boat thrills

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Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 25 June 2026 – With top teams from around the world gearing up for the hotly contested Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races this weekend (June 27-28), participants and spectators can expect a bumper programme of action, fun and entertainment along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui – one of the city’s most vibrant districts known for its iconic skyline views and tourist attractions.

There is much to celebrate. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races as well as 35th anniversary of both the co-organiser, Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, and the sanctioning body, International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). The IDBF added to the occasion by announcing earlier this year the relocation of its headquarters back to Hong Kong.

Riding on the wave of excitement, the organiser, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), extended the annual Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival period to 13 days (June 19 – July 1), beginning on the historic Tuen Ng Festival (Dragon Boat Festival) and concluding on July 1, which is the 29th anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

As the headline international flagship event of “Hong Kong Summer Fun”, Dr Peter Lam, Chairman of the HKTB, said the Festival not only ran over a longer period, but also featured a stronger race line-up and more vibrant entertainment programmes than in previous years, offering an experience found only in Hong Kong for locals and visitors, while showcasing Hong Kong’s position as the Events Capital of Asia.

More than 220 teams from 16 countries and regions will compete for top honours in the world‑renowned setting of Victoria Harbour. This year’s event also introduces the special 50th Anniversary Fishermen Invitational Cup and the 50th Anniversary Championship, paying tribute to the traditional spirit of dragon boat racing.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a series of thematic activities along the Avenue of Stars, including a 22-metre traditional wooden dragon boat, a dragon boat-themed installation in collaboration with the new film Minions & Monsters, live music performances and a line-up of intangible cultural heritage performances, including martial art Wing Chun, Chinese juggling diabolo, traditional musical instruments ruan and guzheng.

Highlighting Hong Kong’s reputation as the birthplace of modern international dragon boat racing, as well as its strengths as a global hub city, the IDBF has taken a significant step in its long‑term global strategy with the formal incorporation of International Dragon Boat Federation Limited in Hong Kong on 29 April 2026.

“Incorporation in Hong Kong is not a conclusion, but a beginning. It anchors our Federation in the city where our international story started and strengthens our ability to serve our members and the global dragon boat family,” said Claudio Schermi, President of the IDBF.

As part of this new chapter, the IDBF has applied for funding under “the Pilot Scheme to Strengthen the Presence of Hong Kong in Asian and International Sports Associations”, which was recently introduced by the HKSAR Government’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. The Pilot Scheme is an initiative designed to support Asian and international sports associations establishing their headquarters or regional headquarters in the city.

The Dragon Boat Festival has a long and colourful history dating back more than two thousand years. Held each year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the day commemorates the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

According to legend, Qu committed suicide for his beliefs by throwing himself into the Luo River. The villagers nearby raced out on their dragon boats, banging gongs and drums to scare away fish and other underwater creatures to stop them from eating Qu’s body. The tradition continues to this day, with dragon boat competitions taking place at locations across Hong Kong, each reflecting the unique characteristics of its neighbourhood.

Traditional dragon boat treats feature prominently during the festival, notably zongzi. These glutinous rice dumplings, traditionally wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed or boiled, are widely available during the festive period.

 

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Energy

African Mining Week (AMW) to Unlock Zimbabwe’s $12B Mining Vision Through Direct Investor Partnerships

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Etu Energias

A dedicated country spotlight at African Mining Week 2026 will showcase regulatory reforms and project developments across Zimbabwe’s mining value chain

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 25, 2026/APO Group/ –African Mining Week 2026 – The Most Influential Mining Conference in Africa – will connect Zimbabwean regulators and mining stakeholders with global investors to advance partnerships, as the country accelerates efforts to build a $12 billion mining industry by 2030.

Taking place from October 14 – 16 in Cape Town, AMW 2026 will feature a dedicated Zimbabwe Country Spotlight, showcasing lucrative opportunities across the country’s mining value chain. The country spotlight will feature high-level panel discussions, exclusive networking sessions and project showcases, connecting global investors and service providers with senior decision-makers from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development of Zimbabwe, the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe and leading mining companies operating across the country.

The spotlight comes at a pivotal moment for Zimbabwe, as the country seeks fresh capital to unlock value from more than 60 known mineral occurrences spanning gold, lithium, platinum group metals, chrome, coal and rare earths.

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In a major move to improve investment competitiveness, Zimbabwe reduced mining-related license and permit fees in May 2026, lowering operational costs for investors while streamlining market participation. Registration fees for dealing in precious stones have been reduced from $15,000 to $10,000, while export permit fees have been cut from $1,875 to $500. New licensing categories – including permits for gold jewellery manufacturing and lithium processing plants – have also been introduced as part of a broader strategy to promote investments across in-country value addition projects. The reduction in fees for beneficiation projects follows the April 2026 introduction of export quotas for lithium concentrates ahead of a planned 2027 ban on concentrate exports. The shift is already reshaping the country’s lithium industry, with Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt achieving Zimbabwe’s first export shipment of lithium sulphate salts in April 2026.

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Coming into this picture, AMW 2026’s Zimbabwe Country Spotlight will provide investors with direct insights into these evolving regulatory frameworks, highlighting emerging investment and partnership prospects in lithium processing and across the mining value chain.

Zimbabwe’s gold sector is also positioned for renewed growth amid sustained high global gold prices (averaging $5,000 per ounce). In line with this momentum, Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth fund, Mutapa Investment Fund, is seeking $250 million to expand gold mining operations. Against this backdrop, AMW 2026 offers a timely platform for investors to engage with one of Africa’s most prospective brownfield gold markets and explore opportunities across exploration, mine expansion and processing infrastructure.

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AMW 2026’s strong emphasis on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) formalization also aligns closely with Zimbabwe’s national mining development strategy. In May 2026, Zimbabwe certified 300 small-scale miners following completion of training programs safety, compliance and productivity. Supported by funding from Mutapa Gold Resources – a subsidiary of Mutapa Investment Fund – the initiative aims to train and formalize 1,500 ASM players.

 

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As the official platform where Africa’s mining opportunities are discussed and maximized, AMW 2026 will provide stakeholders with market intelligence on Zimbabwe’s evolving mining landscape and investment outlook.

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

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Energy

Nigeria Accelerates $750B Mining Vision Ahead of African Mining Week (AMW) 2026

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Etu Energias

African Mining Week will showcase opportunities within Nigeria’s mining value chain as the country seeks capital to unlock its $750 billion worth of untapped mineral deposits

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 24, 2026/APO Group/ –Nigeria’s mining sector is entering a new phase of growth as regulatory reforms, downstream investments and international partnerships strengthen investor confidence in one of Africa’s largest untapped mineral markets. The country’s solid minerals sector has secured approximately $3 billion in investments over the past three years, reflecting growing investor confidence as the West African nation seeks to bridge the financing gap hindering large-scale mining development.

 

The investment milestone comes as Nigeria deepens engagement with investors to unlock its estimated $750 billion in untapped mineral resources. The country is targeting an increase in mining’s contribution to GDP to 10%, creating lucrative investment opportunities for global mining industry players.

These developments come as African Mining Week (AMW) 2026 – Africa’s Most Influential Mining Conference, taking place in Cape Town from October 14-16 – prepares to showcase Nigeria’s expanding project pipeline and investment opportunities. Through dedicated country sessions, project showcases and executive networking, the event will connect international investors with Nigerian policymakers, mining companies and service providers driving the country’s mining transformation.

Nigeria’s expanding investment pipeline is a testament to its drive to strengthen partnerships. In June 2026, indigenous company Romulus Mining announced plans to increase investments across its gold and lithium portfolio from approximately $50 million to $150 million over the next three years, underscoring growing private sector confidence in the country’s mining outlook.

A partnership deal signed with Turkey in May 2026 is expected to support cooperation in geological exploration, mining technologies, digitalization and capacity building, while creating new opportunities for Turkish investment and technical expertise across Nigeria’s mining value chain.

Meanwhile, the advancement of several downstream projects – including a $600 million lithium processing facility in Nasarawa State and a $200 million lithium processing plant in Abuja – underscores Nigeria’s commitment to boosting mineral production and supporting industrialization.

Amid these developments, AMW 2026 provides a timely platform for investors seeking to capitalize on one of Africa’s most promising mining markets. The event will facilitate strategic partnerships that support exploration, mineral processing and long-term industry growth, reinforcing Nigeria’s ambition to develop a $1 billion economy by 2030 on the back of its mining industry.

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

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