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Artificial intelligence (AI) could create a turning point for financial inclusion in Africa (By Lillian Barnard)

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Microsoft

AI tools can analyse data from client discussions, producing legal documents in simple language and at a fraction of the cost of what it would typically take to draft a contract

SANDTON, South Africa, April 18, 2024/APO Group/ — 

By Lillian Barnard, President of Microsoft Africa (www.Microsoft.com).

It’s difficult to imagine a time before the widespread adoption of mobile technology in Africa – particularly where financial services are concerned. For millions of unbanked people, transactions were limited to cash, postal services or even the barter system. Now, in much the same way as mobile payments completely disrupted the status quo, AI has the potential to propel the fintech industry into a new era of financial inclusion. And perhaps most exciting of all is that Africa is not simply catching up with AI-powered developments, but surging ahead with innovative solutions that have considerable implications for the underbanked. 

Already, homegrown fintech companies have completely changed the way people in Africa transact, helping to reduce reliance on cash transactions.

Innovative payment solutions have revolutionised access to essential services, such that millions of people can now afford everyday necessities like airtime. In fact, research from McKinsey (https://apo-opa.co/3W55k98) has shown that these items are now available to lower-income households at up to 80 percent less of the cost associated with traditional banking players.

And when one considers that half (https://apo-opa.co/3vMMjxz) of Africa’s population is still unbanked or underbanked, we can begin to appreciate just how dramatic an impact the fintech sector has had on the very nature of financial services in Africa.

The net result in Kenya, for example, is that the adoption of digital payment solutions helped increase financial inclusion by as much as 25 percent (https://apo-opa.co/3W91wUp) in just 15 years. 

A cloud-powered payment revolution

More recently, cloud technology has created a whole new realm of possibilities for fintech companies looking to accelerate financial inclusion, helping them scale their operations, create operational efficiencies and spin up new innovations overnight.

African payment giant, Flutterwave (https://apo-opa.co/3Q6oMP1), is a case in point, having recently shifted its legacy infrastructure to Microsoft Azure with a view to expanding its operations and processing high volume payments at scale. As one of the continent’s safest and most reliable payment companies, Flutterwave has been at the forefront of Africa’s payment revolution. Its multiple payment modes, including local and international cards, mobile wallets and bank transfers, continue to change the game for many African people and businesses on a daily basis.

AI ushers in a new era

Now, building on the progress enabled by the cloud, the world is undergoing a new wave of technological transformation, driven by AI. Suddenly, businesses don’t need vast datasets or powerful computers to benefit from the technology, with most of the necessary compute power now available through cloud providers. And as the barriers to AI adoption have fallen away, so new tools are giving rise to substantive productivity gains and revolutionising industries such as fintech.

While AI is providing champions of financial inclusion like Flutterwave with the tools they need to expand their reach, it’s also helping to fast-track access to financial services (https://apo-opa.co/4aVKblR) in a vast number of different ways. 

Microsoft continues to engage with the African Union and national governments in priority markets to help strengthen our collective role as responsible stewards of AI

Traditionally, cost has been a significant barrier for local SMEs when it comes to the adoption of digital financial services. In fact, it’s estimated that around 90 percent (https://apo-opa.co/3U22OxC) of transactions in Africa are still cash-based, and this is often because cash transactions don’t carry any fees. However, the ability for AI to lower the cost of the entire ecosystem of financial services – from fraud detection to risk management optimisation and compliance improvements, can lead to substantial operational efficiencies and cost savings, which can ultimately be passed on to the end-user.

Banks, for example, can make their services more affordable to their customers by rolling out AI-powered chatbots to handle routine queries, at the same time sparing them from having to travel to a bank branch.

Already, fintech companies are helping their customers to improve their financial literacy by using these same chatbots as affordable advisors. Drawing on the power of AI, these bots can produce personalised recommendations such as budgeting strategies so that the user can make a more informed financial decision. Mosabi (https://apo-opa.co/442aQuU), a company, in Sierra Leone has even gamified the process to help customers elevate their financial behaviours.

What’s more, AI tools can analyse data from client discussions, producing legal documents in simple language and at a fraction of the cost of what it would typically take to draft a contract, extending access to these services in terms of both understanding and affordability.

Real-time lending at scale

Perhaps most important of all, many fintech companies have access to vast amounts of data, meaning that when AI is introduced to the equation, they have formidable ability to offer real-time digital lending on a major scale.

M-KOPA (https://apo-opa.co/4cZW10a), for example, leverages Microsoft’s AI services to manage lending risk and provide financial forecasting. The company provides digital financial services to underbanked consumers by combining digital micropayments and IoT technology, drawing on cloud technology to process over 500 payments per minute, and making it possible for 3 million people across Africa to access essential services such as solar power systems, digital loans, health insurance and smartphones.

The use of AI has helped M-KOPA achieve significant increases in customer repayment performance – particularly for the follow-on products and services that M-KOPA offers to customers once they have successfully repaid their initial loan. In fact, more than 440,000 additional credit lines have been made to customers following payment of their first product.

With the digital payments market maturing quickly in Africa and AI rapidly gaining traction among fintechs on the continent, the implications for accelerated financial inclusion are significant.

The question is – how do we ensure fintechs are able to fully realise the AI opportunity?

Much of the answer lies with capacity building, from infrastructure to connectivity, skills and essential digital tools. With improved internet access, fintechs have the potential to access more data, and with larger volumes of data available, they can provide more innovative services.

It’s for that exact reason that Microsoft continues to make significant investments to bolster the continent’s digital capacity – from new connectivity solutions through our Airband Initiative to essential cloud infrastructure through our enterprise-grade datacentres in the region. Through key partnerships, such as our collaboration with Safaricom, we’re upskilling hundreds of thousands of developers to build new entirely new digital ecosystems.  

Regulation is another hurdle that must be overcome to accelerate AI-powered payments in Africa. Though more African countries are expected to introduce regulations to guide AI development and deployment, relatively few have strategies and policies in place at a national level. In fact, many FSI organisations in Africa view the risk of new safety and regulatory requirements as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to wider implementation of the technology, hindering greater progress in financial inclusion.

Finding new ways of collaborating across industry and government is critical to the advancement of AI in financial services. To this end, Microsoft continues to engage with the African Union and national governments in priority markets to help strengthen our collective role as responsible stewards of AI.

For some time now, Africa has been at the forefront of the payment technology revolution – empowering millions of people with access to financial services. Imagine what more could be done through the unprecedented power of AI? To turn that opportunity into reality tomorrow, we must begin by ensuring the groundwork for AI transformation is done today.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Microsoft.

Energy

London Showcase to Bring Venezuela’s Energy Opportunities to Global Investors Ahead of 2026 Summit

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A high-level London industry showcase on July 30 will bring together UK and European investors, financiers and energy leaders to explore emerging opportunities across Venezuela’s oil, gas and power sectors ahead of Venezuela Energy Week 2026

LONDON, United Kingdom, July 17, 2026/APO Group/ –As Venezuela accelerates efforts to revitalize its energy sector and attract international investment, Venezuela Energy Week 2026 will host an exclusive Industry Showcase in London on July 30, bringing together investors, financial institutions, international oil companies, commodity traders and energy executives for market intelligence, networking and partnership development ahead of the flagship conference taking place this October in Caracas.

 

Designed as a strategic preview of the main event, the London showcase will provide UK and European stakeholders with first-hand insight into Venezuela’s evolving investment landscape while creating opportunities for commercial dialogue with industry leaders, potential partners and key decision-makers.

Home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves and significant natural gas resources, Venezuela is entering a new phase of energy development focused on increasing production, expanding gas commercialization and modernizing critical infrastructure. Ongoing reforms and renewed international engagement are creating opportunities for companies able to provide capital, technology and technical expertise.

The timing is particularly significant as several UK and European energy companies continue to strengthen their presence in Venezuela. UK-based majors Shell and BP are advancing key natural gas developments, with Shell preparing for 2027 drilling at the Dragon offshore gas project and BP signing agreements in April to develop the Cocuina-Manakin offshore gas field, marking its return to the Venezuelan market. Spain’s Repsol recently announced plans to increase production from its Venezuelan assets, while Italy’s Eni is relaunching a heavy crude project in the Orinoco Belt. France’s Maurel & Prom, meanwhile, remains a key partner in strategic assets such as the Urdaneta Oeste field. On the trading and commercialization front, Geneva-headquartered energy trader Vitol has renewed its engagement with Venezuelan crude exports, reflecting broader international interest in reconnecting the country’s resources with global markets.

Against this backdrop, the London Industry Showcase will highlight Venezuela’s re-emerging investment potential while creating a platform for strategic networking and direct engagement with government leaders, national energy companies, regulators and private sector partners.

The event is expected to attract representatives from investment funds, export credit agencies, commercial banks, private equity firms, commodity traders, engineering companies, technology providers and UK-based independent energy companies exploring opportunities across Venezuela’s energy value chain.

The showcase will also provide an exclusive preview of Venezuela Energy Week 2026, including ministerial dialogues, executive forums, technical conferences and dedicated business-to-business networking sessions designed to connect international investors with the decision-makers shaping the country’s energy future.

Taking place on October 26–29, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela Energy Week serves as the country’s premier platform for advancing investment across the oil, gas and power sectors. By bringing the conversation to London – one of the world’s leading financial and energy centers – the Industry Showcase builds momentum ahead of the flagship event while strengthening ties between international capital and one of the world’s most resource-rich energy markets.

To participate in the London Industry Showcase on July 30 or secure your place at Venezuela Energy Week 2026 in Caracas this October, contact info@venezuelaenergyweek.com to learn more about delegate, sponsorship and partnership opportunities.

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/3RKKqfz).

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

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October 2-4, 2026, Announced as New Date for the Inaugural Alamein Africa Forum

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The Forum which was earlier scheduled to hold in June 2026 was postponed following concerns about the evolving public health situation on the continent at the time

The Government of Egypt and the African Union Commission alongside other key stakeholders and partners are pleased to announce new dates for the inaugural Alamein Africa Forum (www.AlameinForum.com).

 

The Forum which was earlier scheduled to hold in June 2026 was postponed following concerns about the evolving public health situation on the continent at the time.

The inaugural Alamein Africa Forum will now be held between October 2-4, 2026, in Alamein, Egypt following consultations between the relevant stakeholders. It will be held in parallel with the African Union mid-year Summit which will take place in Alamein on 4 October 2026.

Please accept our sincere appreciation for your understanding, flexibility and continued support.

The Forum presents a unique opportunity to engage key policy makers, including African Heads of State and Government, as well as senior leaders from finance, industry and institutional investors to advance Africa’s private sector agenda.

Additional information regarding accommodation and logistics as well as the Forum programme will be made available on the Forum website as soon as next week.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Alamein Africa Forum.

 

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Business

The Learning Engine: How Rolls-Royce Turns Every Flight into Better Engineering (By Omar Ali Adib)

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For more than 120 years, Rolls-Royce has engineered solutions to some of aerospace’s most complex challenges

By Omar Ali Adib is the Senior Vice President – Middle East, Africa and Central Asia for the Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace division (www.Rolls-Royce.com).

 

For more than 120 years, Rolls-Royce has engineered solutions to some of aerospace’s most complex challenges. Aviation has been transformed: aircraft fly further, higher and more efficiently, while advances in materials, digital technology and manufacturing now deliver performance that would have seemed impossible 30 years ago.

When every fraction of a percentage improvement counts, the fact that modern Trent XWB engines boast a 25% efficiency gain over their 30-year-old predecessors, it’s clear to see the learning curve is steady and steep.

Progress does not only come through dramatic reinvention. It comes through disciplined observation, careful analysis and thousands of incremental improvements which, together, transform engine performance, durability and reliability.

It is easy to think that an aero engine reaches the end of its development when it enters service after years of rigorous testing, modelling and certification. In reality, that is when a new phase of learning begins. Every take-off, climb, cruise and landing generates operational information that deepens our understanding of how engines perform in the real world.

Inside an engine is one of the most demanding environments created by engineering. High-pressure turbine blades rotate at around 13,000 revolutions per minute in gas temperatures approaching 1,500°C—around 200°C above the melting point of their alloy. They withstand immense thermal and mechanical loads, often with little time to cool fully between flights, yet operate safely for up to six years without overhaul.

Commercial aviation leaves little room for complacency. Airlines expect lower fuel consumption, fewer maintenance events and dependable operation. Governments and national carriers rely on aircraft to connect cities, support tourism and trade, move critical cargo and enable economic growth. Every day an aircraft remains in service creates value for both the airline and the wider economy.

Rolls-Royce engines continuously generate operational data, which, combined with inspection and maintenance findings, reveals how components age and where durability can be improved. This understanding spans aircraft operating across oceans and in hot, high, humid and dusty conditions, where intensive utilisation places additional demands on engines.

 

Rolls-Royce powers the world’s leading widebody aircraft. The Trent 1000, in commercial service since 2011, powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Trent XWB powers every Airbus A350. The Trent 7000 powers the Airbus A330neo, the natural successor to the best-selling A330 family, combining proven aircraft credentials with latest-generation engine technology.

Each engine is designed specifically for its aircraft, yet together they form a living engineering ecosystem. Across the Trent family, advances are shared in aerodynamics, combustion, cooling, digital controls, materials, manufacturing, health monitoring and maintenance. Experience from one programme strengthens confidence and accelerates progress elsewhere.

Every lesson learned today becomes the engineering certainty we deliver tomorrow

The Trent 7000 illustrates this approach. As the newest Trent family member, it benefits from decades of accumulated experience while providing an important platform for validating the latest durability enhancements. Those lessons have informed technologies being incorporated into the Trent 1000 XE, translating proven operational evidence into wider customer benefit.

The same philosophy shapes the Trent XWB. Its latest Trent XWB-84 Enhanced Performance standard has exceeded its certified fuel-burn improvement. Data from everyday airline operations demonstrated savings of around 1.8 per cent—almost double the original target. This improvement translates to around $450,000 in annual fuel savings per aircraft, or around $9 million per year for a typical fleet of 20 Airbus A350-900s.

This ability to learn across Boeing and Airbus platforms gives Rolls-Royce exceptional breadth of operational understanding. It is underpinned by a commitment of more than £1 billion to a comprehensive engine improvement programme across the Trent 1000, Trent 7000 and Trent XWB-84. Crucially, the resulting durability improvements are covered by standard TotalCare agreements for existing customers and their engines in service.

Few measures matter more than Time on Wing: the period an engine remains in service before scheduled removal for overhaul. It affects aircraft availability, fleet planning, spare-engine requirements, maintenance scheduling and airline economics. For governments and national carriers, it also affects route resilience, tourism, trade, cargo movements and national connectivity. Durability is therefore one of modern aerospace’s defining engineering challenges.

For the Boeing 787, the Trent 1000 XE incorporates improved cooling, lighter high-pressure turbine blades that reduce centrifugal loading, advanced thermal-barrier coatings, redesigned combustor interfaces and updated control software to manage thermal loads more consistently. The package will deliver up to three times the durability of the previous standard in certain operating environments.

These enhancements are being installed in new engines and progressively retrofitted across the existing fleet. As of April 2026, around 30 per cent of in-service Trent 1000 engines had received the first phase through a coordinated programme across the Rolls-Royce maintenance network, with the fleet moving steadily towards the XE standard.

Rolls-Royce is expanding its interconnected global MRO network through its own facilities and, increasingly, through joint ventures, strategic partnerships and authorised maintenance centres. Insights from every overhaul strengthen engineering decisions across the network, while bringing capability closer to customers, transferring skills and developing local talent.

 

Across more than a century, progress can be measured through thrust, fuel burn, efficiency and durability. Yet behind those achievements lies Rolls-Royce’s accumulated engineering knowledge. Every programme adds insight, every customer broadens experience, and every solved challenge strengthens future capability.

Behind advances in thrust, fuel efficiency and durability lies more than a century of accumulated engineering knowledge. Every programme, customer and solved challenge strengthens future capability.

That knowledge flows across Civil Aerospace, Defence and Power Systems, where advances in materials, manufacturing, digital engineering, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence allow innovation in one part of Rolls-Royce to drive progress elsewhere.

Aviation’s demands will continue to evolve. Airlines will seek greater efficiency, longer Time on Wing, lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact. Governments will look to aviation to strengthen connectivity, trade and growth. Customers will expect both world-class products and trusted engineering partners throughout the life of their fleets.

That is how Rolls-Royce has evolved for more than 120 years. Every flight teaches us something. Every customer makes us better. Every lesson learned today becomes the engineering certainty we deliver tomorrow.

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Rolls-Royce.

 

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