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Back in Nairobi for 2023: Celebrating the 20th edition of East Africa Com

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3 years ago

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East Africa Com

The event will once again reunite the region’s tech leaders, telecom c-suite executives, promising start-up founders as well as senior regulators and government officials

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 5, 2023/APO Group/ — 

East Africa’s premier technology, telecommunication, media, and broadcasting event will return to Nairobi on 25-26 April after a three-year digital hiatus. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the event will once again reunite the region’s tech leaders, telecom c-suite executives, promising start-up founders as well as senior regulators and government officials as over 50 industry heavyweights from Safaricom, Telkom Kenya, Kenya’s Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Djibouti Telecom, Google, Microsoft, Airtel, and more take to the event’s stage to impart their wisdom.

As one of the continent’s tech powerhouses where the pace of new technologies adoption such as 5G remains high, East Africa, as it continues its digital transformation journey, offers exciting opportunities which will be analysed in the event’s programme, alongside barriers that need to be overcome to unlock the region’s full tech potential.

East Africa Com will delve into a great variety of highly time-sensitive topics. From exploring topics around the 4IR and how East African can lead in an era of economic disruption to combatting cyber-attacks threats, or the next phase in the region’s fintech revolution and the war for talent, East Africa Com will present a rich and diverse agenda.

“In a sector as dynamic as tech, in a region as diverse as East Africa, we want to showcase and celebrate the incredible pace of innovation as well as the resilience of the region’s tech sector” explains Ciara McDonald Heffernan, Event Director for East Africa Com. “Our ambition is clear: We are committed to building a programme that will help educate the industry on some of the exciting projects and play a key role in facilitating strong partnerships across the region.”

Some of the sessions attendees can look forward to include a panel uniting East African Operators including Andy Halsall, CEO at poa!, Gerishon  Gitonga, Head of Network Planning at Safaricom and Bonface Ndawala, CEO at Malcel discuss novel routes to delivering meaningful connectivity to underserved areas.

Last mile connectivity will be key to unlocking the next stage of East Africa’s Digital transformation and we look forward to having our Opening Keynote, George Njuguna, Director, Information Technology (CIO) at Safaricom share his insights on Vision 2030 and the role of Technology Talent and Digital Skills in Building East Africa’s Digital Economies.

An important aspect of this Digital Transformation has been the evolution of telcos in the region, and we will be gathering experts from Djibouti Telecom, Telkom Kenya and TESPOK to analyse the evolution of telcos in the region and the importance of putting digital at the heart of East Africa’s telecommunication strategies.

We will also be welcoming key policymakers at the event, and we are looking forward to hearing from experts from the Deputy Director at Kenya’s Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Google, Telkom Kenya and Microsoft who will share their insights (https://apo-opa.info/3nPcsaF) on how best to regulate the tech sector to spur innovation and combat some of the key barriers to growth.

Overall, the two-day programme will explore the role of technology in driving socio-economic growth by tackling some of the most pressing challenges faced by the region today.

The two-day programme will explore the role of technology in driving socio-economic growth by tackling some of the most pressing challenges faced by the region today

A powerful start-up focused platform

To mirror East Africa’s vibrant start-up scene, the event will host a dedicated one-day platform, AHUB East, to bring the region’s most inspiring startup founders under one roof on 26 April. The agenda will see discussions articulated around key topics such as empowering startups to face investors or how East Africa’s tech startup ecosystem can contribute to the region’s sustainable future. Especially anticipated is the timely fireside chat discussion on the impact of the Silicon Valley Crisis and what lessons Eastern African startups can learn to best future-proof their businesses.

To guide the discussions, AHUB East brings an inspiring mix of entrepreneurs, investors and other experts to take to the stage, including Gibson Kawago, Founder at WAGA Tanzania, John Kamara, Founder at AFAYREKOD, Jay Katatumba, Investor Director at Africa50 or Stephen Ogweno, CEO at Lifesten Health

Beyond knowledge-sharing, AHUB East will also help unlock new business opportunities by fostering connections between founders and investors. It will also see some of the region’s most promising startups battle on stage during a live pitch competition where judges Laurie Fuller, Venture Partner at Raiven Capital, Dario Giuliani, Founder & Director at Briter Bridges and John Kimani, Developer Ecosystem Program Manager at Google Kenya will put them to the test to crown the winner.

AHUB East’s live pitch competition judge, Laurie Fuller, explains that “Judging start up pitches is like unearthing hidden gems, each glint revealing the boundless potential of human ingenuity and the promise of a brighter future.”

Celebrating East Africa’s tech pioneers

On the evening of 25 April, the East Africa Com Awards will recognize and celebrate the best and brightest in the region who are driving digital transformation. The seven award categories will put the spotlight on the individuals, organizations, and companies for their commitment and achievements in the digital space. The awards include Inspiring Leader of the Year, Female Innovator of the Year, Fintech Innovation of the Year, Startup of the Year, Connectivity Champion of the Year, Changing Lives Award and Most Innovative Product or Service of the Year.

After receiving close to 100 applications, the shortlisted candidates are now subject to a round of public votes until 14 April that will determine the top three finalists across each category. Their award submissions will then be submitted to a panel of judges before the winners are unveiled during the exclusive awards ceremony.

The event will be a great opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of those who are at the forefront of the region’s digital revolution. It is also an opportunity to learn more about successful business models and innovative approaches. The East Africa Com Awards will be a great platform to connect with industry leaders, share experiences, and build relationships that could open new doors for growth and success.

A platform for leaders

Featuring high-level presentations and tailored roundtable discussions, the LeadersIn East Africa Summit taking place on 25 April is a unique opportunity to interact with senior corporate and government leaders to identify tomorrow’s opportunities and challenges.

These interactive, curated, invite-only sessions will explore the current critical issues affecting Africa’s development, with industry leaders, policymakers, regulators, and other ecosystem players working to progress the region’s digital transformation journey. The closed-door roundtables provide a unique forum to build meaningful connections, share experiences and drive valuable outputs and will focus on topics as important as the war on talent, driving gender equality, the role of telcos in driving digital inclusion and responsible leadership.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of East Africa Com.

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Morocco: African Development Bank Mobilises €205 Million to Extend High-Speed Rail Line and Strengthen the Kingdom’s Mobility and Logistics Competitiveness

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2 days ago

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July 10, 2026

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African Development Bank

By improving travel flow between the Kingdom’s major economic and urban hubs, the project will promote more sustainable mobility and enhance territorial connectivity

RABAT, Morocco, July 9, 2026/APO Group/ –The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) approved €205 million in financing for Morocco to support the implementation of the Rail Infrastructure Development Support Project (PADIF) on 8 July.

 

The operation aims to strengthen the capacity and operational performance of the Kenitra–Marrakech railway corridor, which carries a significant share of the country’s passenger and freight traffic. It will do so by extending the high-speed rail line (HSR) and upgrading the existing railway infrastructure along this strategic corridor.

 

By improving travel flow between the Kingdom’s major economic and urban hubs, the project will promote more sustainable mobility and enhance territorial connectivity.

 

Beyond its positive impact on mobility, the project will support the transition to more sustainable and environmentally friendly transport modes and deliver significant economic benefits by reducing travel times and logistics costs.

 

In the long term, it will strengthen Morocco’s logistics competitiveness and reinforce its role as a strategic hub linking Europe and Africa

“By combining the extension of the high-speed rail line with the modernisation of existing infrastructure, this operation will help accommodate growing passenger and freight traffic, facilitate trade flows, and reduce travel times,” said Achraf Tarsim, Head of the African Development Bank Group’s Country Office in Morocco. “In the long term, it will strengthen Morocco’s logistics competitiveness and reinforce its role as a strategic hub linking Europe and Africa.”

 

The project includes the acquisition of equipment to modernise railway infrastructure along the Kenitra–Marrakech corridor and around the Casablanca rail hub. This includes the supply of new rails and track components for conventional rail lines and the high-speed network, to increase corridor capacity and sustainably improve operational performance.

 

PADIF also incorporates a project management support component covering project ownership, engineering supervision, and the monitoring and evaluation of results and impacts, ensuring effective implementation.

 

By contributing to the development of resilient, sustainable, and high-value-added infrastructure, the operation is fully aligned with the African Development Bank Group’s Four Cardinal Points (https://apo-opa.co/4vWv2Mb) and the institution’s 2024–2029 Country Strategy Paper for Morocco. It also supports Morocco’s New Development Model and the Rail 2040 Plan, which aims to modernise the national railway network.

 

Since 1978, the African Development Bank Group has mobilised nearly €15 billion to finance more than 150 projects and programmes in Morocco. Its interventions (https://apo-opa.co/4wd803P) span strategic sectors, including transport, social protection, water and sanitation, energy, agriculture, governance, and the financial sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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Institute for the Management of State Assets and Holdings (IGAPE) Launches Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Angola’s Largest Telecommunications Company

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2 days ago

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July 10, 2026

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IGAPE

The transaction comprises the sale of 7,500,000 ordinary registered book-entry shares, representing 15% of UNITEL’s share capital, each with a nominal value of AOA 5,000.00

LUANDA, Angola, July 9, 2026/APO Group/ –The Institute for the Management of State Assets and Holdings (IGAPE) (https://IGAPE.MinFin.Gov.ao), acting as the selling shareholder, launched the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of a 15% stake in UNITEL, marking one of the largest capital market transactions ever undertaken in Angola.

 

The transaction comprises the sale of 7,500,000 ordinary registered book-entry shares, representing 15% of UNITEL’s share capital, each with a nominal value of AOA 5,000.00. Upon completion of the offering, all 50,000,000 shares, representing the company’s entire issued share capital, are expected to be admitted to trading on the Angola Debt and Securities Exchange (BODIVA).

The final offer price will be determined within a price range of AOA 36,036.00 to AOA 40,040.00 per share. The price will be set following the bookbuilding process, based on investor demand during the subscription period.

The IPO comprises two tranches. The Employee Offering reserves 1,000,000 shares, representing 2% of UNITEL’s share capital, for preferential subscription by eligible employees. The General Public Offering comprises 6,500,000 shares, representing 13% of the company’s share capital, together with any shares remaining unsubscribed under the Employee Offering.

The subscription period opens at 2:00 p.m. on 6 July and closes at 3:00 p.m. on 24 July 2026, allowing retail, corporate and institutional investors to participate in what is expected to be a landmark transaction for Angola’s capital market.

Investors may submit subscription orders through the participating financial intermediaries: BFA Capital Markets, Áurea SDVM, Distribuidora Valor SDVM, Eaglestone SDVM, Standard Invest SDVM and Hemera Capital Partners Securities. Orders may also be placed through Banco Caixa Geral Angola and Banco de Fomento Angola via their branch networks, digital platforms, websites, telephone banking services and email.

With more than 21 million customers and operations across all 18 provinces of Angola, UNITEL has been the country’s leading telecommunications operator for the past 25 years. The IPO provides Angolan citizens and investors with the opportunity to become shareholders in one of the country’s most established companies and to participate in its future growth while supporting the continued development of Angola’s capital market.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Institute for the Management of State Assets and Holdings (IGAPE).

 

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Ancient Port, New Voyages: Ningbo’s Smart Manufacturing Expands Global Trade Footprint via Maritime Silk Road

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2 days ago

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July 10, 2026

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China

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA- Media OutReach Newswire – 9 July 2026 – On July 4, 2026, the cultural exchange event Encounter & Insight: Dialogue Between Ningbo, China and Colombo, Sri Lanka took place in Colombo.

Separated by thousands of miles, the two millennia-old port cities reconnected, leveraging their ports as a bond and cultural exchanges as a cohesive force to hold in-depth talks on integrated port-city development and bilateral economic and trade connectivity.

This cross-Indian Ocean dialogue echoes the ancient Maritime Silk Road while charting a brand-new outbound development path. As a pivotal starting port of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Ningbo is building a new global trade landscape powered by smart manufacturing.

A thousand years ago, merchant vessels from Mingzhou Port set sail southward loaded with Yue Kiln celadon porcelain, passing through Ceylon to deliver Oriental crafts across the Indian Ocean coasts. Precious gemstones and spices traveled the same sea route back to regions south of the Yangtze River, laying the groundwork for the earliest cultural exchange between the two ports through trade. Today, the cargo carried by giant cargo ships has undergone a dramatic transformation. Beyond traditional daily necessities, intelligent equipment, digital home appliances and industrial robots now dominate shipments.

Official statistics show that Ningbo’s exports of intelligent equipment, including mechanical arms and industrial robots, hit 440 million yuan in 2025, surging more than 40% year-on-year. From January to May this year, Ningbo’s exports of mechanical and electrical products maintained steady growth, reaching 247 billion yuan, a 4.1% year-on-year increase and accounting for 58.0% of the city’s total export volume. The new energy foreign trade sector saw explosive growth, with exports of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products jumping 138.4% year-on-year, with electric vehicle exports skyrocketing 215.9%. Smart manufactured goods are continuously expanding the scope of Ningbo’s foreign trade.

Complementing the Colombo forum, an exhibition highlights Ningbo’s outstanding going-global enterprises and their products, vividly illustrating the profound shift in Ningbo’s trade structure.

Alongside time-honored Maritime Silk Road staples such as celadon porcelain and silk, Ningbo’s smart manufactured products—including AI translation glasses, intelligent outdoor gear and digital small home appliances—occupy prominent display spaces across the venue. In Sri Lanka, Ningbo smart water meters are widely adopted nationwide, while handheld cooling fans and intelligent kitchen appliances have entered ordinary households.

Leveraging Colombo Port’s transshipment advantages, massive volumes of Ningbo smart manufactured goods are distributed onward to Europe, the Middle East and beyond. What Ningbo exports today is no longer mere commodities, but a complete outbound solution integrating technology, brand value and after-sales services.

Faced with mounting challenges including homogeneous global market competition and rising trade barriers, Ningbo’s manufacturing sector has abandoned the old model of low-cost OEM production, relying on intelligent transformation to consolidate its competitive edge in overseas markets.

Over more than a decade of digital transformation efforts, Ningbo has achieved full digital upgrading of all industrial enterprises above designated size. A large number of local factories have built unmanned black-light workshops and flexible production lines, escaping vicious price competition through continuous technological iteration. Represented by five specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative enterprises dubbed Ningbo’s “Five Little Tigers”—famous for their core proprietary technologies, including highly sophisticated visual inspection equipment, heat-resistant materials, sun-proof coatings, puncture-proof materials and self-drilling fasteners—these niche manufacturers have developed differentiated technical routes and full-spectrum production capacity, cementing irreplaceable competitiveness for Ningbo smart manufacturing on global markets.

Beyond trade expansion, Ningbo has built a supporting cultural communication system to ensure “products go global, accompanied by local culture”.

The launch of Sri Lanka’s first “One-Meter Cultural Space” cultural station during the Colombo event marks a tangible milestone of Ningbo’s go-global initiative. Built on enterprises’ overseas outlets, these miniature cultural exhibition halls integrate intangible cultural heritage crafts, urban stories and smart products, enabling overseas clients to experience cutting-edge manufacturing while gaining insight into Ningbo’s profound cultural heritage.

During the twin-city story-sharing session, Ningbo entrepreneurs based in Sri Lanka and local designers blending Chinese and Sri Lankan aesthetics shared stories of bilateral exchanges. Economic and trade ties have evolved into a bond for people-to-people communication, bridging divides in cross-cultural trade.

From Tang-dynasty celadon porcelain sailing across the Indian Ocean to intelligent equipment shipping to every corner of the globe, Ningbo, the ancient Maritime Silk Road port, has preserved its enduring gene of openness. Where exchanges once relied purely on commodity trade, today smart manufacturing underpins a stable, diversified and high-value-added global trade network.

The Ningbo-Colombo dialogue stands as a vivid microcosm of this transformation: the port still links lands and seas, yet the core of its trade has undergone a full intelligent upgrade.

Rooted in its historical legacy as a key Maritime Silk Road hub, Ningbo has consolidated its industrial foundation through a decade of digital development, expanded global market reach via worldwide port networks, and softened trade cooperation through cultural exchanges. This brand-new outbound shipping route forged by smart manufacturing has not only reshaped the city’s foreign trade landscape, but also delivered a replicable port-city development model for Chinese manufacturing to go global.

 

 

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