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Back to work: Watch out!

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KnowBe4

Do not just worry about burnout and deadlines, put cybersecurity top of mind too

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, January 9, 2023/APO Group/ — 

The return to the office, be it after a holiday or a shift from full-time remote working to a hybrid model, brings with it some worrying security habits and risks. While the holiday is not yet a distant memory, it is very likely that great security hygiene is, therefore companies need to prioritise cybersecurity awareness and training as they move into the new year. Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 (www.KnowBe4.com) AFRICA, points out that the attack surfaces have increased when people return to their offices in a hybrid model, which means that there are even more vulnerabilities for companies and employees to worry about.

“It is become important to prioritise employee security awareness and digital wellbeing as much as their physical and mental health and wellbeing when they return to work,” she explains. “HR is mandated to be aware of people being tired, overwhelmed and too anxious so that they are given the support they need, but this needs to extend into security. Tired and overwhelmed people are easier targets. Distracted people even more so, as they are not being quite as rigorous with their security behaviours as they should be.”

One area where the post-holiday brain may very well cause a breach in the company lies in the virtual meeting. Suddenly, there are a ton of meetings flooding into your inbox. Zoom on Tuesday, Teams on Wednesday, six more on Friday. The problem is, some of these invitations may actually be a form of social engineering – fake meetings designed to look like the real thing, but engineered to capture critical information or perpetrate a nasty hack. In September 2022, there were several vulnerabilities found in Zoom (https://bit.ly/3IDyeX0). For example, these vulnerabilities allowed for a remote hacker to join a meeting and download files, while in May 2022, users were tricked into downloading a more vulnerable version of Zoom, which made it easier for cybercriminals to gain access. 

Start 2023 with training and awareness that reinforces the messaging and reminds people how to detect and avoid the threats

Microsoft Teams is not excused, either. The platform experienced a significant rise in phishing and malware attacks in 2022 and it is unlikely to escape unscathed in 2023. Both these platforms have such high volumes of users and use cases that they present a very juicy target – all it takes is for one person to make a mistake and the hackers are in.

“There are several areas of risk when it comes to meetings online. The first is clicking on a fake link. Because people are so used to seeing these meeting invites, they tend to click on them without thinking,” says Collard. “This risk is increased by the fact that often companies work with third-party service providers or freelancers who send in their own meeting requests. It gets harder and harder to detect which meeting requests are real, and which ones could be fake. This really does underscore the need for ongoing cybersecurity training and awareness – and to have approved lists of providers so that only their meeting requests are accepted.”

Another issue lies in the fact that people are now back to working across multiple platforms, sites and devices. This means that they are juggling multiple passwords, multi-factor authentication (MFA) processes, and time constraints. It is easy to slip up when you are deluged by work and out of practice. Even MFA has become a minefield with hackers finding innovative ways of getting people to enter their codes into fake systems or sharing them over the phone.

“Cybercriminals and their attacks are getting smarter by the click,” concludes Collard. “Threats are increasing, vulnerabilities are always going to be a problem, and now is the time to remind users about being vigilant so that the new year is not marked by a new hack. Start 2023 with training and awareness that reinforces the messaging and reminds people how to detect and avoid the threats.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of KnowBe4.

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Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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1 day ago

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October 4, 2024

By

Sinclair

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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1 day ago

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October 4, 2024

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PAPSS

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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October 4, 2024

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Sonangol

Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

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

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