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Create quality jobs and provide social protection, urges United Nations Secretary-General

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“At the African Development Bank, we have taken a proactive job, jobs, jobs approach”—Dr. Adesina

NEW YORK, United States of America, September 27, 2022/APO Group/ — 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged governments across the world to quickly invest in quality job creation the and the provision of social protection for those without coverage.

Guterres was speaking at a high-level session to discuss the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions (https://bit.ly/3rfWGUk) initiative during the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.

He told leaders to focus on concrete solutions to implement the initiative and warned, “the path of inaction leads to economic collapse and climate catastrophe, widening inequalities and escalating social unrest. This could leave billions trapped in vicious circles of poverty and destitution.”

The initiative, launched in 2021 by the United Nations International Labour Organization, brings together governments, international financial institutions, civil societies, the UN, and the private sector to create 400 million new, decent jobs, especially in the green, care, and digital economies, and extend social protection to more than 4 billion people worldwide that are currently without coverage.

The session was also addressed by various leaders from around the world including the President of the African Development Bank Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera, Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo, and Egypt’s Minister for Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said.

The UN chief praised Togo for protecting thousands of its citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic after deploying “innovative digital solutions to expand social protection to hard-to-reach populations.”

On its part, South Africa was praised for launching the Just Energy transition partnership, signaling an important step in the fight against climate change.

African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina highlighted the bank’s rapid response to the Covid-19 pandemic by launching a $10 billion facility which helped provide social protection for more than 28 million people. The bank also launched a $3 billion social impact bond on global capital markets in 2020, which at the time was the highest in world history.

“But that is not enough”, Dr. Adesina added, “We have to restructure our economies to be productive with education, infrastructure, energy and making sure we have productive sectors that can use people’s skills and absorb that into the economy.”

“At the African Development Bank, we have taken a proactive approach job, jobs, jobs approach,” said Adesina. As an example, he named the bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa program to create 25 million jobs by 2025. Nearly half of those jobs had already been delivered, he said.

To generate more jobs, Adesina cited sectors such as agriculture where the bank is investing $25 billion to transform rural areas and turn the sector into a business

To generate more jobs, Adesina cited sectors such as agriculture where the bank is investing $25 billion to transform rural areas and turn the sector into a business.

In the energy sector, Adesina gave the example of the Sahel region. “We are investing $20 billion to build 10000MW of electricity that will provide energy for productive use and create millions of jobs,” Adesina said. He added it was time for Africa to build a manufacturing capacity for polysilicon material that is used for solar panels “so that we can create a lot of green jobs.”

The creative industry especially Nigeria’s film industry, popularly known as Nollywood, is another area that requires significant investment given its potential to generate $20 billion of revenue and create twenty million jobs, Adesina said.

The UN expects each government to commit to the Global Accelerator initiative and its objectives by, among others, developing national policies and integrated strategies for just transitions.

Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera said given the financial constraints his country was facing, implementing the initiative would require the support of partners, donors, international financial institutions, and policy support from the UN system.

He said the overlapping crises of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and the war in eastern Europe, Malawi is left “to grapple with downgrades of our sovereign credit ratings, leading to higher borrowing costs and intensified debt risks.”

President Chakwera said his country was ready to be part of the fact-finding work of the Global Accelerator initiative.

Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo said her government has initiated efforts to increase jobs for Uganda’s under 30 who make up 75% of the country’s population.

“We are increasing investment in skills development, supporting informal social enterprises to transition into the formal economy and supporting the private sector to create jobs in key growth areas, including providing incentives to investors,” she said.

Egypt’s Minister for Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said outlined various initiatives undertaken by her government to mitigate the impact of crises on people in Egypt.

“These include increasing beneficiaries of the cash transfer program to reach 5 million families in addition to substantially increasing food rations that benefit more than 64 million Egyptians,” she said.

“The government has embarked on an ambitious program, the Decent Life Initiative, to revamp the rural communities, and transform the lives of the more than 50 million Egyptians across 4,500 villages, constituting more than half of the total population,” she added.

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

Business

Africa Data Centres partners with Oni-Tel to enhance data centre connectivity in South Africa

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For Africa Data Centres, which operates the continent’s largest interconnected, vendor- and cloud-neutral data centre platform, the collaboration strengthens its service portfolio by enhancing performance and expanding connectivity options within its facilities

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 13, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa Data Centres (www.AfricaDataCentres.com), a business of Cassava Technologies, a global technology leader of African heritage, has partnered with fibre optic cable infrastructure provider Oni-Tel Fibre Networks to strengthen connectivity across its Gauteng facilities. Under the agreement, Oni-Tel will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity to Africa Data Centres’ Midrand and Samrand campuses through its Infinity fibre interconnection platform.

 




  

 

Purpose-built for data centre interconnectivity on a resilient network with direct access to Gauteng’s key data centre hubs, this provides customers with fast, high-capacity bandwidth and secure, carrier-grade performance, supporting the levels of uptime required in today’s data-driven environments.

Our partnership with Africa Data Centres enables us to deliver our premium fibre interconnection solution into some of the most strategically important data centre hubs in Gauteng

“As enterprises accelerate cloud adoption, AI deployment, and data-intensive workloads, they need dependable, scalable connectivity within trusted local data centres. By partnering with Oni-Tel, we’re giving our customers access to enhanced fibre infrastructure that supports their growth and innovation, while maintaining secure, enterprise-grade environments for businesses navigating South Africa’s digital economy,” said Adil El Youssefi, CEO of Africa Data Centres.

For Africa Data Centres, which operates the continent’s largest interconnected, vendor- and cloud-neutral data centre platform, the collaboration strengthens its service portfolio by enhancing performance and expanding connectivity options within its facilities. Customers gain greater interconnection choice, high-availability architecture, seamless bandwidth, and the ability to scale efficiently as their infrastructure requirements grow.

“Our partnership with Africa Data Centres enables us to deliver our premium fibre interconnection solution into some of the most strategically important data centre hubs in Gauteng. Through Infinity, customers benefit from ultra-low latency connectivity, scalable capacity, and secure, carrier-grade infrastructure designed to keep their businesses ahead in an extremely competitive digital landscape,” said Ellisha Gobind, Chief Commercial Officer at Oni-Tel.

Africa Data Centres’ facilities across the continent serve as key interconnection hubs, supporting enterprises, cloud service providers, financial institutions, mobile network operators, fixed network operators, and other users. Oni-Tel’s dark fibre solution further expands the range of carrier-neutral options available to Gauteng customers, enabling improved network speed and performance.

As demand for secure, high-performance digital infrastructure continues to rise, Africa Data Centres remains focused on building a robust, interconnected ecosystem that supports enterprise innovation and long-term growth across South Africa and the wider region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Data Centres.

 

 




 

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Changpeng Zhao (CZ) Releases Freedom of Money, a Memoir Reflecting on the Rise of Crypto and the Story Behind Binance

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The memoir also reflects on the challenges that came with building at such speed, including the pressures of scaling a global company, regulatory scrutiny as the industry matured, and CZ’s personal experience serving a four month sentence in a U.S. federal prison

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 13, 2026/APO Group/ –Few figures have been as closely associated with the rise of the cryptocurrency industry as Binance (www.Binance.com) co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ). In his new memoir,  Freedom of Money, A Memoir of Protecting Users, Resilience, and the Founding of Binance,  CZ offers a candid account of the early days of crypto, the rapid explosion of Binance, and the personal consequences of building at the centre of one of the fastest moving industries in modern finance.

 




  

Available globally from 08th April 2026 on Amazon Kindle and Paperback, Freedom of Money traces CZ’s journey from his early life and unconventional path into technology through the founding and rapid growth of Binance during a period when the cryptocurrency industry was expanding at unprecedented speed.

Part memoir and part reflection on the evolution of digital assets, the book offers readers a builder’s perspective on what it was like to grow a global platform in a new industry where the rules were still being written.

“While many people congratulated me on being number one, something else gave me more satisfaction,” CZ writes in the book. “I was getting messages from users all around the world thanking us for providing them with financial access or even financial freedom.”

The memoir also reflects on the challenges that came with building at such speed, including the pressures of scaling a global company, regulatory scrutiny as the industry matured, and CZ’s personal experience serving a four month sentence in a U.S. federal prison.

“This memoir is not a sanitized corporate story,” CZ said. “It reflects on what it was like to build during a time when the crypto industry was still taking shape – the successes, the mistakes, and the lessons that came from both.”

Freedom of Money offers a founder’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities that shaped digital assets during their formative years

Alongside the events that defined CZ’s career, Freedom of Money explores broader themes of money, technology and responsibility, and how his views on financial freedom have evolved over time.

Reflecting on a Defining Period in Crypto

Over the past decade, Binance has played a significant role in the growth of the digital asset ecosystem, helping support the development of infrastructure used by millions of users globally.

Freedom of Money provides CZ’s personal perspective on that period of rapid innovation and expansion in the cryptocurrency industry.

Richard Teng, Co-CEO of Binance, said: “The story of Binance is closely tied to the early evolution of the crypto industry. Freedom of Money offers a founder’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities that shaped digital assets during their formative years.”

Yi He, Co-Ceo of Binance, added: “The early days of crypto were fast-moving and full of possibility, even if not always fully understood. This book captures the energy of building in that moment and the incredible progress the industry has made since.”

Rachel Conlan, Chief Marketing Officer at Binance, said: “For many people, the story of crypto has been told through headlines and market cycles. What this book offers is a first person account from someone who helped build the infrastructure behind the industry’s growth.

Availability

  • Freedom of Money (https://apo-opa.co/4muGafd) is available globally 08 April 2026 on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.
  • The book is published in English and Chinese, with additional translations under consideration.
  • All proceeds from CZ’s authorship of the book will be donated to charity

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Binance.

 

 




 

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Senegal Rewrites the Rules of its Hydrocarbon Boom as Minister Birame Soulèye Diop Heads to African Energy Week 2026 in October

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At AEW 2026, Senegal’s Energy Minister Birame Soulèye Diop is expected to outline Senegal’s integrated hydrocarbons, gas and power strategy at AEW

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 13, 2026/APO Group/ –Senegal is reinforcing the policy architecture behind its new hydrocarbons era, with the Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines launching reforms to the legal framework for local content in the extractive sector in March 2026. The reforms are aimed at improving national value retention while maintaining momentum on upstream and infrastructure development.

 




  

The move comes as Dakar works to translate first oil and first gas into broader industrial growth, stronger domestic participation and long-term energy security. Against this backdrop, Birame Soulèye Diop, Senegal’s Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines, will speak at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 – taking place in Cape Town from October 12-16 – where he is expected to present Senegal’s roadmap for balancing investor engagement, gas monetization and sovereign energy development.

Minister Diop represents the kind of pragmatic African leadership that is turning resource potential into real economic transformation

In January 2026, 3.8 million barrels of crude oil were exported from the Sangomar field, while the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project is expected to nearly double its LNG cargoes in 2026 as the FLNG ramp‑up continues. Beyond current production, Senegal is also pushing to expand its resource pipeline. Petrosen has announced plans for a $100 million onshore exploration program in 2026, while the government has also signaled a stronger strategic focus on Yakaar-Teranga, with Senegalese investors encouraged to take a greater role in developing the 25 trillion cubic feet gas resource to prioritize domestic needs while keeping export optionality on the table.

Dakar is now focused on the next phase: using domestic gas resources to lower electricity costs, improve fuel security and support industrial competitiveness. A key pillar of this strategy is the 250 MW Gandon power plant, expected to be supplied through new gas infrastructure linked to the GTA system, alongside the broader Cap des Biches and northern gas corridor buildout. At the same time, Dakar is continuing to strengthen the regulatory foundations of its power transition. In March 2026, the Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines validated Senegal’s first national standards for solar photovoltaic equipment, a move designed to improve quality, safety and performance as the country scales renewable energy deployment in parallel with oil and gas infrastructure.

At AEW 2026, Minister Diop is expected to provide strategic insight into how Senegal is navigating the transition from discovery and commissioning to full-scale execution. His participation is set to reinforce Senegal as one of the few frontier African producers pursuing an integrated model that combines hydrocarbons, gas-to-power and renewables under a single national development agenda.

“Minister Diop represents the kind of pragmatic African leadership that is turning resource potential into real economic transformation. Senegal is showing how first oil and first gas can become the basis for industrial growth, stronger regional integration and long-term energy security and his insights will bring great value to AEW 2026,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

 




 

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