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Customer Experience Management (CEM) Africa 2026 Welcomes Three Influential Global Speakers

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CEM

Together, they represent three distinct but complementary perspectives on leadership, customer experience and business transformation

I am particularly keen to explore Cape Town’s seamless integration of global brands and unique local retailers, alongside its exceptional culinary scene and vibrant public spaces

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 28, 2026/APO Group/ –CEM Africa, Africa’s leading customer experience conference, has announced three internationally respected speakers who will take to the stage at CEM Africa 2026, taking place from 18 – 20 August 2026 in Cape Town.

 

Bringing together senior leaders from customer experience, marketing, digital transformation, retail, customer service and business strategy, CEM Africa continues to attract influential voices who challenge conventional thinking and share practical insights that organisations can apply to create stronger customer relationships and better business outcomes.

Joining this year’s programme are Martin Urrutia, Global Head of Retail Experience at The LEGO Group; Bruce Whitfield, one of South Africa’s most respected business journalists and best-selling authors; and Zahirah Variawa, Emmy-nominated television presenter, award-winning travel producer and destination marketing strategist.

Together, they represent three distinct but complementary perspectives on leadership, customer experience and business transformation.

Creating World-Class Customer Experiences

Making his South African debut at CEM Africa, Martin Urrutia brings extensive global expertise in retail experience design and customer engagement.

As the Global Head of Retail Experience at The LEGO Group, Martin leads the development of retail concepts and customer experiences that strengthen one of the world’s most recognised brands. His work demonstrates how thoughtful experience design, innovation and brand strategy can be translated into commercially successful customer experiences across global markets.

During his session, Martin will share practical insights into designing memorable retail experiences that strengthen customer relationships while delivering measurable business value.

Speaking ahead of his visit to Cape Town, Martin said:

“During my visit to Cape Town, I look forward to engaging with the city’s authentic experiences, local culture, and distinctive destinations, all of which continue to inform and inspire the retail and brand experiences I create. I am particularly keen to explore Cape Town’s seamless integration of global brands and unique local retailers, alongside its exceptional culinary scene and vibrant public spaces — environments that foster connection, discovery, and new perspectives.”

Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty

Bruce Whitfield has built a reputation as one of South Africa’s most trusted business commentators, interviewing some of the world’s leading executives, entrepreneurs and innovators throughout his career. Drawing on decades of experience covering business, leadership and economic change, Bruce will explore how leaders can make better decisions, embrace uncertainty and identify opportunity in rapidly changing environments.

His keynote will challenge delegates to rethink how resilience, adaptability and decisive leadership can become competitive advantages in today’s business landscape.

The Power of Storytelling to Shape Experiences

Joining the programme is Zahirah Variawa, whose career spans more than 16 years across Africa, the Middle East and international markets.

An Emmy-nominated television presenter, award-winning travel producer, content creator and destination marketing strategist, Zahirah has partnered with tourism boards, governments, airlines and luxury hospitality brands to shape how destinations are experienced and remembered. Beyond broadcasting, she advises governments and international organisations on destination marketing strategy, facilitates industry dialogue and champions tourism as a catalyst for economic growth across Africa.

At CEM Africa 2026, Zahirah will explore how storytelling, human connection and authentic experiences influence perception, build trust and create lasting emotional connections. Her session will demonstrate why the principles of destination branding and experience design are increasingly relevant to organisations seeking to differentiate themselves through customer experience.

A Platform for Africa’s Customer Experience Leaders

The announcement reinforces CEM Africa’s position as the continent’s premier gathering for senior customer experience professionals, bringing together business leaders to explore the ideas, strategies and innovations shaping the future of customer engagement.

From world-class retail innovation and leadership to the power of storytelling, delegates will gain practical insights from speakers whose experience extends well beyond traditional customer experience disciplines. Together, they demonstrate that exceptional customer experiences are shaped by design, strengthened by leadership and brought to life through authentic human connection.

CEM Africa 2026 takes place in Cape Town from 18–20 August 2026, bringing together senior decision-makers from financial services, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, technology, government and other leading industries for three days of learning, networking and business collaboration.

For more information and to register, visit the CEM Africa website.

CEM Africa.com (https://apo-opa.co/4wtCFtN)

View the event programme https://apo-opa.co/4wr3j6r

Ticket Options https://apo-opa.co/4bgs9gQ

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

Business

International Oil Companies (IOCs) Build the Case for Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Bissau, and Conakry (MSGBC) as Global Gas Hotspot

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Etu Energias

The CEO Regional Leadership Panel at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 will examine what is driving investment into the basin’s gas sector and how countries can compete for a larger share of global capital

DAKAR, Senegal, September 28, 2026/APO Group/ –The MSGBC basin is moving from frontier exploration toward commercial gas production, and the investment conversation is shifting with it. The CEO Regional Leadership Panel at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 – “Is MSGBC the Next Global Gas Hotspot?” – will bring together senior executives from international oil companies and energy investors to examine the forces driving capital into the region’s gas sector. The panel will also explore how MSGBC countries can compete for a larger share of global investment by monetizing the basin’s emerging gas resources.

 




 
 

The basin now has a producing track record to support its monetization ambitions. The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG project, located on the maritime border between Mauritania and Senegal, reached commercial operations in mid-2025, with production ramping up to approximately 2.4 million tons per annum. The milestone marked Senegal’s entry into the global LNG market and established the basin as an emerging source of LNG for international markets.

Mauritania’s gas trajectory shows how the country is pursuing multiple routes to monetization. In July 2026, Saudi developer ACWA Power signed agreements for the 230 MW N’Diago combined-cycle gas turbine plant, the country’s first large-scale gas-fired independent power project, which is expected to use domestic gas from GTA to supply the national grid. Meanwhile, the BirAllah field, estimated to contain around 50 trillion cubic feet of gas resources, remains one of Mauritania’s major undeveloped gas opportunities as the country seeks to advance its development. Together, these projects illustrate Mauritania’s strategy of pursuing both export revenues and domestic industrialization – a dual approach that will be examined by investors at MSGBC 2026.

The basin’s southern frontier will also feature prominently in the discussion. Chevron has entered Guinea-Bissau with exploration interests in offshore Blocks 5B and 6B, while Eni signed an exploration license for The Gambia’s offshore Block A1 and secured reconnaissance permits covering 15 blocks offshore Guinea. Apus Energy, meanwhile, is advancing the Sinapa and Esperança licenses in Guinea-Bissau. The entry and expansion of international and independent operators across the southern MSGBC reinforce the investment case for early positioning across the wider basin.

Anchoring the panel’s discussion will be the development of regional gas infrastructure, including the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, which is advancing toward an intergovernmental agreement between Nigeria and Morocco targeted for Q4 2026. The approximately 6,900-km pipeline, with planned capacity of up to 30 billion cubic meters per year, would pass through the five MSGBC countries and provide producers with a pipeline-based complement to LNG exports and domestic gas-to-power strategies.

For investors attending MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026, the panel will offer an opportunity to assess how these converging developments are translating into bankable opportunities across the basin – and where the next wave of gas investment could emerge.

Explore opportunities, foster partnerships and stay at the forefront of the MSGBC region’s oil, gas and power sectors. Visit www.MSGBCOilGasAndPower.com to secure your participation at the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 conference, December 1-3, Dakar. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

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

 

 




 

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African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 to Spotlight Venezuela’s New Investment Framework as Global Capital Returns

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Energy

The Venezuela Global Investment Forum at African Energy Week 2026 will examine how regulatory reform, new production participation structures and international partnerships are reshaping the country’s investment landscape

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 28, 2026/APO Group/ –Venezuela’s energy sector is entering a period of significant commercial change, with a reworked hydrocarbons framework beginning to translate into new agreements with international energy companies. At African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, the Venezuela Global Investment Forum: Shaping the Renaissance of a Hydrocarbon Giant will bring Venezuelan policymakers, national oil company executives and international investors together to examine the opportunities emerging from that transition.

 




 
 

The forum comes as Venezuela moves from regulatory reform toward implementation. In January 2026, the country enacted a reform of its Organic Hydrocarbons Law, introducing new contractual mechanisms for primary hydrocarbon activities and establishing a framework intended to give private operators greater responsibility for project development. The reform also incorporated Production Participation Contracts (PPCs), creating a structure under which private companies can assume operational and financial responsibility for projects.

Recent transactions show how quickly that framework is being put into practice. In September, Eni signed a 25-year Hydrocarbon PPC with PDVSA for the development of the giant Junín 5 field in the Orinoco Belt, becoming the project’s exclusive operator with responsibility for its technical, financial and commercial management.

Venezuela is demonstrating that regulatory reform has to be matched by real investment, real projects and opportunities for companies to participate across the energy value chain

GeoPark has likewise entered Venezuela through a 25-year PPC covering the Bare Block. The agreement, announced in September, is valued at approximately $1.2 billion and involves an asset with more than 15.7 billion barrels of oil originally in place and more than 1,100 existing wells.

Chevron has also expanded its position. On September 2, the company announced updated terms for its Venezuelan joint ventures, including additional acreage in the Orinoco Belt and plans to invest more than $7 billion over five years. Chevron said the investment program is expected to more than double production from its Venezuelan operations to approximately 600,000 barrels per day compared with 2026 levels.

These developments give the Venezuela Global Investment Forum a timely commercial focus. Delegates will examine the details of the reformed hydrocarbons law, PPC structures, fiscal incentives, mechanisms for international arbitration and other provisions designed to improve the conditions for international capital. The broader investment opportunity is substantial: Venezuela holds more than 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and more than 195 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, while the rehabilitation of its energy sector is expected to require substantial investment in production, infrastructure and refining.

The forum will also highlight the South-South dimension of Venezuela’s reopening. For African energy producers, the country’s experience offers areas of potential cooperation around mature-field rehabilitation, infrastructure development, technology transfer, workforce development and investment frameworks for resource monetization. The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has already engaged with Venezuelan institutions on investment promotion, technical knowledge transfer and cooperation across the energy value chain.

“Venezuela is demonstrating that regulatory reform has to be matched by real investment, real projects and opportunities for companies to participate across the energy value chain,” said NJ Ayuk, AEC Executive Chairman. “The Venezuela Global Investment Forum gives investors an opportunity to understand the new framework directly from Venezuelan leaders and to look at where capital, technology and expertise can support the country’s energy recovery while creating stronger South-South partnerships.”

As Venezuela seeks to restore production and rehabilitate infrastructure, the forum will provide a platform for investors to assess the commercial structures underpinning that effort and engage directly with the institutions and companies shaping the next stage of the country’s energy industry.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

 

 




 

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RobotPlusPlus Advances Industrial Maintenance with HighMate Series Demonstrated at SMM 2026

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RobotPlusPlus

The systems, presented at SMM 2026 in Hamburg, cut workers’ exposure to hazardous work at height while improving cleaning and surface-treatment efficiency and consistency

HAMBURG, Germany, September 28, 2026/APO Group/ –RobotPlusPlus (ROBOT++) (https://apo-opa.co/4z56C4f), an engineering-led developer of working-at-height robots, is extending automation across industrial maintenance with its HighMate Series for industrial cleaning and corrosion control, led by the HighMate AP-F-CO Coating Robot+VOC Recovery System. The systems, presented at SMM 2026 in Hamburg, cut workers’ exposure to hazardous work at height while improving cleaning and surface-treatment efficiency and consistency.

 




 
 

We’re excited to show how the HighMate Series is taking on more demanding work in industrial settings

On ships, storage tanks, bridges, and other large steel structures, manual coating often struggles with harmful particles, high paint loss, and reliance on the painter’s skill. The HighMate AP-F-CO Coating Robot+VOC Recovery System handle exactly that. It attaches by permanent magnet, adapts to curvatures as tight as a 3m radius, and carries two spray nozzles with spacing, and travel speed. The flexibility supports even coating that avoids defects like orange peel and sagging, with overspray kept nearly negligible, at a production rate of 300 to 500 square meters per hour. The robot also features a recovery system that collects overspray of the paint during operation, keeping the worksite clean and reducing environmental impact.

The company also demonstrated the HighMate AP Ex Series (https://apo-opa.co/4zn1wR5), an ATEX Zone 1-certified robot with a universal magnetic carrier and interchangeable hydro blasting, cleaning, coating, and abrasive blasting modules delivering 40+ m²/h with over 99% wastewater recovery. Rounding out the display were the C20 Cargo Hold Cleaning Robot (https://apo-opa.co/3VzHBQ0), built for confined cargo-hold spaces, and the HighMate Ultra Series Surface Preparation Robot (https://apo-opa.co/4yZkcWH), whose flexible four-wheel magnetic crawler adapts to complex curved surfaces like ship hulls.

“We’re excited to show how the HighMate Series is taking on more demanding work in industrial settings,” said Dr. Hua-Yang Xu, Founder and CEO of RobotPlusPlus. “With the HighMate AP-F-CO Coating Robot +VOC Recovery System entering international markets for the first time, RobotPlusPlus looks forward to bringing more automation and efficiency to work in high-risk environments.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of RobotPlusPlus.

 

 




 

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