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Data Centre Summit Connects Africa’s Digital Growth with the Power Systems Needed to Sustain it

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Data Centre Summit

The programme will examine why data centres are emerging as a new industrial powerhouse and what coordinated action is required from operators, hyperscalers, utilities, independent power producers and investors to capture Africa’s share of global demand

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 13, 2026/APO Group/ –The Data Centre Summit returns for its second edition on 29 October 2026, co-located with the C&I Energy + Storage Summit at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg.

 

Following its debut alongside Enlit Africa in Cape Town, the Summit responds to a clear industry need: a platform that connects the growth of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure with the power, cooling, financing and sustainability challenges shaping data centre development across Africa.

The programme will examine why data centres are emerging as a new industrial powerhouse and what coordinated action is required from operators, hyperscalers, utilities, independent power producers and investors to capture Africa’s share of global demand.

Cooling will be a central focus, with sessions exploring the shift from air to liquid cooling as rack densities increase. Discussions will consider deployment at scale, high-performance infrastructure, water availability, waste-heat reuse and the pressure that freshwater scarcity places on cooling decisions.

A South Africa country spotlight will assess the wheeling landscape, grid congestion, regulatory developments and investor sentiment influencing near-term project delivery. The programme will also explore the operational realities of maintaining 24/7 power supply through renewable blending, co-location and evolving generation technologies.

A dedicated case study will unpack how Cape Town, the first African city to launch a formal data strategy, is balancing spatial planning, resource constraints and public transparency against the rapid site approvals demanded by hyperscale growth. This will be paired with a cross-sector conversation on how surging digital workloads are drawing municipal grid capacity and independent power producers into closer alignment, and what coordinated, energy-led siting means for the next wave of facilities coming online across the continent.

Parallel masterclasses will focus on implementation, practical data centre design for African conditions and the barriers limiting clean energy investment. These sessions will address project bankability, power availability, execution risk, grid instability, contractor capacity and blended-finance solutions, giving delegates concrete tools to move projects from concept to bankable reality.

Co-location with the C&I Energy + Storage Summit, created by VUKA Group, places data centre operators in direct conversation with the customers, energy providers, financiers and technical partners responsible for powering Africa’s digital backbone.

For more information and to download the Data Centres Summit Johannesburg programme, visit https://apo-opa.co/3TXHxJ5  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

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VitrA Tiles Introduces “The Code” concept and the New Codes of Design at Cersaie Fair

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1 day ago

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September 28, 2026

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VitrA

VitrA Tiles showcased The Code concept and innovations to industry professionals through Material Intelligence approach at Cersaie 2026

BOLOGNA, Italy, September 25, 2026/APO Group/ –VitrA Tiles (www.VitrATiles.com) attended the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings Cersaie 2026, which took place in Bologna, Italy on September 21-25, where it hosted architects, designers, customers, and industry professionals. Designed around the Material Intelligence concept, VitrA Tiles showcased its 2027 collections and innovations.

 




 
 

“Every material has a code. Material Intelligence dechiphers it.” This statement lies at the core of VitrA Tiles’ design approach, where it reinterprets naturally available materials through the combination of research, advanced technology, and design expertise. Adding on the aesthetic and technical potential of nature, VitrA Tiles transforms them into original surfaces to create new inspirations for contemporary architecture.

Three design languages

The Code concept represents three design languages to create Resincode, Geocode, and Metacode collections, which will be available to the visitors of Cersaie at the VitrA Tiles booth.

Resincode inspired by the porous, mineral-rich texture of natural concrete with natural transitions and layered surface effects, lending a minimalist, balanced, and refined surface aesthetic to contemporary interiors. Geocode draws inspiration from Spanish limestone, marble, quartzite, and gneiss, bringing the diverse geological heritage of natural stone to ceramic surfaces through a contemporary interpretation, featuring four distinct surface typologies: Alba, Imperio, Rio, and Merano. Metacode, with three distinct surfaces in gold, iron, and copper tones, brings the subtle tonal transitions and soft reflections of a patinated metal texture to ceramic surfaces, blending industrial character with a refined aesthetic.

New Technologies

At Cersaie 2026, VitrA Tiles also showcased its V-Flex and V-Tone innovations alongside its new collections.

V-Flex, powered by Välinge’s Ceraloc® locking technology, represents a tile installation solution which requires no adhesives. Thanks to its special side profiles, the system allows mechanical tile bonding, promising up to five times faster application, unlike conventional bonded tile applications. It supports precise alignment, even grout lines and a clean, professional finish. Individual tiles can be removed and replaced when needed, offering significant advantages to simplify maintenance and repair processes. It also offers acoustic comfort. V-Flex is recommended for retail stores, store chains, showrooms, offices, hotels, educational facilities and commercial spaces.

Focusing on tonal differences in ceramic manufacturing, V-Tone maintains color consistency and design integrity across different surfaces. The integration of V-Tone technology into VitrA Tiles’ production lines is continuing.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VitrA Tiles.

 

 




 

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CEM Africa Awards 2026 set to recognise Africa’s leading Customer Experience (CX) talent and innovation

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4 days ago

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September 25, 2026

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CEM Africa Awards

The 2025 awards attracted more than 80 entries and 31 finalists, culminating in eight award winners

The calibre of organisations and individuals recognised through the CEM Africa Awards demonstrates just how much extraordinary CX work is being done across the continent

 




 
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 25, 2026/APO Group/ –Customer experience professionals, teams and organisations across Africa have just days remaining to enter the 2026 CEM Africa Awards, with free applications closing on 30 September 2026.

 

Taking place on 10 November 2026 at the NH Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg, the Customer Experience Africa Awards form part of the CEM Africa platform and recognise the individuals, teams, technologies and initiatives raising the standard of customer experience across the continent.

For organisations considering whether to enter, the company they could be keeping provides a compelling indication of the calibre of the awards.

A growing roll call of African CX leaders

The 2025 awards attracted more than 80 entries and 31 finalists, culminating in eight award winners. Finalists represented organisations spanning financial services, technology, telecommunications, retail, insurance, public services and social impact.

Among them were Absa, Capitec Bank, Santam, Telesure Investment Holdings, Equity Bank, Takealot.com, NTT DATA, Frogfoot, Telviva, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, the University of Pretoria and South Africa’s Department of Social Development.

The 2025 winners included Serisha Iyer of Absa Corporate and Investment Banking, named Rising Star in CX; Alma Angela Olela of Jubilee Health Insurance, named CX Leader of the Year; and Franco Cotumaccio of Shadow Global, winner of Breaking Barriers in CX.

Corporate winners included Telesure Investment Holdings for Best Overall CX Solution, Krisp for Best Use of AI, Telviva for Best Enterprise Contact Centre Platform, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator for Best Customer Experience Team of the Year and the University of Pretoria for Best Citizen Experience Initiative.

That follows a 2024 edition in which winners included NCBA Bank, MultiChoice, Digital Solutions Group, Absa Bank and Telviva, alongside individual CX leaders from across the continent.

More than a trophy

For entrants, recognition through the CEM Africa Awards puts their work in front of a wider African CX community and an independent judging panel drawn from across the industry.

The 2026 judging panel includes global CX specialist Ian Golding; Andrew (Dré) Enebeli, Head of CX & Engagement at Access Bank; Dr Oliver Museka, President and Founder of IRDM College Eswatini; Jonathan Daniels, Managing Director of CX Centric; Joven Pillay, Partner and Head of Customer Consulting at KPMG; and Qaalfa Dibeehi, Managing Partner at Human2Outcome.

This year’s awards recognise excellence across four broad pillars – People, Innovation, Transformation and Government – covering categories including CX Leader of the Year, Rising Star in CX, Breaking Barriers in CX, Best Overall CX Solution, Best Use of AI, Best Enterprise Contact Centre Platform, Best Customer Experience Team of the Year, Best Digital Transformation in Public Services and Best Citizen Experience Initiative.

“The calibre of organisations and individuals recognised through the CEM Africa Awards demonstrates just how much extraordinary CX work is being done across the continent. These awards give that work a platform. Whether it is a major transformation programme, an innovative use of technology or an individual changing how their organisation thinks about the customer, we want to make sure Africa’s best work is being seen and recognised.”

  • Briteny Price, Event Manager and CEM Africa Awards Director

Final opportunity to enter

Applications for the 2026 CEM Africa Awards are free and remain open until 30 September 2026. Finalists will be announced in October, ahead of the awards ceremony on 10 November at the NH Hotel, Sandton.

Organisations, teams and individuals working to improve customer and citizen experience across Africa are encouraged to submit their entries before the deadline.

Apply for the CEM Africa Awards 2026 by 30 September 2026

Submit your application (https://apo-opa.co/4hdcimx)

Explore the CEM Africa Awards

Visit the CEM Africa Awards website (https://apo-opa.co/4iNXzzM)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




  

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Optics Valley Launches Corporate International Communication Alliance to Empower Tech Companies’ High-Quality Global Expansion

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4 days ago

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September 25, 2026

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Optics Valley

WUHAN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 September 2026 – On September 13, the inauguration ceremony of the Optics Valley International Communication Alliance was held. Representatives of 13 founding member companies — including FiberHome, China Construction Third Engineering Bureau, HGTECH, YHKT Entertainment, Huakang Clean and Shenglong Electric — and of more than 100 other Optics Valley enterprises attended the event.

 




 
 

The ceremony was held under the theme “Chasing the Light, Connecting the World.” In recent years, Optics Valley’s innovations have been reaching the world at an accelerating pace. The overseas social media matrix of “Optics Valley of China” has continued to attract attention, and “made in Optics Valley” products such as the Optics Valley Photon sky rail and driverless minibuses have been repeatedly applauded by spokespersons of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, becoming a “calling card for China” in the eyes of overseas netizens. To help companies move from “product export” to “brand export,” Optics Valley has worked with the News & Information Service Center of Xinhua News Agency and other partners to establish the Optics Valley International Communication Alliance, opening international communication resources to Optics Valley companies and providing them with one-stop services such as overseas public opinion response and multilingual content production, so as to serve as a “navigator” for companies going global. As the national news agency of China, Xinhua News Agency has 184 overseas branches and has established cooperative links with more than 2,000 media outlets around the world.

Speaking as a representative of the founding members, Li Lei, vice president of FiberHome, said that FiberHome’s business now covers more than 100 countries and regions, with wholly owned subsidiaries in 36 countries and three overseas optical cable plants in Ecuador, Thailand and Hungary; at its Philippine subsidiary, locally hired employees account for more than 95 percent of the workforce. “We will stay committed to high-quality global expansion and to deepening localized operations, and, with the platform of the Optics Valley International Communication Alliance, we will not only export China’s advanced communication technologies and solutions, but also serve as a bridge for industrial cooperation and people-to-people connectivity between China and the rest of the world,” he said.

Huakang Clean, also a founding member, is a leading enterprise in China’s cleanroom industry. It has made going global a core strategy for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, completed its market layout in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa, and exported mature cleanroom technology solutions. It looks forward to deepening cross-border collaboration and strengthening brand building through the alliance platform.

At the ceremony, a think tank report was released — “Going Global, Competing Worldwide: How ‘Optics Valley of China’ Polishes Its International Calling Card in Service of Building a Strong Nation in Science and Technology — Practices and Insights,” written by Reference News Press · Reference Think Tank. According to the report, leading enterprises represented by the “Seven Stars of Optics Valley” have seen average annual growth in overseas revenue of more than 30 percent. The report sums up Optics Valley’s global communication path as “one strategic direction and ten keywords”: Optics Valley takes serving the building of a strong nation in science and technology as its strategic direction, and adheres to central-local coordination, AI empowerment, going global as a team, and tailored measures for different markets.

The report states that Optics Valley has witnessed and written the confidence and determination of a brand of a strong nation in science and technology going global, and that when the light of “Optics Valley of China” illuminates the global industrial landscape, it conveys the narrative of the times in which China takes part in global competition through technological self-reliance and self-strengthening and shares its opportunities with the world. The report suggests that, for Optics Valley to keep polishing its international calling card in service of building a strong nation in science and technology, three things need to be fully considered: first, elevating the Optics Valley story from “corporate behavior” to a “national narrative”; second, making full use of AI, a global knowledge-service infrastructure, to carry out global communication; and third, moving from “communication empowering industry” to “communication as an industrial capability.”

A training session on overseas communication capacity building was held alongside the inauguration ceremony, with David Wei, founder of Vision Knight Capital, and Cao Yang, deputy director of the International Communication Department of the News & Information Service Center of Xinhua News Agency, invited to give lectures.
 




 

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