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Generation Africa is calling the youth to rise up as Food Warriors that use impact-driven agrifood businesses

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The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is a seed to fork entrepreneurship competition for social or business ventures

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 19, 2022/APO Group/ — 

The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition 2022 (GoGettaz.Africa) inspires young entrepreneurs to engage in a food revolution that makes a positive impact on communities, the environment, and the local economy. Applications open on 19 April 2022, and this year Generation Africa wants to support Food Warriors who battle climate change, hunger, and poverty. Now in its fourth year, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition has become a cornerstone in the African agrifood industry, reaching millions of young people with a message of hope and opportunity.

“African youth are reshaping the agrifood landscape on the continent, and this movement must grow to transform the food system,” says Dickson Naftali, Head of Generation Africa. “Last year was a great year to build momentum. The United Nations Food System Summit, COP26, and a powerful AGRF Summit has set the pace. Generation Africa and our founders and partners are taking decisive action to steer the youth to build an African-led and African-owned food systems. Through the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition, our aim is to inspire them to create a system that delivers sufficient and nutritious food to the continent, that does not impact the environment negatively, and that creates sustainable, dignified jobs, and shared prosperity for Africa.”

The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is a seed to fork entrepreneurship competition for social or business ventures working in or supporting other businesses in any part of the agriculture or food value-chain. To enter the competition, you must be an agrifood entrepreneur aged 18-35, who is the founder or co-founder of a business operating in the food system. You must be citizen of an African country and your business must have its head quarters in an African country. For more information and to enter the competition, applicants can go to: GoGettaz.Africa.

At the AGRF in September 2022, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition will award one man and one woman with a US$50,000 grand prize each, to launch, grow, or scale their businesses. Four Food Warrior Awards will also be presented to GoGettaz finalists who are making a positive impact with their businesses. Finalists will participate in the AGRF 2022 Agribusiness Deal Room where they could meet future partners, investors, or clients.

Amanda Namayi, GoGettaz Lead at Generation Africa, says, “By providing the GoGettaz Community with opportunities, we are on a mission to motivate young people to build companies that create jobs in the food system. Financial incentives, like the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition, are enhanced by investment opportunities through the AGRF Agribusiness Deal Room, and mentorship and education on the community platform. New programmes, like the Generation Africa Fellowship Programme (GAFP), and scholarships to study master’s degrees at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business are mobilising even more GoGettaz to make a success of their ventures.”

Four influential new partners have joined Generation Africa in their mission to inspire the youth towards a strong, independent, climate-smart food system. Generation Africa is proud to add the African Development Bank (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org/en), Bayer (https://bit.ly/3EsHDwm), Heifer International (www.Heifer.org), and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) (www.Norad.no) to the growing list of partners. These global leaders provide resources and support that create new opportunities for African youth in the agrifood sector. In 2021, and again in 2022, founding partner Yara International (www.Yara.com) provided full scholarships to select GoGettaz alumni (https://bit.ly/3Or7fyj) to pursue a Master’s in Business Creation at the University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business. And Global NPO Heifer International extended their support to youth in agritech through the Generation Africa Pitch AgriHack competition and the special AYuTe prize of 1.5 million dollars. With the support and expertise of its founders and partners, Generation Africa is excited to lead even more youth to scale in 2022 through the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition.

Fourteen impressive agripreneurs made it into the finals of the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition in 2021. “The entries were so good, that we eventually added two more finalists unlike the previous years,” Amanda Namayi shares. “Overall, 3307 hopeful agripreneurs from 36 African countries started the entry process, and seven men and seven women pitched their businesses in the finals before a high-level panel of judges. Applicants presented businesses from idea-stage to mature-stage and comprised agritech and fintech ventures, waste-to-value businesses, exiting alternative protein companies, and social ventures working in women empowerment and community growth.”

Generation Africa is excited to see what the youth of Africa bring to the table in the 2022 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition. To enter the competition and learn more about what it takes to win, agripreneurs can go to GoGettaz.Africa.  

Generation Africa Co-Founders:

African Development Bank Group: www.AfDB.org  

We are on a mission to motivate young people to build companies that create jobs in the food system

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa: AGRA.org

The AGRF:  www.AGRF.org

Bayer:  https://bit.ly/3EsHDwm

Corteva Agriscience: www.Corteva.com

Econet: www.EconetAfrica.com

Heifer International:  www.Heifer.org 

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation: www.Norad.no

Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions: www.SACAU.org

Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture: www.SyngentaFoundation.org

U.S. Agency for International Development: www.USAID.gov

Yara International: www.Yara.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize.

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

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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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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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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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