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GITEX GLOBAL Weighs in on Sustainability, E-government, Smart Homes and Future of Computing on Day 4

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GITEX GLOBAL

GITEX GLOBAL facilitates the biggest public-private partnership projects, with 250 government entities looking to collaborate on e-government and digital government initiatives

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, October 19, 2023/APO Group/ — 

The UAE has established a Circular Economy Committee to promote investments in circularity and adopt circular economy practices. Quantum computers’ calculation ability can transform multiple industries, from cybersecurity, telecommunications, and healthcare, to mobility, finance and defence.

Last year, the UAE announced the “UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative”, a national drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, making the Emirates the first Middle East and North African nation to do so. At GITEX GLOBAL 2023, Faisal Ali Rashid, Senior Director, Energy Demand Side Management, UAE’s Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, highlighted the successes in executing this mission.

Rashid said the UAE is transitioning from a linear to a circular economy. As part of this transition, the Emirates has established a Circular Economy Committee comprising public and private sector members to promote investments in circularity and accelerate the adoption of circular economy practices.

Reimagining Public Services in the Digital Age

GITEX GLOBAL facilitates the biggest public-private partnership projects, with 250 government entities looking to collaborate on e-government and digital government initiatives. The Smart Government market was estimated (https://apo-opa.info/3Maogxj) to be worth nearly $30 billion in 2022, with an anticipated value of $110 billion by 2029 at a 21 percent annual growth rate.

In a session titled “Reimagining government in the digital age: Transforming public services for the future”, Lord McNicol, Member of the House of Lords, UK Parliament, was joined by other panellists, including Alby Bocanegra, Founder and Former CTO of NYC, The Urban Futurist, Kristina Ishmael, Deputy Director, Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education and Mikko Rusama, Former Chief Digital Officer at the City of Helsinki.

They spoke on the role of digital technologies in transforming public services for the future and emphasized the need for a proactive, data-centric approach to public service provision. The panellists highlighted the benefits of Open Data policies which allow organisations to collect data, monitor it, and make well-informed decisions on the services they provide and how they work for the citizens.

Quantum Computing Heralds new Age of Productivity

Integrating AI and quantum computing into hybrid cloud workflows is heralding a new frontier in digital transformation. Headline exhibitors at GITEX GLOBAL 2023, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Microsoft, AWS, HPE and Canadian-based startup Xanadu, say quantum computing – an area of computer science that uses qubits (quantum bits) instead of classical computing bits, delivering huge leaps in processing power – can address the world’s biggest problems.

While still in development, quantum computers’ mind-boggling calculation ability can transform multiple industries, from cybersecurity, telecommunications, and healthcare, to mobility, finance and defence. Boston Consulting Group, a management consultancy, estimates quantum computers could improve operating income of their users by between $450 billion and $850 billion a year by 2050.

The events converge the best minds and most visionary companies to scrutinise, challenge, define, and empower the digital agendas of the world

Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President at Dell Technologies for Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, said to fully capitalise on this transformative technology, businesses must invest in quantum computing and empower their data. “By piloting quantum computing and integrating it strategically into their operations, businesses can stay at the forefront of technological progress and seize the unparalleled opportunities it presents in propelling innovation and advancing processes,” he added.

Peter Oganesean, the Managing Director of HP Middle East, said recent advances in quantum computing, along with its increased accessibility, will have significant implications in sectors such as cybersecurity, medicine, finance, and many more. “Representing the next breakthrough in IT, this technology holds the promise of finding answers to some of our most pressing scientific challenges, such as genome profiling and finding treatments for disease at incredible speeds,” he added.

Xanadu Founder and CEO Christian Weedbrook Weedbrook said that the company is working with car brands such as BMW and Volkswagen on quantum chemistry to develop the next generation of EV batteries. He estimates quantum computing will be, in the next couple of years, where ChatGPT is today in investment and interest. “It really will change the world and I am looking forward to being part of that,” he stated.

To demonstrate its technical capability, Xanadu’s quantum computer Borealis went head-to-head last year with Japanese Fugaku, the world’s fastest supercomputer, to solve a complex mathematical formula. It would have taken Fugaku 7 million years to solve this problem. Borealis cracked the same problem in two minutes.

The Connected Home of the Future at Your Fingertip

In collaboration with etisalat by e&, Samsung introduced the Family Hub Refrigerator on the fourth day of GITEX GLOBAL. Its “View Inside” internal camera lets users view the fridge’s contents via smartphones, check food item expiration dates, and purchase groceries directly from the Etisalat Smile grocery platform. Additionally, it seamlessly connects and controls smart devices in users’ homes, serving as a central hub.

At the launch, Burcin Arabul, Director of the Home Appliances Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics, highlighted how the smart fridge elevates the experience for UAE families. “We are excited to partner with Etisalat for GITEX GLOBAL and launch our Family Hub refrigerator at the event. Embracing GITEX’s theme of ‘Imagining AI in everything,’ the Family Hub showcases the future of connected homes and heralds a new era of smart connectivity,” she added.

The 43rd edition of GITEX GLOBAL (www.GITEX.com) takes place from October 16-20, 2023, the blockbuster tech showpiece once again reaching full capacity at the Dubai World Trade Centre as it hosts more than 6,000 exhibitors. GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star comprise a combined 41 halls spanning 2.7 million sq. ft of exhibition space, a 40% growth year-on-year with 1,800 startups across Expand North Star and GITEX GLOBAL. The events converge the best minds and most visionary companies to scrutinise, challenge, define, and empower the digital agendas of the world.

More information is available at www.GITEX.com and www.ExpandNorthStar.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Global.

Events

The 27th China International Education Annual Conference held a cloud dialogue, where Yin Yuzhen and Saikaos discussed the exchange of folk ecological education

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China

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 November 2026 – The 27th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE) hosted a “CACIE Talk” session in Beijing on October 30, where Yin Yuzhen, a Chinese anti-desertification pioneer, Bai Fan, head of the Luoyang No. 2 Foreign Language School Education Group, and their American friend Sakolsky, whose full name is Ronald Sakolsky, reconnected via video link. The brief conversation added a new footnote to a cross-border green story now spanning 26 years.
 




 
In the video link, Sakolsky said he had launched preparations on October 1 to establish the Sakolsky Foundation. He plans to work with the China Education Association for International Exchange to build a platform for exchanges between Chinese and American teachers and students, using people-to-people exchanges to bridge cultural divides. Communication and understanding, he said, are important bridges to a peaceful future for young people in the global village we all share. Bai Fan also noted that face-to-face cross-border educational exchanges can help young people learn tolerance and respect, and see a real, multi-dimensional China. Yin Yuzhen responded with a simple observation that resonated with the audience: planting trees and nurturing people both come down to perseverance.

The friendship had its origins in the Maowusu Sandy Land. In 1999, Sakolsky, then teaching in Luoyang, was moved by Yin Yuzhen’s story of taking root in the desert to control desertification, and raised $5,000 himself to support her afforestation efforts. Yin invested the entire sum in the sandy land, planted some 50,000 saplings, erected a stone marker bearing her friend’s name, and kept one dollar as a memento.

The two then lost touch for more than two decades. Yin kept up her sand-control work day after day while thinking of her friend far away. In May 2026, she posted a video appeal to find him and located Sakolsky within 26 hours. In August that year, the two met in person in Ordos and walked together into the forest that now stands there.

For more than four decades, Yin Yuzhen and her husband have remained committed to the Maowusu, bringing a total of 70,000 mu (about 4,667 hectares) of barren sand under control. The shifting dunes that once rolled with yellow dust have gradually become woodland and pasture. Today, 85 percent of the Maowusu Sandy Land in Uxin Banner has been treated, and the transformation of this sandy expanse is regarded as a model case in reversing land degradation worldwide. Over the years, the area has continued to attract volunteers from many countries to take part in desertification control, and people-to-people cooperation on environmental protection has continued to grow.

The goodwill that began with sand control has long gone beyond a single stretch of sandy land. On October 15 this year, Yin Yuzhen was named one of the inaugural “100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development” at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. There she joined Sakolsky and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu in planting a crape myrtle as a symbol of friendship, sharing China’s experience in desertification control on the international stage. Windblown sand respects no borders, and a shared commitment to ecological conservation has carried the story of two ordinary people out of the desert and onto the international multilateral platform.

The thread of people-to-people friendship clearly runs from the saplings in the Maowusu to the crape myrtle as a mark of friendship in Rome, and now to the conversation in Beijing about exchanges among young people. Sakolsky’s plan to establish the foundation is meant to carry forward the goodwill that began in the desert: starting from an ecological commitment, using educational exchange as a bond, and helping more young people build connections and pass on the power of goodness and beauty.
 




 

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Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group–World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) Investment Excellence Awards 2026 Announce Winners

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Islamic Development Bank

Beyond recognizing excellence, the Awards foster peer learning and the exchange of best practices among IsDB Member Countries, helping transform investment opportunities into sustainable, impactful, and investment-ready projects

GENEVA, Switzerland, November 11, 2026/APO Group/ –The IsDB Group–WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 (https://www.IsDB.org) concluded today during the 30th World Investment Conference (WIC 2026) in Geneva, Switzerland, recognizing outstanding Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) for their contributions to sustainable investment, investment facilitation, and economic development across IsDB Member Countries.

 




  

The General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Egypt, received the IsDB Group- WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 for Outstanding Sustainable Investment Project for the Kom Ombo Solar PV Power Project, a landmark initiative that has delivered measurable economic, social, and environmental impact while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Invest Oman received the IsDB Group-WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 for Investment-Ready Projects, Partnerships & Facilitation Excellence in recognition of its success in developing investment-ready opportunities through effective partnerships, stakeholder coordination, and investor facilitation.

The National Investment Promotion Agency of Comoros received a Special Recognition Award for Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The agency was recognized for supporting investors at every stage, from preparing projects to aftercare.

The Awards are a joint initiative of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group and World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), established to recognize Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) from IsDB Member Countries that are driving sustainable development, private sector growth, economic diversification, and long-term prosperity through investment.

A total of 15 applications were submitted for the 2026 edition. Following an eligibility screening process, all eligible submissions were reviewed and assessed by an independent international jury, which selected the winners based on the published evaluation criteria.

The awards were presented by Mr. Ismail Ersahin, Chief Executive Officer of WAIPA; Mr. Sahal Almarwai, Division Manager of Outreach & Events Management at the IsDB Group Business Forum (THIQAH); and Mr. Kadir Basboga, Associate Manager, Regional Integration, Cooperation & Capacity Development at IsDB. The ceremony brought together IPAs leaders, senior government officials, investors, and private sector representatives attending the World Investment Conference (WIC) 2026.

Launched during the IsDB Group Annual Meetings 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Awards reflect the evolving role of IPAs in supporting investors throughout the investment lifecycle, strengthening investment ecosystems, coordinating stakeholders, and developing bankable investment opportunities. Beyond recognizing excellence, the Awards foster peer learning and the exchange of best practices among IsDB Member Countries, helping transform investment opportunities into sustainable, impactful, and investment-ready projects.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group).

 

 




 

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Lord Nicholas Stern to headline Africa’s Green Economy Summit as continent looks towards 32nd Conference of the Parties (COP32)

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COP32

AGES 2027 brings global and African leaders together in Cape Town to focus on financing and delivering Africa’s sustainable future

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 11, 2026/APO Group/ –Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, one of the world’s leading authorities on the economics of climate change, will deliver a keynote address at Africa’s Green Economy Summit (https://apo-opa.co/4iRv4j7) (AGES), taking place from 23 to 26 February 2027 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town. His participation comes as Africa looks towards COP32, which Ethiopia will host in 2027.

 




  

Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government and Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, will address delegates during the opening keynote session: “Ready for the World: Financing and Delivering Africa’s Sustainable Future.”

A foundational figure in shaping the economic case for global climate action, Professor Lord Nicholas Stern led the landmark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, which demonstrated the profound economic risks of inaction on climate change and made the case for investment in a transition to a low-carbon economy.

His participation comes as Africa enters an important period for climate action. With COP32 placing the global spotlight on the continent, the focus is increasingly shifting from ambition and commitments towards implementation: mobilising capital, building investable projects, strengthening resilience and ensuring the green transition supports economic growth, industrialisation and jobs.

“COP32 is an opportunity for Africa to change the narrative from a continent seeking climate finance to a continent offering some of the world’s most compelling green investment opportunities. AGES 2027 is about making that opportunity tangible by connecting capital with projects, policy with implementation, and ambition with delivery,” says Emmanuelle Nicholls, Group Director: Green Economy at VUKA Group.

That transition from ambition to delivery sits at the heart of the newly released AGES 2027 programme, with “Road to COP32: Africa’s Implementation Agenda” running as a cross-cutting theme throughout the summit. The opening programme also features a dedicated discussion on Africa’s adaptation and resilience agenda on the road to COP32.

New voices shaping Africa’s green economy

AGES 2027 is about making that opportunity tangible by connecting capital with projects, policy with implementation, and ambition with delivery

Professor Lord Nicholas Stern will be joined by a growing line-up of African and international leaders spanning green growth, climate finance, development finance, trade and investment.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Mallé Fofana, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Directorate for Green Growth Implementation at the Global Green Growth Institute
  • Satu Kahkonen, World Bank Division Director for South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini
  • Haile Mekonnen, COP32 Climate Finance Representative for the Ethiopian Private Sector and member of UNECA’s COP32 Climate Finance Technical Team
  • Aakif Merchant, Director and Head of Africa at Convergence
  • Dave Chalila, Head of Africa and Middle East Investments at GuarantCo (PIDG)
  • Roslyn Ng’eno, Senior Investment Expert at the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat

 

The programme will examine some of the most immediate opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s sustainable development, including energy access and green industrialisation, water security, sustainable agriculture, climate and nature finance, critical minerals, sustainable mobility, carbon finance, digital infrastructure and the mobilisation of institutional capital.

From climate ambition to capital

The COP32 conversation at AGES will be grounded in investment and delivery.

AGES 2027 is expected to bring together 700+ delegates, 150+ investors and 40 investment-ready projects representing a US$2 billion pipeline, creating a marketplace connecting African opportunities with the capital, partners and expertise required to take them forward.

New additions for 2027 include a Ministerial & Technical Leadership Roundtable, a closed-door DFI Roundtable and the Green Village, alongside investor roundtables, curated matchmaking and project pitches.

The City of Cape Town returns as host city for AGES 2027.

The full AGES 2027 programme is now available, together with the summit’s new infrastructure and SMME Dealbooks highlighting investment-ready African projects seeking capital and partnerships.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

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