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Global Startup Awards Africa announces regional winners at GITEX Africa 2023

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The announcement took place at the launch edition of GITEX Africa 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco, this week

MARRAKESH, Morocco, June 2, 2023/APO Group/ — 

Seventy-one startups from across Africa have been named regional winners at this year’s Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa (www.GlobalStartupAwardsAfrica.com) – the largest, independent startup ecosystem competition on the continent. Twenty three African countries are represented in the line-up of regional winners.

The 2022/23 season attracted 8,272 entries from all 54 African states, resulting in 71 regional winners being named across the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central Africa competitions.

Launched in 2021, GSA Africa is a platform dedicated to showcasing and scaling Africa’s most promising startups. This year’s competition focused on solutions in agriculture, climate change, commerce, education, healthcare, and mobility & logistics, with particular interest in startups championing Web3.0 technologies, sustainable business models, green innovation, and diversity in the workplace.

The competition saw entrants first compete at a national level before vying for their spot as a regional finalist. Winners were then decided by an independent panel of judges, offering a wholistic view of the African tech-ecosystem.

In the Northern Africa competition, thirteen startups from Egypt were named winners, followed by finalists from Morocco and Tunisia. Similar results were seen in Southern Africa, where South African startups secured eleven awards, while the remaining titles went to entrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia.

Meanwhile, Eastern Africa saw Kenyan startups walk away with seven titles, as those from Uganda secured three, Ethiopia with two, and startups from Mauritius, Rwanda, and Tanzania also claiming awards. In Western Africa, Nigerian startups scooped up six awards, followed by three winners from Ghana. Additional winners came from Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Senegal, and Benin.

Central African startups had a strong presence this year, with innovators from Cameroon earning five titles and those from the Democratic Republic of Congo winning four. Winners from the Congo and Gabon were also recognised.

From Algeria to South Africa, Senegal to Somalia, and everywhere in between – 34 percent of this year’s entrants were tackling green innovation

All 71 regional winners will now advance to the Continental Finals of the GSA Africa competition, where they will compete to be crowned an African winner. This final group of startups will join the GSA Grand Finale where they will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions alongside some of the world’s top entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and ecosystem enablers.

In March 2023, two African startups were named Global Winners at last season’s Grand Finale. Competing against more than 120 companies from 115 countries, Ethiopian green-tech startup, Kubik, was recognised as ‘Startup of the Year’, while the Ugandan fintech, Emata, was proclaimed ‘Best Newcomer’.

African winners will have the exclusive opportunity to engage with the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG) www.GIIG.Africa, the competition’s dedicated investment partner. Through its GIIG Africa Fund and the GIIG Africa Foundation, the organisation aims to find, fund and grow globally relevant African innovation.

Reflecting on this year’s regional winners, GSA Africa and GIIG co-founder, Jo Griffiths, says: “With 747 finalists across all five regions, this year’s competition did not disappoint! Our panel of judges were blown away by the quality and diversity of solutions from all corners of the continent, that are actively working to solve some of our greatest challenges. It was particularly interesting to note that – from Algeria to South Africa, Senegal to Somalia, and everywhere in between – 34 percent of this year’s entrants were tackling green innovation. These startups are proof that Africa is the tech continent of the future.”

The announcement took place at the launch edition of GITEX Africa 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco, this week. GITEX Africa 2023 is the biggest gathering of innovation stakeholders on the continent, bringing together global leaders in the public, private and civil sectors to spur the adoption of next-gen technology in Africa.

Speaking from GITEX Africa 2023 was GSA Africa and GIIG co-founder, Caitlin Nash, who remarked that: “These winners represent the top startups in both their home country and region – and it’s all the more significant that we announce them here in Morocco, the industrial powerhouse of Africa. This competition is all about building global bridges between our continent’s most exceptional solutions and the people, markets and communities where they can make the most significant impact. In that vein, this event has been the ideal launch pad for these startup’s global ambitions, and we’re excited to help take them to the world.”

For a full list of this year’s regional winners, go to www.GlobalStartupAwardsAfrica.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Africa.

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ACG CEO Paulo J. Cruz to Speak at the Leadership Summit 2026 in Luanda on How Sport and Entertainment Districts Can Accelerate Africa’s Productive Economy

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Paulo J. Cruz joins CEOs from Angola’s telecoms, energy, data infrastructure, and technology sectors on the Productivity and Productive Economy panel at one of the country’s leading executive summits

LUANDA, Angola, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ –African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com), the leading strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems, today announced that its Founding CEO, Paulo J. Cruz, will speak at the 2nd Edition of the Leadership Summit 2026 (Cimeira de Liderança 2026) in Luanda, Angola, on 19 November 2026.

 




 
 

Mr Cruz will participate in Panel 3, “Productivity and Productive Economy,” alongside CEOs from Angola’s telecoms, energy, data infrastructure, and technology sectors, including the leaders of TVCABO Angola, Raxio Data Centres, Angola Cables, TIS, and EWT – Energy Water Telecom. The panel will be moderated by Kussi Bernardo, CEO of Multitel.

The Leadership Summit, held under the theme “Leadership that Generates Results: Strategy, Execution and Value,” convenes Presidents of Boards of Directors, CEOs, CFOs, and senior executives from Angola’s most strategic sectors, including oil and gas, mining, banking, telecoms, energy, industry, and agriculture. The event takes place at the Palmeiras Suite Hotel in Talatona, Luanda.

A Victory District™ generates revenue from 15 to 20 different asset types, creates thousands of permanent jobs, and operates 365 days a year

Mr Cruz will address how ACG’s origination of integrated sport and entertainment districts across Africa contributes directly to the transformation of the productive economy. His intervention will focus on how sport infrastructure, when conceived as a financially self-sustaining urban ecosystem rather than a standalone stadium, becomes a catalyst for job creation, tourism, diversified revenue generation, and long-term economic development.

“Sport infrastructure is not a social cost. It is a productive asset,” said Paulo J. Cruz, Founding CEO of ACG. “A Victory District™ generates revenue from 15 to 20 different asset types, creates thousands of permanent jobs, and operates 365 days a year. That is not a stadium. That is a contribution to the productive economy. I am honoured to share that vision alongside some of Angola’s most influential business leaders.”

ACG’s Victory District™ framework is designed to originate integrated, mixed-use sport and entertainment districts that move beyond single-venue development models. Each district combines stadiums, indoor arenas, training academies, hotels, conference centres, retail, entertainment, residential, and commercial space within a single masterplanned development, financed by private and institutional capital without reliance on public subsidy.

Mr Cruz brings more than 25 years of experience across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in originating, structuring, and delivering large-scale infrastructure, urbanisation, and real estate development initiatives. Prior to ACG, he served as Senior Vice President at DAMAC Group, the largest private real estate developer in the Middle East, and as Group CEO of LandAfrique, a pan-African development platform focused on industrial parks, infrastructure, housing, and power projects across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Leadership Summit 2026 is an initiative of Clube De Valor™, focused on leadership, strategy, execution, and value creation across Angola’s business landscape.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Collaborations Group (ACG).

 




 

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South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Djibouti to Headline South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026 Ministerial Panel

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The Ministerial Panel will feature ministerial representatives from South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Uganda

JUBA, South Sudan, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ –Senior energy and government representatives from South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Djibouti will participate in a ministerial panel at South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026, taking place November 24-25 in Juba. The discussion will focus on strengthening regional energy cooperation, advancing cross-border infrastructure and attracting investment into East Africa’s petroleum sector.

 




 
 

Titled Regional Cooperation, Investment and Energy Security, the panel will feature Awow Daniel Chuang, Minister of Petroleum of South Sudan; Monica Musenero Masanza, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda; Silvester Kasuku, Advisor, Governance, Executive Office of the President, Kenya; and Wahib Ali Boulo, Director of Hydrocarbons, Djibouti.

Their participation comes as East Africa enters a new exploration and production cycle, backed by the start of upstream projects in Uganda and Kenya, a drive to strengthen cross-border trade by Djibouti and efforts to increase crude production in South Sudan. Regional cooperation is supporting these activities and SSOP 2026 will provide a platform to explore East Africa’s broader energy renaissance.

Minister Chuang joins the event as South Sudan opens its upstream market to international investors. Under efforts to raise production from 174,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 230,000 bpd in the near term, the country is inviting investors to support brownfield development, accelerate exploration and expand refining capacity. Around 14 blocks are currently available.

Uganda is also promoting investment in exploration as the country prepares to start oil production from the Kingfisher and Tilenga oilfields in June 2027. The fields represent the country’s entry into commercial oil production. Crude will be exported via the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, currently 92% complete, which connects the fields to Tanzania’s Port of Tanga. To sustain upstream investment, the country also plans to launch a licensing round in 2026/2027.

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Kenya is preparing to join East Africa’s oil producers as the country prepares for first production from the South Lokichar Basin in December 2026. Developed by Gulf Energy, the project targets 20,000 bpd in its first phase and 50,000 bpd in its second. The project coincides with investments in the downstream sector. In late-September 2026, Nigeria’s Dangote Group launched construction activities at a 700,000-bpd refinery in Lamu. A South Sudanese delegation, led by Minister Chuang, attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

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As regional neighbors prepare for commercial oil production, Djibouti continues to strengthen its cross-border partnerships. The country signed an agreement with South Sudan in 2025 to develop the White Nile Trade Corridor, which aims to establish river and dry-port infrastructure in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Renk, connecting South Sudan to international trade routes through Djibouti. Boulo’s participation at SSOP 2026 creates new pathways for strengthened regional ties.

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Returning for its seventh edition under the theme Resource Renaissance – Energy-Fueled Growth for a New Generation, SSOP 2026 will provide a platform for policymakers, national oil companies, investors and infrastructure developers to examine how regional partnerships can strengthen energy security and accelerate project development.

For more information, visit www.SouthSudanOilPower.com.

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

 




 

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Merec Industries, a subsidiary of Invictus Investment Company PLC, builds first pasta manufacturing plant in northern Mozambique

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The plant will significantly expand Mozambique’s pasta production capacity and bring production closer to consumers in the north, while increasing the availability of high-quality fortified pasta in line with the country’s national food fortification requirements

Today, pasta is part of the basic food basket of Mozambicans

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ —
  • Merec Industries, Mozambique’s largest flour milling company, is building the first pasta manufacturing plant in the north of the country, taking its coverage countrywide
  • Once complete, Merec’s plants will have the capacity to meet Mozambique’s domestic pasta demand and export the surplus, contributing to the country’s food security
  • The investment comes as Merec Industries prepares for its next phase of growth, with Helios Investment Partners set to become a minority shareholder in the business alongside Invictus Investment
  • Governor of Nampula Province visited the site in Nacala to view construction progress

 




 
 

Invictus Investment Company PLC (https://InvictusInvestment.ae/) (ADX: INVICTUS), a leading holding company specialised in agro-food commodities across the Middle East and Africa, today announced that its subsidiary Merec Industries (“Merec”) is building the first pasta manufacturing plant in the northern region of Mozambique, in Nacala. Once the plant is complete, Merec will be the only company in Mozambique with pasta manufacturing facilities in all three regions of the country: the north, central and south. Together with the expansion of its Machava industrial facility in the south, the new plant will take Merec’s total pasta production capacity beyond Mozambique’s national demand, enabling the country to meet its pasta demand from local production and export the surplus. Nacala is home to a deep-water port and is the gateway to the Nacala Logistics Corridor, which links Mozambique to Malawi and Zambia.

The Governor of Nampula Province, His Excellency Eduardo Abdula, visited Merec’s facilities to view construction progress and learn more about the developments of this investment. The plant will significantly expand Mozambique’s pasta production capacity and bring production closer to consumers in the north, while increasing the availability of high-quality fortified pasta in line with the country’s national food fortification requirements. It will also create direct and indirect jobs, develop local skills and involve businesses across the value chain, from production and logistics to distribution and sales.

Merec’s operating performance has improved significantly since it joined Invictus Investment in January 2025, prompting a more ambitious growth strategy to expand it beyond its core operations into new food categories in Mozambique and across the wider Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. In October 2026, Invictus Investment and Helios Investment Partners announced that Helios Fund V had entered into an agreement to acquire up to a 49% interest in Merec’s holding company, with Invictus Investment remaining the majority shareholder. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Merec and Invictus Investment also signed cooperation agreements with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, at the Lusophone Africa Investment Forum in Cabo Verde last month, to advance agribusiness in Mozambique and across Africa.

Commenting on the announcement, Amir Daoud Abdellatif, CEO of Invictus Investment, said: “Completing Merec’s pasta manufacturing footprint across Mozambique brings production closer to consumers and provides the local capacity needed to build a more resilient food business. This investment is part of our wider approach to growth, which involves taking majority positions in strong businesses, investing in their expansion and bringing in partners who can help take them further. Our ambition is to develop Merec into a regional food platform for Southern Africa, and this plant is an important part of the foundation for that.”

Eng. Luís Aveleira, Executive Board Member at Merec, added: “Today, pasta is part of the basic food basket of Mozambicans. Through this investment, we want to help ensure that Mozambique has the capacity to meet the needs of its own market, reducing its dependence on imported products. With industrial facilities in the north, central and south regions, we are strengthening our ability to supply the national market and contributing to the country’s objectives of promoting local production and import substitution. Beyond ensuring the supply of the domestic market, we also aim to build the capacity to generate production surpluses for export, contributing to foreign currency earnings and the growth of the national economy. We believe that investing in domestic production means investing in food security, industrialisation and the future of Mozambique.”

In addition to strengthening Mozambique’s food security and reducing its reliance on imports, the project reflects Invictus Investment’s focus on midstream and downstream assets across key African markets in support of its aim of becoming a fully integrated agro-food enterprise.

*Please refer to https://apo-opa.co/4sT7DdG for more information. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Invictus Investment Company PLC.

 

 




 

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