CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 16, 2026/APO Group/ –The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) (https://AWIEForum.org) has announced the keynote speakers for its prestigious annual conference taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), 10 – 11 November 2026 for the advancement of women in Africa as innovators and entrepreneurs.

AWIEF, which this year hosts the 12^th edition of its benchmarking Conference, Expo and Awards event, has more than 60 African and global thought leaders across business and politics to share insight and thought leadership on the conference agenda.

 




  

The conference theme this year is, Beyond Access: Owning Capital, Markets and Power. The two-day event will have global thought leaders, industry experts, policymakers, development organisations, investors, women entrepreneurs. and ecosystem stakeholders gather to dialogue, connect, network, share, collaborate, and transact in a collective effort to accelerate the growth of women-owned and women-led businesses in Africa.

 

AWIEF2026 will explore what it takes to move beyond access and create greater ownership and influence for women across Africa’s economies, with a focus on capital, markets, leadership, and innovation.

 

Headline Speakers Taking the Stage

Taking the stage at the AWIEF conference, to deliver trailblazing keynotes and fireside chats are three exceptional global female leaders and influential voices.

Dr. Rania Al-Mashat is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Dr. Al-Mashat is an Egyptian economist who served eight consecutive years as Egyptian Cabinet Minister (2018-2026) across three portfolios: Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation; Minister of International Cooperation; and Minister of Tourism.

Magda Wierzycka is founder and CEO of Sygnia Limited, a JSE-listed South African financial services group and leading provider of passive investment solutions, savings products, stockbroking and administration services. She is also a partner at Braavos Investment Advisers LLP in the UK. Recognised by Forbes as one of Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women in 2020, she is widely respected for her leadership and outspoken stance against corruption.

Dr. Judy Dlamini is Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand (WITS). She is a medical doctor by training, a leading businesswoman, author, and philanthropist. Dr. Dlamini is the Executive Chairperson of Mbekani Group. She is Founder, Female Academic Leaders Fellowship Fund (FALF).

The conference will have other powerful and high-level speakers and leaders from international institutions, government, diplomacy, finance, academia, technology, and business sharing insights and knowledge in panel discussions and entrepreneur-focused masterclasses and workshops aimed at strengthening enterprises, scaling businesses and navigating African and global supply chains.

AWIEF 2026 Conference Features

An exhibition will take place alongside the conference showcasing businesses and organisations; Pitch n Grow competition presenting twelve outstanding women founders selected from across African countries, building and scaling African deep-rooted tech solutions and looking for capital; and the AWIEF Awards celebrating excellence in African women entrepreneurship will be presented on Day 2 of the event, 11 November.

 

Tickets for the AWIEF 2026 Conference, Expo and Awards are available online at: https://apo-opa.co/3T6yipO

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 16, 2026/APO Group/ –African Mining Week (AMW) 2026, taking place from October 14–16 in Cape Town, will feature senior United States (U.S.) and Argentine representatives in discussions examining mineral investment, value addition and international cooperation.

Ashley Ndir, Principal Commercial Officer with the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration, and Raúl Santiago Ailán, Head of Mission and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Argentina in South Africa, have joined the conference, signaling growing international interest in Africa’s mining opportunities.

 




 
 

Ndir will join the U.S.–Africa Roundtable on Advancing Local Beneficiation and Standardizing ESG Frameworks. Drawing on her role in expanding American market opportunities and economic partnerships, Ndir is expected to bring a commercial diplomacy perspective to discussions on U.S.–Africa market integration.

Her participation comes as the U.S. advances its African mining strategy, centered on facilitating investment in mineral development and exports. Through agencies like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the U.S. Export–Import Bank and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency alongside private industry, the U.S. continues to back major project development across key mining jurisdictions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Ailán joins the conference at a time when Argentina is accelerating its own mining expansion. The country is a major lithium producer and is seeking to expand copper development, while African mineral producers are similarly working to attract investment into exploration, processing and supporting infrastructure. This creates scope for greater cooperation between African and Latin American mining jurisdictions across investment, technical expertise and mineral development.

Ailán will join the panel discussion on Realigning National and International Goals to Advance Global Investment in Africa’s Value Chain. The session will examine how national development priorities can be aligned with international investment requirements to support greater value addition.

Under the theme Mining the Future: Unearthing Africa’s Full Mineral Value, AMW 2026 will bring together governments, investors, mining companies and international partners to advance investment across mineral exploration, production, processing and supporting infrastructure. The event offers a strategic international forum to foster engagement, strengthen mineral ties and advance development in Africa and across international markets.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, September 14, 2026/APO Group/ –VUKA Group RDC (http://WeAreVUKA.com/) will participate in the inaugural edition of Makutano Mining, taking place from 22 to 25 November 2026 in Kinshasa, under the High Patronage of His Excellency the President of the Republic.

As the organiser of DRC Mining Week and the DRC Critical Minerals & Industrialisation Forum, VUKA Group RDC will showcase its platforms and programmes and mobilise its network of operators, investors and suppliers around the four-day programme. The two organisations will also jointly promote the forum across their respective channels, bringing Makutano Mining 2026 to the attention of mining industry stakeholders in the DRC, across Africa and internationally.

 




  

This collaboration brings together two complementary platforms. While DRC Mining Week has focused on operations and on-the-ground realities from Lubumbashi, Makutano Mining brings to Kinshasa a space for vision, strategy and national decision-making, in close proximity to the Presidency, ministries and governors of the mining provinces. Bringing these two levels together is what has been missing from the Congolese mining conversation.

“This partnership reflects our commitment to strengthening the bridges between platforms that contribute to the development of the mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are pleased to participate in Makutano Mining 2026 and to put our platforms and network at the service of this collective momentum.”

Papy Luzala, Managing Director, VUKA Group RDC

“Bringing VUKA to Kinshasa means bringing together in one room those who produce and those who make decisions. Our two platforms are complementary, and the Congolese mining sector has everything to gain from this collaboration.”

Nicole Sulu, Founder, Réseau Makutano

Beyond November, the two organisations intend to promote knowledge sharing, strengthen connections between stakeholders and support the development of more integrated mining and industrial value chains in the DRC. They share a common conviction: that the mining sector should be a driver of local value creation, industrialisation, skills development and employment.

Makutano Mining 2026 will take place from 22 to 25 November 2026 in Kinshasa. Four days bringing together the country’s highest-ranking government authorities, industry leaders and international financiers around the theme of mining sovereignty.