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Innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions for startups on the Epson stand at GITEX Africa

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Epson

Epson innovates products to enable time saving, energy saving, cost saving and the reduction of a business’s carbon footprint

CASABLANCA, Morocco, May 29, 2023/APO Group/ — 

At the opening of GITEX Africa (www.GITEXAfrica.com), the long-awaited technology event, Epson is on hand with a range of high-performance products, specifically designed for small businesses and startups, offering them reliability, mobility and durability to help them gain in productivity and competitiveness.

In recent years, the business landscape has been rapidly evolving, driven by advancements in technology and increasing environmental awareness. Startup businesses in Morocco, but also the wider North African region, have become crucial to the growth of the economy.

According to a recent study conducted by Statista in the North African region, startup businesses are on the rise. Morocco has registered 61,000 new businesses, with 18,000 for Tunisia and 14,000 for Algeria during 2023 alone. This data is encouraging as startups are a key factor in growing economies.

Technology products have become essential tools for businesses, enabling them to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and stay competitive in the market. Additionally, sustainability has emerged as a critical consideration for businesses, as they seek to minimise their environmental impact and align with sustainable practices.

By conducting a survey[1] with Averty Market Research and Intelligence, Epson aimed to understand the specific needs, challenges, and priorities of startup businesses, to better deliver products and solutions that address their evolving requirements, while promoting sustainability.

The study revealed that a large majority of these startups (85%) consider technology to be crucial to the creation and operation of their business. When asked about the importance of sustainability considerations in technology products, an overwhelming 82% of the startups saw energy saving as being important to their business, with two thirds (65%) also classing environmental protection as a key area of concern.

Of course money saving was also important, through procurement savings (68%)and maintenance cost savings (65%) but the most important factor for these startup businesses was saving time (85%). This makes sense considering the effort needed to start a business and the necessity to make every moment count.

Indeed, these results reflect a high degree of maturity on the part of the startups surveyed, who have measured the importance of technology in their development strategy, as well as the benefits of technology acquisition to the success of their business.

Helping other companies and individuals to achieve their goals through the support of technology, Epson innovates products to enable time saving, energy saving, cost saving and the reduction of a business’s carbon footprint.

Epson will be exhibiting a whole range of products and solutions tailored to the needs of startup businesses at GITEX Africa and are proud to be involved in the GITEX Africa Supernova Pitch competition, supporting the winning entries with tailored Epson technology solutions.

EcoTank printers

Epson EcoTank is a cartridge free print solution. Up to 3 years’ worth of ink is included so for businesses conscious of their environmental impact, EcoTanks are a great choice as one ink bottle is equivalent to 79 ink cartridges, saving on plastic waste. From the start you have enough ink to print up to 14,000 pages. That means both money and time are saved as you’re not frequently changing cartridges. The setup is simple, refilling is mess free and it’s reliable too, turning out page after page of quality prints. Epson is the number one ink tank vendor globally selling over 80 million EcoTanks worldwide.

Mobile point of sale printers is ideal for environments where fast, simple and reliable receipt printing is essential

Label printing

Various in-house labeling solutions will be available on the Epson stand at GITEX Africa. By moving labeling in-house, it allows businesses flexibility – being able to produce labels on demand. On top of this it means a reduction in wastage as there is no minimum quantity, as often applies when shipping labels in from a third party. This also reduces a company’s carbon footprint as labels do not need to be shipped or stored.

Mobile POS solutions

Mobile point of sale printers is ideal for environments where fast, simple and reliable receipt printing is essential. They offer the perfect combination of mobility, connectivity, reliability and ease of use. They are designed to meet the needs of a wide range of growing businesses without limiting opportunity based on location, for instance businesses can function from food trucks or even market places.

Fabric printers

Epson offers various Direct to Garment (DTG) solutions, ideal for printing t-shirts, polo shirts, tote bags and other fabric items. This means faster, higher quality printing, with reduced intervention and the ability to flexibly create your own designs.

Compact photo printer

The SureLab SL-D1000 Series of compact photo printers offer duplex capability for flexible commercial production. The series has been developed for photo shops, professional photographers and businesses that need to print high-quality photos and offer customers a wide range of products, including personalised photo books, cards and calendars. Businesses that could benefit include: photography retail, event and photo box, stationery, hotels, cafés, bars and restaurants.

WorkForce Enterprise AM-C4000

Epson’s new Workforce Enterprise AM Series inkjets are about efficient, sustainable, and heat-free printing. Leveraging Epson’s Heat-Free technology, the new Workforce Enterprise AM-Series completes Epson’s business print portfolio. The new range provides print speeds of 40-60ppm, complementing the Epson business inkjet line-up.

With a compact footprint and lightweight design, the products help limit resources used during production and shipping. High yield ink cartridge s also reduces material usage, shipping, storage and end of use management of consumables, as well as reducing downtime for routine maintenance.

Business inkjet printing can save up to 90% in energy consumption compared with laser printers.

[1]Research conducted by Averty Market Research & Intelligence on behalf of Epson Europe. 600 new business owners across Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia were interviewed in May 2023.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Africa.

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ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Accelerates AI Ambitions, Achieves Certification under NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center Program

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March 14, 2025

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ST Telemedia Global

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2025 – ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), one of the world’s fastest-growing data centre colocation service providers headquartered in Singapore, today announced it is now an NVIDIA colocation partner. Two of its data centre facilities in Southeast Asia (SEA) – STT Singapore 6, and STT Bangkok 1 – have achieved certification in the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center programme. These are the first facilities in STT GDC’s portfolio to achieve this certification.

The NVIDIA DGX platform is purpose-built for enterprise AI, powering AI workloads spanning analytics, training, and inference. It offers advanced compute density, performance and scale with a single, unified system that can power the complete enterprise AI lifecycle. The NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center certification enables STT GDC to offer our customers access to world-class, state-of-the-art data centre facilities to run their most important AI workloads.

STT GDC is among the first Singapore-headquartered companies to achieve this certification, recognising its continued focus on supporting the global growth ambitions of businesses as they transition from the digital era to the intelligent era. This is driven by accelerated computing, a key driver of AI innovation, and by STT GDC’s ability to support advanced AI capabilities and next-generation infrastructure, such as NVIDIA DGX GB200 systems. STT GDC’s AI-ready data centres are designed to accommodate the thermal demands of such cutting-edge technology, with support for both immersion cooling and direct-to-chip cooling technologies.

“The DGX-Ready Data Center certification helps ensure that our customers have access to the robust infrastructure and expertise required to deploy and scale high-performance AI workloads. Achieving this certification underscores our commitment to supporting the rapid growth of AI adoption across industries, helping our customers focus on innovation, accelerate their AI initiatives with confidence and achieve a quicker time-to-value for their AI investments,” said Daniel Pointon, Group Chief Technology Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres.

“As organizations embrace AI to enhance customer experiences and drive better business outcomes, robust environments that are optimized for AI infrastructure become critical,” said Tony Paikeday, senior director of AI systems at NVIDIA. “STT GDC’s achievement of the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center certification empowers enterprises in Southeast Asia to simplify their AI initiatives with optimized, high-performance infrastructure and facilities that enable the delivery of data-fueled insights sooner.”

AI continues to transform industries globally, driving innovation in everything from predictive analytics to autonomous systems. Worldwide spending on AI is expected to more than double by 2028, reaching US$632 billion[1]. AI has the potential to fundamentally disrupt global markets by innovating new business models and offerings. Strategic investments in AI will be necessary to enable businesses to both unlock competitive advantage and maximise the full potential of AI.

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Tima Networks to Create $100M Fund with African Energy Chamber (AEC)

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March 14, 2025

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African Energy Chamber

MoUs were signed with Tima Networks and Yunan County Chuangxing Industrial Investment Group

SHANGHAI, China, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org) – the voice of the African energy sector – signed two Memoranda of Understanding at the Invest in African Energies Forum in Shanghai on Thursday. The deals support China-Africa energy ties by facilitating partnerships and technology exchange between Chinese and African companies.

The first deal, signed with B2B technology company Tima Networks, will see the company bring its automated fleet management technology to Africa. Tima Networks is a software company that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to enhance EV efficiency and management, promoting technology-driven transportation. The partnership will work to implement this innovative fleet management technology across Africa, supporting the utilization and adoption of EVs across the continent.

The second deal, signed with Yunan County Chuangxing Industrial Investment Group, was a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement aimed at facilitating interactions between the Chinese and African energy and chemical industries. Under the terms of the deal, the parties will work together to encourage African firms and projects establish themselves in the Yunfu Yunan Industrial Park. The parties will also establish a platform for technological exchange and resource-sharing between Chinese and African enterprises to support sustainable development.

The Invest in African Energies Forum in Shanghai served as a prelude to the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference, slated for September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town. As the largest event of its kind in Africa, AEW: Invest in African Energies fosters collaboration and investment in Africa. For Chinese companies, the event offers a strategic opportunity to gain insight into African projects while strengthening ties with African firms.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Access Bank’s Africa Trade Conference Ignites New Era of Intra-Africa Commerce

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March 14, 2025

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Africa Trade Conference

The prestigious African Icon Award was presented to IHS Group, Dangote Industries Limited, and MTN Group Limited for their significant contributions to Africa’s economic progress

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ –Access Bank PLC (www.AccessBankPLC.com) successfully hosted the inaugural Africa Trade Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and trade experts to drive solutions for accelerating intra-African trade and unlocking the continent’s economic potential. The conference tackled critical challenges, including limited access to capital, market information gaps, trust deficits between trading partners, and the urgent need for modernised trade infrastructure.

Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank, delivered the opening remarks, setting the tone for discussions by highlighting the critical barriers hindering trade across Africa. He emphasised the urgent need for financial sector collaboration to facilitate seamless access to capital and foster a business environment where African enterprises can scale and compete globally.

 

“We must invest in the initiatives that ensure that we can bring businesses together, forge trust, and create the connections necessary for trade. In doing so, we must stamp out the narrative that ‘Made in Africa’ is inferior to any product made anywhere else in the world. We must buy Africa, be proud to wear Africa, and invest in Africa because that is what the continent needs to leap forward into the next generation,” Ogbonna stated.

With Africa’s population projected to surge to 2.5 billion by 2050 from 1.2 billion, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) stands as the most significant free trade initiative since the formation of the World Trade Organisation. By fostering economic integration, AfCFTA has the potential to reshape trade dynamics across the continent, creating a unified market that enhances industrialisation, boosts employment, and strengthens Africa’s global competitiveness. Recognising this transformative opportunity, H.E. Wamkele K. Mene, Secretary-General of AfCFTA, emphasised the urgency of fully implementing the agreement to unlock its immense benefits.

“The AfCFTA is not just a trade agreement; it is an instrument for Africa’s industrialisation and economic sovereignty. It is a tool that will enable us to break down historic trade barriers and build an Africa that is self-sufficient, competitive, and prosperous. But for this to happen, we must commit to operationalising the agreement fully, ensuring that businesses, particularly SMEs and women-led enterprises, have access to the information, capital, and platforms they need to thrive,” Mene stated.

Also, Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, emphasised the importance of financing mechanisms that support African businesses in their expansion across borders. She reaffirmed Afreximbank’s commitment to championing trade finance solutions and infrastructure investments that will unlock Africa’s trade potential.

“At Afreximbank, we understand that trade finance is the lifeblood of economic development. Without it, businesses cannot scale, industries cannot innovate, and Africa cannot fully realise its trade potential. This is why we have developed instruments such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to facilitate seamless transactions across borders, reducing reliance on foreign currencies and strengthening intra-African trade,” Awani remarked.

We must invest in the initiatives that ensure that we can bring businesses together, forge trust, and create the connections necessary for trade

The conference featured an insightful testimonial from Nathalie Louat, Global Director at the IFC/World Bank Group, who pointed out the pivotal role of trade finance in enabling cross-border transactions and supporting financial inclusion. She underscored the long-standing partnership between IFC and Access Bank in fostering Africa’s economic resilience.

Several high-level panel discussions explored strategies to overcome trade barriers and enhance market access through innovative solutions. Experts from leading institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Traydstream, OWP Partners, Fiducia International, and more, examined how infrastructure improvements, digital solutions, and policy harmonisation could drive economic growth and boost intra-African trade.

Dr. Marc Auboin from the World Trade Organization (WTO) shared key insights on how digital transformation is reshaping Africa’s supply chain landscape, creating efficiency and unlocking new global market opportunities. Tanya Dos Santos-Ford from GIBS Business School also led a session on sustainable trade practices, emphasising the need for environmentally responsible economic growth strategies.

The event culminated in an awards ceremony recognising outstanding contributions to intra-African trade and economic transformation. Tradepass Commodities Limited (Ghana), Chemaf International FZE (DR Congo), and Harvest Group of Companies (Zambia) were honoured for their impact on SMEs and women-led trade enterprises. Bulkstream Limited (Kenya) and Electricidade de Moçambique (Mozambique) received awards for advancing intra-African trade, while Tennant Metals South Africa Pty Ltd was recognised as an Emerging Leader in Trade.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was awarded the Climate Finance Leadership Award, while Afreximbank received the Champion of Intra-African Trade Award. The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) were celebrated for their roles in economic transformation and infrastructure finance, respectively. The prestigious African Icon Award was presented to IHS Group, Dangote Industries Limited, and MTN Group Limited for their significant contributions to Africa’s economic progress

As the conference ended, Seyi Kumapayi, Executive Director, African Subsidiaries at Access Bank, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to supporting trade finance, fostering regional integration, and championing policies that create an enabling environment for businesses across Africa.

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Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Access Bank PLC.

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