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Intent HQ confirmed as Diamond Sponsor; Absa Bank as Platinum Sponsor & BEES joins as Gold Sponsor for Converge Africa 2026

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Converge Africa 2026

Converge Africa unites leaders across Retail and eCommerce, Digital Marketing, Payments and Fintech, Digital Security, and Fulfilment, Logistics and Last Mile for three days of strategy, technology and high value meeting introductions

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 2, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa’s digital commerce economy is growing fast, but not without friction. Fragmented retail, inconsistent data, complex payments, rising fraud risk and disconnected customer journeys continue to slow down scale for retailers, brands and marketplaces across the continent.

 

Converge Africa 2026 will place these challenges at the centre of its agenda, as the continent’s leading digital commerce, fintech and retail technology players gather from 4 to 6 May 2026 at the CTICC in Cape Town to define what frictionless, borderless and trusted digital trade should look like for Africa.

The event today confirms Intent HQ as Diamond Sponsor, Absa Bank as Platinum Sponsor, and BEES as Gold Sponsor, three organisations operating at different layers of the commerce stack, united by a common mission: enabling African businesses to trade smarter, faster and at scale.

Converge Africa unites leaders across Retail and eCommerce, Digital Marketing, Payments and Fintech, Digital Security, and Fulfilment, Logistics and Last Mile for three days of strategy, technology and high value meeting introductions.

 

The real challenge: turning African digital growth into profitable, scalable commerce

Across Africa, digital adoption is accelerating. Consumers are shopping online, mobile payments are mainstream, and informal retail is rapidly digitising. Yet many organisations are struggling to convert this growth into sustainable, profitable digital commerce.

Retailers battle with disconnected customer data and slow decision making.
Brands struggle to digitise fragmented trade networks.
Marketplaces face trust, fraud and cross border payment complexity.
Customers expect personalised, real time experiences without sacrificing privacy.

Converge Africa 2026 is designed to tackle these realities head on, bringing together the platforms, infrastructure and intelligence required to build the next generation of African digital commerce. Expect main stage keynotes, track led content, hands on workshops, an exhibition of market ready solutions, and structured networking to enable meaningful partnerships and tangible ROI.

It is within this context that Intent HQ, Absa Bank and BEES take centre stage.

 

“Scaling digital commerce in Africa requires more than a single solution, it requires intelligence, infrastructure and execution working together. Converge Africa brings that full commerce stack into one room. ” said Terry Southam, Group Director of Retail – Converge Africa.

 

Sponsor announcements and why they matter now

Intent HQ: powering real time, privacy first customer decisioning (Diamond Sponsor)

Intent HQ is the Human to AI Context Company that helps enterprises anticipate and activate real customer intent in real time, safely and at scale. Its flagship platform, IntentOne, sits between enterprise data estates and execution channels to orchestrate the moments that matter.

It detects intent signals, recommends next best actions, and activates decisions instantly across existing martech and experience stacks without replacing them. By combining always on data with on device Edge AI, Intent HQ delivers higher conversion, loyalty and lifetime value under strict privacy and security governance.

At Converge Africa, retailers and marketplaces will see live demos of IntentOne’s Customer Intent Engine, showing how to align engagement to true shopper readiness, improve decision velocity for promotions and service recovery, and prove measurable uplift with responsible AI. This speaks directly to the data fragmentation and personalisation challenges facing South African e commerce.

 

“We’re excited to return to Converge Africa to showcase our award-winning Agentic Customer AI. By understanding behavior and intent, we help brands deliver smarter, more inclusive digital services.”

Scaling digital commerce in Africa requires more than a single solution, it requires intelligence, infrastructure and execution working together

– Jonathan Woolf, Chief Revenue Officer, Intent HQ

 

Absa Bank: enabling trusted, scalable digital commerce (Platinum Sponsor)

Absa Bank is a leading pan African financial services group serving retail, business and corporate clients with acquiring, payments, embedded finance and risk solutions across the continent. Absa stands out by blending African insight, strong digital ambition, responsible banking, and human centred leadership to create real economic impact, not just financial results.

Absa’s presence underscores the centrality of secure, seamless payments to e commerce growth. Delegates can expect insights on cross border enablement, fraud and digital security, omnichannel merchant services, and the rails that support scalable digital trade, core to resolving payment complexity and trust deficits in South Africa’s online market.

 

BEES: digitising the retail value chain at scale (Gold Sponsor)

BEES is a global B2B digital commerce platform connecting FMCG brands with millions of independent retailers. Through a single app, retailers can order, pay, access promotions and insights, while suppliers unlock data driven route to market, trade activation and loyalty at scale.

BEES brings proven playbooks for digitising fragmented retail, which is critical in Africa’s mixed trade landscape. Delegates can expect practical sessions on retailer onboarding, in app merchandising, incentives, and how first party trade data can drive better demand planning, fulfilment and ROI for brands and distributors. This directly addresses the fragmentation and execution gaps holding back South African e commerce.

 

“BEES is a B2B digital commerce platform that elevates every interaction with our retailers from ordering to delivery. Powered by AI, it enables us to influence retailers more successfully, improve sales effectiveness, and deliver superior service, resulting in stronger performance.” – Representative BEES.

 

How Converge Africa 2026 addresses today’s pain points

Retail and eCommerce: Connecting channels and data to create seamless journeys and increase decision velocity at the point of need.
Digital Marketing: Operationalising real time intent to lift acquisition efficiency and lifetime value, while protecting privacy.
Payments and Fintech: Building trusted, scalable rails for omnichannel commerce, including cross border, risk and fraud controls.
Digital Security: Hardening the ecosystem against evolving threats with enterprise grade governance, identity and compliance.
Fulfilment, Logistics and Last Mile: Turning demand into on-time delivery through better planning, inventory visibility and execution.

 

About Converge

Africa Converge Africa is the continent’s leading platform for digital commerce leaders to connect, learn and grow. Held annually at the CTICC in Cape Town, the event convenes retailers and eCommerce brands, payments and fintech innovators, cybersecurity specialists, logistics and last-mile providers, and digital marketers to shape the future of Africa’s online economy.

Converge Africa 2026 4–6 May, CTICC, Cape Town

Frictionless digital commerce. Transacting seamlessly, without borders.

 

Registration & Sponsorship

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

Business

$2.1 Billion and Counting: African Real Estate Is Executing

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Africa

Ahead of the 17th Africa Property Investment (API) Summit in Cape Town, investment pipelines are converting into a record number of transactions as the continent’s real estate and hospitality sectors move from potential into real momentum

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 21, 2026/APO Group/ –Verified data gathered from across Africa’s real estate investment landscape reveals that the continent’s leading property and hospitality roleplayers completed more than $2.1 billion worth of transactions over the past 18 months, representing one of the most concentrated periods of institutional real estate deal activity in the continent’s history.

 

Download Document: https://apo-opa.co/3TraTiH

The 28 transactions (across nine countries and eight asset classes) were closed by API Summit stakeholders from across the institutional property ecosystem – spanning listed capital markets, commercial, residential, hospitality, logistics and alternatives.

The full African Deals Index report – compiled in collaboration with Broll, the data and insights partner for API Summit 2026 – will be unveiled on the opening day of the event, taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 17 and 18 September.

Talk turning to investment action

The deal-making activity is a signal of the much-spoken-about potential for Africa converting into tangible action, driven by enhanced investor confidence.

“This isn’t a forecast – it’s a balance sheet. $2.1 billion in completed transactions tells you African real estate has moved past the conversation about potential and into the discipline of execution,” said Malcolm Horne, Group CEO of Broll Property Group.

Horne highlighted several key shifts reflected in the data.

“What’s notable is where the conviction is coming from: domestic pension capital acting as a structuring investor, not a passive landlord, and green-linked financing becoming a board-level decision, not a marketing line. At Broll, we see this in our own data every day – across the assets we manage, the cost of capital is increasingly tied to the quality of the asset, not just its location.

“That’s the market maturing in real time, and it’s exactly the momentum my team and I are looking forward to presenting and unpacking at API this year.”

The 17th Annual API Summit takes place under the theme Bold Capital. Real Momentum. and is expected to attract over 600 delegates from more than 30 countries.

Niyi Adeyele, Head of Real Estate Finance, Africa Regions at Standard Bank Group, commented on the evolution of real estate sector funding across Africa.

“It remains interesting to track the resilience and the evolution of activities in the sector, from growing capital market activities, to the rapidly increasing participation of domestic capital sources within the African continent from domestic focused institutional capital sources such as pension funds and family offices to pan-African investor platforms that tend to operate across multiple countries.”

He said that accordingly, sectoral activity levels remain positive, with the “growing pace of green field projects in key markets” providing “early indications of a new growth cycle for the sector”.

Investors now have listed, liquid exposure to African real estate, and issuers have a repeatable route to permanent capital

Major moves from domestic capital and DFIs

Domestic pension capital has moved decisively beyond its traditional role as a passive landlord, emerging as an active, structuring investor in African real estate – a shift that will be central to discussions at the summit.

The charge was led by South Africa’s Government Employees Pension Fund (through the Public Investment Corporation and retail property powerhouse Pareto), which concluded commercial, residential and industrial transactions valued at over $343.5 million since the start of 2025.

“Through the Standard Bank Group’s franchise operations across multiple countries, there are observed increase deployment of institutional capital to across key markets driving increased primary and secondary market activities,” said Adeyele, pointing to examples such as Grene Capital’s raising of $100 million from Nigerian pension for property investments in Nigeria and beyond.

Sustainability-linked deal leads the way

Sustainability remains a critical factor in real estate financing considerations – evidenced by the largest transaction completed over the past 18 months.

Standard Bank and its African Regions brand Stanbic (along with Rand Merchant Bank) acted as co-lender on a $300 million green financing facility to facilitate Lango’s bid to become Africa’s first Green Pure Play real estate company, with 90% of its portfolio certified according to international standards.

Amongst several other milestones, the Africa Logistics Property (ALP) Industrial REIT listing on the Nairobi Stock Exchange in March 2026 was notable as East Africa’s first listing featuring entirely IFC EDGE-certified green buildings.

Listed capital makes major moves

REIT capital markets were the second largest asset class by value across the period, accounting for $568.5 million of activity, with the action extending well beyond South Africa’s established counters.

East Africa welcomed ALP’s Industrial REIT (marking the region’s first industrial and first USD-denominated security); Centum’s TRIFIC Dollar I-REIT (the first green, income-distributing USD-denominated) and Acorn Holdings’ build-to-rent D-REIT.

On Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, the Pfuma Fund REIT and Eagle REIT both listed, deepening a hard-currency capital market that scarcely existed five years ago.

“Seeing multiple REITs listing on exchanges in one cycle tells you the asset class has crossed from novelty to norm. Investors now have listed, liquid exposure to African real estate, and issuers have a repeatable route to permanent capital,” said Raghav Gandhi, CEO of ALP.

API Summit 2026 – ushering in the next wave of deals

The unprecedented commitment of capital into Africa’s real estate sector takes centre stage when the 17th Annual API Summit convenes. Welcoming the investors, developers, financiers and policymakers behind the continent’s most prominent deals, this year’s event features a new Multifamily Forum alongside the popular Hospitality and Proptech Forums; an impactful main plenary, workshops, deals and meetings rooms and investment showcases, and the 10th edition of the prestigious API Awards.

For more information and to register, visit www.APISummit.co.za

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of API Events.

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Energy

London Showcase to Bring Venezuela’s Energy Opportunities to Global Investors Ahead of 2026 Summit

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A high-level London industry showcase on July 30 will bring together UK and European investors, financiers and energy leaders to explore emerging opportunities across Venezuela’s oil, gas and power sectors ahead of Venezuela Energy Week 2026

LONDON, United Kingdom, July 17, 2026/APO Group/ –As Venezuela accelerates efforts to revitalize its energy sector and attract international investment, Venezuela Energy Week 2026 will host an exclusive Industry Showcase in London on July 30, bringing together investors, financial institutions, international oil companies, commodity traders and energy executives for market intelligence, networking and partnership development ahead of the flagship conference taking place this October in Caracas.

 

Designed as a strategic preview of the main event, the London showcase will provide UK and European stakeholders with first-hand insight into Venezuela’s evolving investment landscape while creating opportunities for commercial dialogue with industry leaders, potential partners and key decision-makers.

Home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves and significant natural gas resources, Venezuela is entering a new phase of energy development focused on increasing production, expanding gas commercialization and modernizing critical infrastructure. Ongoing reforms and renewed international engagement are creating opportunities for companies able to provide capital, technology and technical expertise.

The timing is particularly significant as several UK and European energy companies continue to strengthen their presence in Venezuela. UK-based majors Shell and BP are advancing key natural gas developments, with Shell preparing for 2027 drilling at the Dragon offshore gas project and BP signing agreements in April to develop the Cocuina-Manakin offshore gas field, marking its return to the Venezuelan market. Spain’s Repsol recently announced plans to increase production from its Venezuelan assets, while Italy’s Eni is relaunching a heavy crude project in the Orinoco Belt. France’s Maurel & Prom, meanwhile, remains a key partner in strategic assets such as the Urdaneta Oeste field. On the trading and commercialization front, Geneva-headquartered energy trader Vitol has renewed its engagement with Venezuelan crude exports, reflecting broader international interest in reconnecting the country’s resources with global markets.

Against this backdrop, the London Industry Showcase will highlight Venezuela’s re-emerging investment potential while creating a platform for strategic networking and direct engagement with government leaders, national energy companies, regulators and private sector partners.

The event is expected to attract representatives from investment funds, export credit agencies, commercial banks, private equity firms, commodity traders, engineering companies, technology providers and UK-based independent energy companies exploring opportunities across Venezuela’s energy value chain.

The showcase will also provide an exclusive preview of Venezuela Energy Week 2026, including ministerial dialogues, executive forums, technical conferences and dedicated business-to-business networking sessions designed to connect international investors with the decision-makers shaping the country’s energy future.

Taking place on October 26–29, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela Energy Week serves as the country’s premier platform for advancing investment across the oil, gas and power sectors. By bringing the conversation to London – one of the world’s leading financial and energy centers – the Industry Showcase builds momentum ahead of the flagship event while strengthening ties between international capital and one of the world’s most resource-rich energy markets.

To participate in the London Industry Showcase on July 30 or secure your place at Venezuela Energy Week 2026 in Caracas this October, contact info@venezuelaenergyweek.com to learn more about delegate, sponsorship and partnership opportunities.

Supporting Venezuela’s Earthquake Recovery

 

Our thoughts are with the people and communities affected by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. As the country begins the long process of recovery, we encourage members of the global energy community to support relief and reconstruction efforts through the CAF Recovery and Reconstruction Fund for Venezuela, which channels contributions from individuals, companies and organizations to emergency assistance, essential services and long-term rebuilding efforts.

 

To learn more or make a contribution, please visit the CAF Recovery and Reconstruction Fund for Venezuela (https://apo-opa.co/3RKKqfz).

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

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Events

October 2-4, 2026, Announced as New Date for the Inaugural Alamein Africa Forum

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The Forum which was earlier scheduled to hold in June 2026 was postponed following concerns about the evolving public health situation on the continent at the time

The Government of Egypt and the African Union Commission alongside other key stakeholders and partners are pleased to announce new dates for the inaugural Alamein Africa Forum (www.AlameinForum.com).

 

The Forum which was earlier scheduled to hold in June 2026 was postponed following concerns about the evolving public health situation on the continent at the time.

The inaugural Alamein Africa Forum will now be held between October 2-4, 2026, in Alamein, Egypt following consultations between the relevant stakeholders. It will be held in parallel with the African Union mid-year Summit which will take place in Alamein on 4 October 2026.

Please accept our sincere appreciation for your understanding, flexibility and continued support.

The Forum presents a unique opportunity to engage key policy makers, including African Heads of State and Government, as well as senior leaders from finance, industry and institutional investors to advance Africa’s private sector agenda.

Additional information regarding accommodation and logistics as well as the Forum programme will be made available on the Forum website as soon as next week.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Alamein Africa Forum.

 

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