The forum comes as Venezuela moves from regulatory reform toward implementation. In January 2026, the country enacted a reform of its Organic Hydrocarbons Law, introducing new contractual mechanisms for primary hydrocarbon activities and establishing a framework intended to give private operators greater responsibility for project development. The reform also incorporated Production Participation Contracts (PPCs), creating a structure under which private companies can assume operational and financial responsibility for projects.

Recent transactions show how quickly that framework is being put into practice. In September, Eni signed a 25-year Hydrocarbon PPC with PDVSA for the development of the giant Junín 5 field in the Orinoco Belt, becoming the project’s exclusive operator with responsibility for its technical, financial and commercial management.

GeoPark has likewise entered Venezuela through a 25-year PPC covering the Bare Block. The agreement, announced in September, is valued at approximately $1.2 billion and involves an asset with more than 15.7 billion barrels of oil originally in place and more than 1,100 existing wells.

Chevron has also expanded its position. On September 2, the company announced updated terms for its Venezuelan joint ventures, including additional acreage in the Orinoco Belt and plans to invest more than $7 billion over five years. Chevron said the investment program is expected to more than double production from its Venezuelan operations to approximately 600,000 barrels per day compared with 2026 levels.

These developments give the Venezuela Global Investment Forum a timely commercial focus. Delegates will examine the details of the reformed hydrocarbons law, PPC structures, fiscal incentives, mechanisms for international arbitration and other provisions designed to improve the conditions for international capital. The broader investment opportunity is substantial: Venezuela holds more than 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and more than 195 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, while the rehabilitation of its energy sector is expected to require substantial investment in production, infrastructure and refining.

The forum will also highlight the South-South dimension of Venezuela’s reopening. For African energy producers, the country’s experience offers areas of potential cooperation around mature-field rehabilitation, infrastructure development, technology transfer, workforce development and investment frameworks for resource monetization. The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has already engaged with Venezuelan institutions on investment promotion, technical knowledge transfer and cooperation across the energy value chain.

“Venezuela is demonstrating that regulatory reform has to be matched by real investment, real projects and opportunities for companies to participate across the energy value chain,” said NJ Ayuk, AEC Executive Chairman. “The Venezuela Global Investment Forum gives investors an opportunity to understand the new framework directly from Venezuelan leaders and to look at where capital, technology and expertise can support the country’s energy recovery while creating stronger South-South partnerships.”

As Venezuela seeks to restore production and rehabilitate infrastructure, the forum will provide a platform for investors to assess the commercial structures underpinning that effort and engage directly with the institutions and companies shaping the next stage of the country’s energy industry.

On ships, storage tanks, bridges, and other large steel structures, manual coating often struggles with harmful particles, high paint loss, and reliance on the painter’s skill. The HighMate AP-F-CO Coating Robot+VOC Recovery System handle exactly that. It attaches by permanent magnet, adapts to curvatures as tight as a 3m radius, and carries two spray nozzles with spacing, and travel speed. The flexibility supports even coating that avoids defects like orange peel and sagging, with overspray kept nearly negligible, at a production rate of 300 to 500 square meters per hour. The robot also features a recovery system that collects overspray of the paint during operation, keeping the worksite clean and reducing environmental impact.

The company also demonstrated the HighMate AP Ex Series (https://apo-opa.co/4zn1wR5), an ATEX Zone 1-certified robot with a universal magnetic carrier and interchangeable hydro blasting, cleaning, coating, and abrasive blasting modules delivering 40+ m²/h with over 99% wastewater recovery. Rounding out the display were the C20 Cargo Hold Cleaning Robot (https://apo-opa.co/3VzHBQ0), built for confined cargo-hold spaces, and the HighMate Ultra Series Surface Preparation Robot (https://apo-opa.co/4yZkcWH), whose flexible four-wheel magnetic crawler adapts to complex curved surfaces like ship hulls.

“We’re excited to show how the HighMate Series is taking on more demanding work in industrial settings,” said Dr. Hua-Yang Xu, Founder and CEO of RobotPlusPlus. “With the HighMate AP-F-CO Coating Robot +VOC Recovery System entering international markets for the first time, RobotPlusPlus looks forward to bringing more automation and efficiency to work in high-risk environments.”

FAIRFAX, United States of America, September 28, 2026/APO Group/ –The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, has issued a call for entries for the 2027 (eighth annual) Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards (www.MENA.StevieAwards.com), sponsored by the RAK Chamber of Commerce & Industry (www.RAKChamber.ae). Entry kits and complete details on the competition are available at https://MENA.StevieAwards.com.

The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards are the region’s only awards program to recognize innovation in the workplace in all its forms. The awards are open to all organizations within 17 nations in the MENA region: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

All individuals and organizations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit any number of nominations to any number of award categories.

There are no entry fees in this awards program. Organizations may submit as many nominations as they would like, without cost. Instead, organizations named as temporary Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners can choose to pay a “winners fee” for each successful nomination to maintain their Stevie winner status.

Nominations may be submitted online through two entry deadlines. Winning nominations submitted by the first deadline, 29 October 2026, will qualify for reduced winners’ fees. The second and final entry deadline is 26 November 2026.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be publicly announced on 18 February 2027. Winners will be celebrated during an awards banquet in April 2027, with the date and location to be confirmed.

New for the 2027 Competition

The 2027 competition features many new and expanded categories across artificial intelligence, apps, events, websites, achievement, company and organization, communications, human resources, management, marketing, new products and services, social media, sustainability, and technology.

Nominations citing innovative achievements will be accepted and judged in both Arabic and English, in more than 150 categories across the following category groups:

• AI Innovation
• Apps & Websites
• Achievements
• Annual Reports & Other Publications
• Company/Organization
• Corporate Communications & Public Relations
• Customer Service
• Human Resources
• Individual Professionals
• Live & Virtual Events
• Management
• Marketing
• New Products & Services
• Public Sector Innovators
• Social Media
• Sustainability
• Technology
• Videos
• Thought Leadership

Winners of the 2026 edition with multiple Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards include Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, ADNEC Services, ADNOC Drilling, Al Dhafra Region Municipality, Batı Anadolu Group of Companies, Byrne Equipment Rental, Capital 360 Event Experiences, CarrefourSA, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Dubai Customs, Eastern Health Cluster, Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, FLO Group, GSTC, Hail Region Municipality, National Partnerships and Capacity Development Agency – Ministry of Culture, NMDC Energy, Ooredoo Kuwait, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Vision Production Company, Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON), Saudi German Health UAE, TCS Dubai, Tosyalı Holding, Türkiye Sigorta, Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi A.Ş., and VakıfBank, among others.

The 2027 competition will be judged by more than 150 professionals around the world. Those who wish to apply to participate on one of the juries may do so at https://apo-opa.co/46PF9av