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Intrepid to host Global Summit 2025 In Sri Lanka

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Interpid

World’s largest adventure travel company chooses Colombo as the host city for its flagship people event

Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest adventure travel company, has chosen Colombo, Sri Lanka, as the host city for its annual Global Summit 2025. This marks only the second time the company has hosted the annual event outside its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia – underscoring Sri Lanka’s vital role within Intrepid’s global operations. #travel #tourism #MICE #PCO #Interpid

Intrepid established an office in Colombo in 2012 and has gone from strength to strength since then. With both a capability center and a country office managing trips across the island, Sri Lanka has become a key operational center for the company, supporting technology, revenue management, human resources, product services, finance and customer service. The size and impact of Intrepid’s local team with 276 office based staff and 45 Local Tour Leaders, coupled with the destination’s strong performance, made it a natural choice for this prestigious event.

Scheduled to take place from February 24 to 27, 2025, Intrepid’s Global Summit will bring together over 200 international participants over 50 nationalities across its 40 plus offices, including Intrepid’s board, co-founders, and core management team, alongside 300 local team members.

 

The Four Day Summit in Sri Lanka

The four-day summit will feature strategy discussions, leadership workshops, local community engagements and familiarizations trips to its people around the world. This initiative aligns with Intrepid’s broader mission to foster a strong, inclusive company culture where team members play a role in shaping the business. Bringing together key stakeholders in Sri Lanka signals a firm commitment to strengthening global teams and reinforcing the company’s presence in Asia.

It is also fitting that Sri Lanka has been selected to host the event, with Intrepid having been named Best Destination Loyal Partner at the recent Sri Lanka National Tourism Awards 2024, as well as being shortlisted as a finalist in Best Sustainable Practices.

“Our team in Sri Lanka are such an important part of our company and our customers also love visiting this incredible and vibrant country,” said James Thornton CEO of Intrepid Travel. “Our vision for Sri Lanka extends beyond tourism; it’s about driving sustainable growth and creating meaningful, lasting impact. The growing number of Intrepid travelers choosing Sri Lanka highlights its immense potential, and we remain committed to ensuring local communities share in the benefits of this success. I’m delighted that we will be able to share in the culture of Sri Lanka, while supporting local businesses and communities,” Thornton added.

 

In 2024, Over 4000 Travellers to Sri Lanka – 206% Increase from 2023

In 2024, Intrepid achieved remarkable growth, welcoming over 4,000 travelers to Sri Lanka, a 206% increase from 2023, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels. The company has ambitious plans to welcome over 15,000 travelers to Sri Lanka by 2030, contributing significantly to Sri Lanka’s tourism and growth further driving economic benefits for local communities, tour leaders, and small businesses.

“We are excited to welcome our Global leadership and colleagues around the world to Colombo. This is a remarkable privilege and a great opportunity to showcase Sri Lanka’s incredible offerings as a destination, share our vibrant culture, and celebrate our biggest people event in our Company’s Calander right here in my home country,” said Poornaka Delpachitra, Intrepid’s Country General Manager for Sri Lanka.

As Sri Lanka continues its recovery as a premier travel destination, hosting Intrepid’s Global Summit is a significant boost for the country’s tourism industry with the presence of top global leaders and decision-makers in Colombo.

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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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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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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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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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