Connect with us

Business

Macky Sall Has Excelled as an African Voice Speaking up for African Priorities (By NJ Ayuk)

Published

4 years ago

on

Sall

Sall has been particularly outspoken about Africa’s energy needs and the rights of African countries to continue extracting and capitalizing upon their oil and gas resources

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, December 7, 2022/APO Group/ — 

By NJ Ayuk, Chairman, African Energy Chamber (http://www.EnergyChamber.org)

When African Union Chairman Macky Sall addressed the United Nations General Assembly last September, he wasn’t shy about speaking up for his continent. The gist of his message? There is absolutely no excuse for failing to ensure consistent African representation in the world’s key decision-making bodies.

“It is time to overcome the reticence and deconstruct the narratives that persist in confining Africa to the margins of decision-making circles,” said Sall, who also is the president of Senegal.

Sall’s speech was about the need to give Africa permanent seats at the UN Security Council so, as he put it, “Africa can finally be represented where decisions that affect 1.4 billion Africans are being taken.”

But that was far from the first time he has called upon the global community to seek and consider African perspectives. From the beginning of his one-year term as the African Union’s chairman last February, Sall said he wanted to see fair, equitable international partnerships that welcomed African contributions instead of dismissing African priorities.

“Our continent cannot be a field which is the feast of others,” Sall said during his inaugural speech.

He also has spoken up for greater African representation in the G20, which as of yet only has one African member (South Africa). Multilateralism must “serve the interests of all,” Sall argued in October, or it will suffer “loss of legitimacy and authority.”

I commend Chairman Sall for his tireless work, not only to insist that the global community listens to and respects African issues, but also to build awareness of just what those issues are.

He has put African needs and priorities — including infrastructure development, greater access to COVID-19 vaccinations, food security, and an end to energy poverty — in front of world leaders ranging from Chinese President Xi Jinping to U.S. President Joe Biden. He has done the same at global events, including the 2022 G20 summit and the COP27 climate conference.

Sall has been particularly outspoken about Africa’s energy needs and the rights of African countries to continue extracting and capitalizing upon their oil and gas resources, even in the face of tremendous global pressure for Africa to make a rapid switch to renewable energy sources. Sall has firmly stated that, when it comes to the global march toward net zero emissions, Africa will not be in lockstep with the rest of the world at the expense of our countries’ well-being.

We are in an era when Africa needs fierce advocates. Nations and international partnerships are fighting for their respective priorities, and unless African leaders are willing to stand up for what our continent needs, our objectives will be pushed aside. Sall has, indeed, taken a stand.

We will not accept that polluting countries, responsible for the situation of the planet, tell us that we are no longer going to finance fossil fuels

An Unwavering Voice for a Just Energy Transition

African energy was not Sall’s only priority as chairman of the African Union, but he did, rightfully, use his platform to expand global awareness of Africa’s unique energy needs in 2022. He pointed out the hypocrisy of wealthy countries that harnessed fossil fuels to industrialize and grow their economies telling developing African countries that the world’s zero-emission goals trumped their right to do the same.

“We will not accept that polluting countries, responsible for the situation of the planet, tell us that we are no longer going to finance fossil fuels,” Sall said in September.

He made similar remarks when he opened the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2022 conference and exhibition, held Sept. 1-2 this year in Dakar. The MSGBC region comprises Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea-Conakry.

“In this new configuration of the world, energy resources are major assets for Africa. Therefore, we must not accept that our continent is an object of world geopolitics, but an actor, aware of its natural wealth of interests, which acts on the competition instead of suffering it,” Sall said, adding that made no sense for African countries to stop exploiting their oil and gas resources while more than 600 million Africans lacked electricity. “While remaining committed to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, we must continue to defend the interests of our countries in the run-up to COP27 next November in Egypt.”

And that’s exactly what happened. Sall and other African leaders fiercely defended Africa’s energy interests before and during COP27. The result? As multiple news outlets reported, African natural gas took center stage at the conference.

A Strong Collaborator

As I tweeted in November, Africa was fortunate to have Sall at COP27. He understands both sides of the African energy transition debate: the need for Africa to set the timing for its shift to renewables and the world’s need to address climate change. Sall advocated for ongoing natural gas production in Africa, which allows us to minimize carbon dioxide emissions while providing much-needed gas to generate electricity domestically, build our economies, and move toward industrialization. Sall also has pushed for the international community to help fund the renewable energy infrastructure Africa needs for a just transition and to provide financial support for African climate adaptation.

Climate adaptation measures have particularly been a priority for Sall. In his capacity as president of Senegal, he and the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), Patrick Verkooijen, partnered in 2022 to unlock $1 billion in climate finance for Senegal under the Africa Adaptation Accelerator Program (AAAP). The AAAP, Africa-led and Africa-owned, is working to bolster adaptation in agriculture, digital services, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and jobs for young people. It was developed by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in collaboration with the African Union.

Sall was among the trailblazers to convene the Africa Adaptation Leaders’ Event during COP27. He also co-wrote, with French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, an opinion piece for the Guardian about the AAAP. It emphasized the critical importance of increased funding from developed countries for climate adaptation initiatives in developing countries, particularly those in Africa.

What we’ve seen is a pragmatic approach from Sall, one that recognizes the need for Africa to continue harnessing its oil and gas reserves while working diligently to move toward the transition to renewables — and to build climate resiliency into Africa’s economy.

When Sall’s one-year term at the helm of the African Union concludes February 5, the many challenges facing Africa will hardly be behind us. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that Sall has been making a vital difference in his role. Sall has said, loudly and clearly, that African voices will not be silenced. Thanks to Sall, it appears that the global community is starting to hear that message. That is a step in the right direction.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Business

Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 opens in Lagos, bringing together leading African and diaspora creatives, investors and policymakers

Published

23 hours ago

on

November 6, 2026

By

The four-day gathering will convene leading voices from film, music, fashion, sport, publishing, gastronomy and business to advance trade, investment and commercial opportunities across Africa’s creative economy

LAGOS, Nigeria, November 5, 2026/APO Group/ –Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 has opened today in Lagos, bringing together leading creatives, investors, policymakers, business leaders and cultural figures from across Africa and the diaspora for four days of conversations, deal-making, performances, exhibitions and industry-focused sessions.

 




  

Hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria and organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, this year’s event runs from 5 to 8 November under the theme “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World.”

The 2026 programme spans film and television, music, fashion, sport, literature and publishing, gastronomy and visual arts, with a strong focus on finance, intellectual property, technology, skills, investment and market access.

Across the four-day programme, CANEX WKND will provide platforms for deal-making, industry dialogue and sector-specific engagement, including the CANEX Deal Room, with the aim of turning creative talent and ideas into stronger businesses, partnerships and commercial opportunities.

That ambition reflects the evolution of Afreximbank’s commitment to Africa’s creative and cultural industries in 2020, subsequently doubling this to US$1 billion before quadrupling the original commitment financing available to US$2 billion.

The expansion reflects Afreximbank’s wider objective of helping African creators and creative businesses build scalable enterprises, strengthen ownership of intellectual property and retain more of the economic value generated by African culture and creativity.

The opening ceremony is expected to feature addresses by Ministers of Culture and Creative Industries across 11 African countries, Dr George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, H.E. Dr Olajumoke Omoniyi Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, and H.E. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State among other dignitaries.

The programme will bring together some of Africa and the diaspora’s most influential cultural and industry figures. Participants include Nobel Laureate, writer and playwright Professor Wole Soyinka; Emmy Award-winning actor Uzo Aduba; filmmaker and actor Funke Akindele; actors Richard Mofe-Damijo and Thuso Mbedu; former professional footballers Didier Drogba and Jay-Jay Okocha; alongside leading figures from Africa’s music, film, fashion, sport and creative business sectors.

The event will also include performances and appearances from musicians and entertainers such as Davido, Fally Ipupa, Flavour, Libianca and Charlotte Dipanda, reflecting CANEX WKND’s combination of industry engagement with live cultural programming.

Beyond the headline names, the programme places a strong emphasis on the business of Africa’s creative economy.

On 6 November, a high-level conversation titled “One Market, One Culture: Building the Creative Economy of Global Africa” will examine the steps required to convert the growing global influence of African culture into stronger creative businesses, exports and investment. Speakers include Professor Wole Soyinka; ministers responsible for culture and the arts from Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa and Rwanda; International Finance Corporation representatives; and from Afreximbank.

Financing will also be central to the programme. The Creative Economy Finance Summit, presented by Afreximbank in partnership with the Creative Economy Practice at Co-Creation Hub, will bring financial institutions and investors together to examine how creative-economy transactions can be structured, financed and de-risked.

CANEX Creations Inc. will lead discussions on unlocking investment in African intellectual property, while the CANEX Deal Room and Creative Pitch Sessions will connect creative entrepreneurs directly with financiers and investors considering opportunities across film and television, music, fashion, sport, publishing, gastronomy, visual arts and creative infrastructure. Technology and the changing economics of creative production will feature prominently. Sessions will examine artificial intelligence, authorship and intellectual property; the use of technology to reshape creative businesses; and how African creators can use digital tools to develop globally competitive products.

The CANEX CreaThon, delivered with pan-African technology company Gebeya, will bring creators, developers and innovators together around projects in music, video and gaming, supported by African-built digital tools, mentorship, computing resources and a US$50,000 prize pool. Film and television programming will explore both storytelling and the commercial infrastructure required to take African content to wider audiences. Sessions include “Stories Without Borders: Africa, Hollywood & the Global Diaspora”, featuring former Afreximbank President Professor Benedict Oramah, and “Made in Africa, Watched in Africa”, which will examine research into film distribution, audiences and financing across Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.

Sport will form another major strand of CANEX WKND 2026. Discussions will examine athlete development, management, commercialisation and the links between sport and the broader creative economy. Didier Drogba and Jay-Jay Okocha are scheduled to participate in “When Giants Speak: The Business of the Game,” while the weekend will conclude with a Legends Football Match at Onikan Stadium on 8 November. Fashion programming will include masterclasses on building profitable African brands, textile value chains, market access and intellectual property, alongside the CANEX Fashion Show and Awards Night.

In gastronomy, the CANEX Junior Chefs Competition, Africa Jollof Wars Competition and a series of live demonstrations and conversations will explore how African food, ingredients and culinary traditions can become stronger commercial propositions across domestic, continental and global markets. Publishing and literature will feature through the CANEX Book Factory, Book Fair, writers’ workshops, manuscript pitching and the CANEX Prize for Publishing, while visual arts programming will combine exhibitions, collector engagement and practical sessions for artists navigating Africa’s growing art ecosystem.

On 7 November, CANEX WKND 2026 will host a major concert bringing together artists from across Africa and the diaspora, before the programme continues into its final day on 8 November with cultural excursions, gastronomy activities, the CANEX Music Factory Songwriting Camp and the Legends Football Game.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

 




 

Continue Reading

Business

Coca-Cola system invests USD 1.22 million to strengthen water security in Namibia

Published

23 hours ago

on

November 6, 2026

By

The initiative represents a nearly USD 25 million investment focused on helping address critical water-related challenges across 20 African countries by 2030

WINDHOEK, Namibia, November 5, 2026/APO Group/ –As Namibia continues to face recurring droughts and growing water demand, the country’s water resources are under increasing pressure. Windhoek is situated in one of the most water-stressed regions in sub-Saharan Africa, where low and unpredictable rainfall, combined with high evaporation rates, continues to challenge water availability and long-term water security.[1]

 




  

To help address these shared water challenges, the Coca-Cola system is investing USD 1.22 million in the //Gam-i Swakop Basin Resilience Project, designed to help strengthen water security and support ecosystem restoration in the Swakop River Basin, a vital water source for the city of Windhoek and surrounding communities.

The //Gam-i Swakop Basin Resilience Project aims to support improved water availability and help strengthen the resilience of the Swakop River Basin through nature-based solutions that support sustainable water resource management across the catchment area.

Implemented in collaboration with the Global Water Challenge (GWC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Namibia, the project includes the construction of two sand storage dams, restoration of 235 hectares of land through the clearing of invasive alien plants, and the planting of 750 trees in river buffer zones and environmentally degraded areas within Windhoek’s informal settlements. In addition, two boreholes will be drilled to support groundwater recharge in the Windhoek aquifer, and a water resilience action plan has been developed.

Through the Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, the system aims to help protect important watersheds and to improve access to water and sanitation in local communities

This work forms part of the Coca-Cola system’s Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, launched in 2024. The initiative represents a nearly USD 25 million investment focused on helping address critical water-related challenges across 20 African countries by 2030.

“Because water challenges are local, our approach to water security is focused on local action and collaboration,” said Alfred Olajide, Vice President of East and Central Africa Operations at Coca‑Cola. “The Coca‑Cola system remains focused on helping to promote water stewardship, increasing water use efficiency, and treating and returning safe water to communities.”

Henry Friedrich, General Manager of Coca-Cola Namibia Bottling Company (CCNBC) added: “As part of the Coca-Cola Beverages Africa group, we have a responsibility to assist those who face water scarcity and to help protect local water resources where we operate, especially in places with the biggest challenges. Through the Africa Water Stewardship Initiative, the system aims to help protect important watersheds and to improve access to water and sanitation in local communities.”

WWF Namibia Country Director, Dr Juliane Zeidler, said: “Water is one of Namibia’s most precious and increasingly vulnerable resources. This project is an opportunity to demonstrate how investing in healthy ecosystems can deliver tangible benefits for people, while also helping communities become more resilient to future climate pressures. We hope the lessons and partnerships developed through this initiative can inform similar approaches elsewhere in the country.”

“Collaboration is essential to addressing shared water challenges effectively. Coca-Cola and its authorised bottlers continue to work with governments, businesses, and civil society organisations to design and implement strategic interventions,” concluded Olajide.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa.

 

 




 

Continue Reading

Business

‘Power, Protect, Purchase’: Africa Made It unveils blueprint to capture USD 34B in GDP and accelerate African industrial sovereignty

Published

23 hours ago

on

November 6, 2026

By

Africa Practice research shows that Africa exports up to 98% of its raw cotton overseas and captures only 2% of its total value while incurring a USD 35 billion annual trade deficit

African culture, design, and storytelling influence global fashion, music, and media like never before

LAGOS, Nigeria, November 5, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa Made It (https://AfricaMadeIt.co/), the continental movement driving Africa’s industrial sovereignty, today officially launched its campaign, “Power, Protect and Purchase,” at the CANEX weekend in Lagos, Nigeria. Aimed at unlocking USD 34 billion in annual GDP contribution through a structural transition from unprocessed raw cotton exports to end-to-end local garment processing, the initiative seeks to turn Africa’s vast natural wealth into sovereign, self-sustaining economic power.

 




  

Africa Made It is driven by a consortium of leading pan-African organisations, advocacy groups, and media organisations who are positioning Africa as a global investment hub. Its flagship campaign, spotlighting the fibre-to-fashion value chain, presents a clear roadmap for continental industrialisation: securing competitive energy power for local industrial mills, enacting policy measures to protect emerging domestic manufacturers from unfair foreign imports, and rallying African consumers to purchase locally manufactured apparel. Together, these three pillars ensure that value created from African resources remains on African soil.

 

Africa Practice research shows that Africa exports up to 98% of its raw cotton overseas and captures only 2% of its total value while incurring a USD 35 billion annual trade deficit.  Building the continent’s domestic processing capacity in spinning, weaving, and sewing locally produced cotton will sustain nearly two million permanent industrial jobs and inject approximately USD 33 billion directly into domestic household incomes every year, in addition to a recurring contribution of USD 34 billion to the continent’s GDP.

 

While these figures reveal the immense macro-economic potential of the value chain, the true heart of this transformation lies in its human impact. Industrial wages and local lint purchases leading to increased capital circulation in rural communities can drive community micro-economic vitality and contribute to rural poverty reduction. Additionally, formal employment opportunities can expand drastically for women, as they currently make up between 70-90% of garment factory workers on the continent.

 

Realising this vision and changing the lives of millions of people requires a deliberate combination of targeted investments, supportive trade policies, and consumer mobilisation. A USD 1.8 billion capital allocation toward critical structural enablers for garment transformation is the foundation for bridging Africa’s missing middle in the fibre-to-fashion value chain.

 

Marie Wilke, editor-in-chief of the Africa Made It magazine, said, “African culture, design, and storytelling influence global fashion, music, and media like never before. Yet, without domestic manufacturing infrastructure, Africa’s creative authority yields very little economic return. Linking raw cotton harvest directly to local processing ensures that the intellectual property, commercial margins, and industrial jobs remain on the continent. It is time to wear our power.”

 

To learn more about the potential of Africa’s fibre to fashion value chain, watch the campaign video (https://apo-opa.co/4BKAIvY) or read the Africa Made it (https://apo-opa.co/4zvA5VF)magazine (https://apo-opa.co/4zvA5VF). Access the campaign website and resources in English (https://apo-opa.co/4zvA5VF) and French (https://apo-opa.co/4zrK8e2).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Made It.

 

 




 

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version