CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 3, 2026/APO Group/ –As African governments and mining companies accelerate efforts to expand gold production and capitalize on strong global demand, African Mining Week (AMW) 2026, taking place October 14–16 in Cape Town, will spotlight the policies, partnerships and investments driving the continent’s next phase of growth in the gold sector.

 

The event will feature a dedicated panel, Expanding Africa’s Gold Output, exploring strategies to increase gold production, formalize artisanal and small-scale mining and strengthen investment across the value chain.

The session will be moderated by Matt Banton, Head of Mining at Moore Global, and feature Fousseni Togola, President of the Mali Chamber of Mines, and Benford Mokoatle, Executive Vice President: South Africa at Gold Fields.

The discussion comes as the global gold market continues to strengthen. Gold prices have remained above $4,000 per ounce throughout 2026, supported by sustained central bank demand as countries increase gold reserves to diversify foreign exchange holdings and strengthen financial resilience. Across Africa, central banks in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Egypt and Namibia have expanded gold purchase programs, reinforcing demand while creating new opportunities for domestic producers.

African gold-producing nations are responding by introducing reforms aimed at increasing production and improving sector governance. In Mali, the government is strengthening the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector as part of its strategy to maintain annual gold production above 60 metric tons. In July 2026, the country established the Malian Office of Precious Substances, a new state institution responsible for regulating and formalizing artisanal gold production across approximately 400 mining sites employing nearly two million people. At the same time, Mali continues to strengthen partnerships with major mining companies, including Barrick, B2Gold, Toubani Resources and Cora Gold, to sustain long-term production growth and attract additional investment.

At AMW 2026, Togola is expected to discuss how the Mali Chamber of Mines is supporting these reforms while highlighting the investment opportunities emerging across the country’s gold sector. His participation will explore the role of chamber members in expanding production, strengthening local participation and positioning Mali among Africa’s leading gold producers.

South Africa is also advancing initiatives to revitalize its gold industry through increased exploration and long-term mine investment. Earlier this year, the government expanded the Junior Mining Exploration Fund to R600 million, improving access to exploration capital for emerging mining companies and supporting efforts to unlock new gold discoveries.

Complementing these national initiatives, Gold Fields is investing R1.714 billion through 2027 to deepen its flagship South Deep Mine, positioning the operation as a long-life production hub well beyond 2030. Gold Fields’ Mokoatle is expected to provide an update on the company’s long-term investment strategy, highlighting how innovation and sustained capital investment are supporting South Africa’s efforts to strengthen gold production.

As investment accelerates across Africa’s gold sector, AMW 2026 provides a premier platform to connect governments, producers, investors and service providers, advancing the partnerships and capital needed to unlock the continent’s next phase of gold production growth.

 

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 3, 2026/APO Group/ –The African Power & Energy Elites, brought to you by ESI Africa, part of VUKA Group (https://WeAreVUKA.com), has officially rebranded as the African Infrastructure Elites: People and Projects.

The new identity reflects the initiative’s evolving reach and its recognition of the interconnected people, projects and systems supporting Africa’s socioeconomic growth. While power and energy remain central to the platform, the African Infrastructure Elites will provide a broader space to recognise leadership, innovation and delivery across essential infrastructure sectors, including energy, water and transport.

Now entering its 11th edition, the annual African Elites initiative has built a strong legacy of showcasing the professionals and projects making a measurable contribution to the continent. Previous volumes have profiled utility executives, engineers, developers, financiers, policymakers, emerging professionals and project teams working to improve infrastructure access, resilience and sustainability.

The rebrand builds on this legacy while creating greater opportunity to tell the stories behind Africa’s infrastructure transformation.

The African Infrastructure Elites will continue to recognise both established leaders and rising stars, as well as projects across categories that include grid-tied and off-grid infrastructure, smart and digital solutions, clean transport (rail, road, air, shipping), energy at mines, water and sanitation, and finance and investment.

African Infrastructure Elites Advisory Board

Each nomination will be reviewed by the African Infrastructure Elites Advisory Board, a panel of experienced industry professionals responsible for assessing submissions on merit. The board’s independent vetting process plays an essential role in maintaining the credibility of the annual publication and ensuring that the selected people and projects demonstrate meaningful achievement, innovation and impact.

The Advisory Board includes:

Chanda Nxumalo – Managing Director, Harmattan Renewables, South Africa

George Aluru — Chief Executive Officer, Electricity Sector Association of Kenya (ESAK)

Gordon Molefe — Founder and CEO, Business4U Consultants, Botswana

Ifey Ikoneu — Energy Policy, Markets & Regulation Consultant, Ghana

Suleiman Babamanu — Nigeria Program Director, RMI

Yolanda Mabuto — Managing Director, Divaine Growth Solutions, South Africa

Selected nominees will be featured in the African Infrastructure Elites: People and Projects 2026/2027 publication and promoted through ESI Africa’s digital channels, multimedia platforms, webinars, social media campaigns and industry events.

The African Infrastructure Elites online library will also continue to provide access to previous editions, preserving a record of the individuals and projects that have shaped Africa’s power, energy and infrastructure landscape over the years.

Organisations and individuals are invited to nominate colleagues, partners, industry leaders, rising professionals or projects demonstrating tangible results and the potential to inspire or be replicated elsewhere in Africa.

Nominations for the 2026/2027 edition close on 2 October 2026.

This year’s theme, Access and Affordability empower security for All, speaks directly to one of Africa’s most pressing development imperatives. Reliable and affordable access to energy and power, clean potable water and sanitation, and sustainable and clean transport remains fundamental to economic growth, social wellbeing and long-term resilience.

Explore past volumes and submit a nomination: https://apo-opa.co/4xhe7UL

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 30, 2026/APO Group/ –Zimbabwe Regulatory Authority (ZERA) CEO Edington Tapera Mazambani, Gabon Oil Company (GOC) CEO Dr. Marcellin Simba Ngabi and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH) Chairman and CEO Rudêncio de Rodolfo Novais Morais will speak at African Energy Week 2026, bringing perspectives from three institutions at the center of Africa’s evolving energy landscape. Representing regulation, state participation and natural resource development, the executives will share insights into the policies, investments and partnerships shaping the next phase of energy growth across southern and Central Africa.

Their participation comes as African governments pursue market reforms, strengthen national energy companies and expand private investment to improve energy security and accelerate resource development. AEW 2026 – taking place in Cape Town from October 12–16 – will provide a platform to examine how regulatory modernization, state-led investment and international partnerships are driving new opportunities across the continent’s electricity, oil and gas sectors.

Mazambani joins AEW 2026 as Zimbabwe advances one of its most significant energy market reforms in decades. The regulator recently shifted away from unsolicited project proposals in favour of structured competitive bidding, improving transparency while creating clearer pathways for private investment. At the same time, ZERA continues expanding the country’s renewable energy pipeline, issuing new generation licenses that have added hundreds of megawatts of planned capacity, predominantly through utility-scale solar projects.

The authority has also launched initiatives to modernize the national grid, strengthen energy efficiency standards and prepare for wider deployment of distributed generation through future net-metering frameworks. Recent enforcement measures to ensure lower fuel prices are expected to reduce transport costs and improve affordability for consumers.

Meanwhile, Ngabi brings insights from one of Africa’s fastest-growing national oil companies as GOC expands from an equity partner into an integrated upstream operator. Since taking office, he has overseen a strategy centered on increasing state participation in Gabon’s petroleum sector through acquisitions, operatorship and domestic capability building. The company’s $300 million acquisition of Tullow Oil’s Gabon portfolio significantly expanded its production base and reserves while positioning GOC as a more influential operator across the country’s mature producing assets.

The acquisition of Société de Maintenance Pétrolière Afrique has brought drilling and well intervention expertise in-house, while new offshore production sharing contracts have expanded GOC’s operated acreage. These developments coincide with Gabon’s broader efforts to revive exploration activity, open new offshore licensing opportunities and modernizing refining infrastructure.

A geologist by training with decades of experience inside ENH, Morais has been tasked with maintaining technical continuity while advancing the commercialization of Mozambique’s vast offshore natural gas resources. His appointment comes as Mozambique seeks to accelerate financing and implementation of major Rovuma Basin LNG projects that are expected to transform the country’s economy over the coming decade.

Beyond LNG development, ENH is expanding its role across Mozambique’s broader energy value chain. Under Morais’ leadership, the company is supporting government efforts to increase domestic value addition by strengthening logistics infrastructure, pipeline networks and downstream facilities that can support long-term industrialization. The strategy reflects Mozambique’s growing emphasis on ensuring natural gas development delivers wider economic benefits through local content, industrial growth and improved energy access.

“Across Africa, governments are strengthening regulatory institutions, expanding the role of national energy companies and creating new investment frameworks to unlock long-term energy development,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber. “The participation of ZERA, Gabon Oil Company and ENH at AEW 2026 reflects the important role these institutions play in shaping competitive energy markets, attracting investment and ensuring Africa’s natural resources drive sustainable economic growth.”