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Mauritian Startup Black Swan Wins the MEST Africa Challenge 2025

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MEST

Black Swan, a Mauritius-based FinTech startup, has been named the winner of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2025 (https://Meltwater.org), following a high-energy Grand Finale at Innovation City, Cape Town on November 26, 2025.

Led by the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa) and powered by Absa Group, the MEST Africa Challenge is one of the continent’s leading Pan-African pitch competitions, providing a platform for early-stage startups to secure funding, mentorship, and global visibility.

The 2025 edition turned its focus to FinTech; spotlighting startups and embedded financial solutions driving inclusion, smarter payments, and digital transformation across Africa’s economies.

Co-founded by Derick Kazimoto, Black Swan is on a mission to “Make Africa Bankable.” Across Africa, millions of consumers and MSMEs remain invisible to formal lenders because their data is fragmented, informal, and difficult to verify; a gap that locks out capable borrowers and limits credit growth. Black Swan tackles this challenge by turning fragmented data into instant credit intelligence that enables precise affordability assessments and inclusive lending at scale. Its platform helps financial institutions see real risk, unlocking new pathways for growth and economic mobility across the continent.

“Africa’s financial system cannot see the true creditworthiness of millions of consumers and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) because their data is fragmented, informal, and invisible to traditional lenders,” said Derick Kazimoto, Co-founder and CEO of Black Swan. “This invisibility locks out capable borrowers, limits credit growth, and slows economic mobility. Our mission is to make Africa bankable.” Kazimoto added, “We believe Africa is shifting from informal, collateral-heavy lending to data-driven credit. A transformation that’s changing how banks and FinTechs trust, lend, and grow.”

MAC 2025 attracted hundreds of applications from eight of Absa priority markets, including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Mauritius. After a rigorous selection process, ten startups advanced to the Cape Town finale, where they pitched to a panel of judges comprising investors, Absa executives, and industry leaders.

Black Swan secured the winning position because their solution meets a clear need and shows potential to complement the services we provide across our markets

The Grand Finale was a celebration of Africa’s ingenuity;  where founders showcased real, scalable solutions tackling challenges across payments, credit, insurance, and trade finance.

“Congratulations to Black Swan and all ten finalists of this year’s MEST Africa Challenge,” said Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor at MEST Africa. “This year showed a clear shift toward building for scale; founders are prioritizing compliance, interoperability, and cross-border readiness from day one. FinTech is now powering real sectors like agriculture, energy, and trade, and that’s where lasting impact will come from. At MEST, we’re inspired to see entrepreneurs building solutions that are deeply local yet globally adaptable. It reflects a new maturity in African innovation; grounded in customer realities, and ambitious enough to scale across borders.”

As the 2025 winner, Black Swan will receive US $50,000 in equity investment, entry into the MEST Portfolio, and the opportunity to pilot commercial solutions with Absa business units across Africa; support that will help the company scale its technology and expand its impact across the continent.

“This year’s Challenge brought forward solutions that reflect how people and businesses want to manage their financial lives in a simpler, more accessible, and more integrated way. Black Swan secured the winning position because their solution meets a clear need and shows potential to complement the services we provide across our markets. The Challenge has revealed just how much opportunity exists to enhance customer experiences through thoughtful innovation,” says Tawanda Chatikobo, Head of Digital for Absa Regional Operations (ARO), Retail and Business Banking.

Now in its seventh year, the MEST Africa Challenge has become a launchpad for early-stage founders across the continent; offering visibility, mentorship, and access to partners who can help them grow. The Challenge continues to serve as a bridge between emerging startups and established industry players, uniting the agility of innovation with the scale of corporate collaboration.

“Congratulations to Blackswan on reaching this milestone. What resonated with us was the technical discipline behind their approach: the architecture, the clarity of the build, and the way they’re thinking about scaling responsibly. For us, the Challenge is about expanding Absa’s view of the technology landscape and identifying where new capabilities or partnerships might emerge.” Tamu Dutuma, Head of Strategy and Transformation for Technology at Absa Regional Operations (ARO).

Since 2008, MEST Africa has trained and supported over 2,000 entrepreneurs and invested in over 90 startups. The MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) is its flagship pan-African pitch competition designed to identify and support high-potential technology ventures.

Visit: https://apo-opa.co/48Rjvn5

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa).

Energy

Gwede Mantashe Joins African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as South Africa’s Petroleum Reforms Open the Orange Basin to Drilling

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African Energy Chamber

A new petroleum law and the prospect of fresh Orange Basin drilling is resetting South Africa’s upstream, and Minister Mantashe is taking the AEW host nation’s case to the global market

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 8, 2026/APO Group/ –Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources of the Republic of South Africa, has been confirmed as a featured speaker at the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Conference and Exhibition, where he is expected to lay out the reform agenda reshaping the country’s upstream oil and gas sector and its drive to convert long-stranded offshore gas into production.

 

South Africa is pursuing one of the most significant upstream overhauls in its history, anchored by a new law that gives oil and gas their own regulatory regime for the first time. The reforms position the host nation as both a destination for exploration capital and a future producer along an Atlantic margin that has drawn the world’s largest oil companies to the region.

At the center of the shift is the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act (UPRDA), which President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law in October 2024. The Act separates petroleum from the mining statute that has long regulated both sectors. It also creates a single petroleum right covering exploration and production along with a 20% carried interest for the state. The UPRDA awaits a presidential proclamation to take effect, and implementing regulations that went through a further round of industry comment in early 2026 are now being finalized.

A clear petroleum framework and a credible state partner are what international capital needs to commit to the Orange Basin

Mantashe has emerged as the most forceful advocate for accelerating the sector. He has long-argued that South Africa must shift from importing refined products to producing its own, warning that dependence on foreign supply leaves the economy exposed to global price shocks. This shift becomes increasingly more importance in the current global climate, where supply security has become a major challenge – particularly for import-reliance economies such as South Africa. As such, Mantashe has repeatedly pressed for faster licensing and fewer legal delays to exploration. AEW 2026 is a key platform to bring this discussion to a global audience.

“South Africa has the geology for exploration. Now it is building the regulatory certainty it needs to turn discoveries into bankable projects,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “A clear petroleum framework and a credible state partner are what international capital needs to commit to the Orange Basin.”

Offshore, TotalEnergies – operator of Block 3B/4B in the Orange Basin – is preparing to begin drilling in South African waters in 2026 pending final regulatory approvals. The acreage sits on trend with the Venus discovery in neighboring Namibia, where TotalEnergies is developing the basin’s first oil project.

Onshore, momentum is building in Mpumalanga, where gas developer Kinetiko Energy’s Amersfoort project has logged sustained high-flow results and is advancing plans for an LNG pilot plant. Mantashe has also signaled that government is moving to lift the long-standing moratorium on shale gas development, with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) estimating recoverable Karoo reserves at 209 tcf.

Mantashe is also expected to report on successes of the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC), the state entity formed in May 2025 through the merger of PetroSA, iGas and the Strategic Fuel Fund. Positioned as the country’s petroleum champion, SANPC is intended to anchor state participation across the value chain as South Africa works toward 6 GW of gas-fired power by 2030.

As AEW 2026 prepares to convene policymakers, investors and operators at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from October 12-16, Mantashe’s address carries added weight as the host nation’s signal to the market. His message is expected to be direct: South Africa is open for upstream investment and ready to move from potential to production.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Business

Digital transformation journey takes centre stage at ANGOTIC 2026

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ANGOTIC 2026

In Luanda, ANGOTIC 2026 is expected to attract more than 20,000 participants and visitors, including prominent international political figures, global ICT industry leaders, national and international exhibiting companies

LUANDA, Angola, June 5, 2026/APO Group/ –The sixth edition of ANGOTIC – International Information and Communication Technologies Forum (www.ANGOTIC.ao) – will take place in Luanda at the Talatona Convention Centre on 11, 12 and 13 June 2026 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday).

Under the theme “On the Road to Digital Transformation”, a slogan that was neither randomly chosen nor defined by chance, the event seeks to highlight the achievements attained by the Angolan Government in recent years. These achievements are based on the strengthening, improvement and expansion of ICT infrastructure, including ANGOSAT-2 and the National Space Programme, the National Broadband Network Project, the expansion and reinforcement of fibre-optic networks, particularly the 2Africa submarine cable, the implementation of the INAMET modernisation programme, Digital Terrestrial Television, and more recently, the commissioning of the Government Data Centre and Cloud Platform.

These and other initiatives have facilitated and expanded access to telecommunications and information technology services for citizens, while encouraging operators to continuously develop solutions tailored to the needs of businesses and individuals.

ANGOTIC presents itself as an international platform for fostering and strengthening relationships, bringing together exhibitions of products and services based on the innovative capacity of operators, presentations and debates on current ICT-related topics and challenges. It also serves as a privileged venue for training and capacity-building initiatives, the launch of new products and services, the strengthening of relationships among operators through the signing of agreements and business meetings, as well as the promotion of Angolan culture.

At ANGOTIC, and in response to the needs identified by both the organisers and the market, participants will find, in addition to the activities already mentioned above, the Startup Zone and the Kids Zone, both of which will offer a vibrant daily programme of activities and experiences.

The Startup Zone, designed under an inclusive and integrated 360-degree concept, comprises the Entrepreneurship Support Centre, Investment Centre, Artificial Intelligence for Business Training Room, Digital Payments Hub, and a Hackathon focused on Artificial Intelligence and Space Technology.

At the Entrepreneurship Support Centre, companies and participants will be able to explore and experience all the stages involved in establishing a business, from the business idea itself to financing, feasibility studies, company registration through the One-Stop Business Registration Office (Guiché Único da Empresa), logo and branding development, INAPEM certification, and trademark and patent registration through IAPI.

Also within the Startup Zone, at the 360° Stage, all startups and companies participating in the event will have the opportunity to obtain INAPEM certification through the Entrepreneurship Support Centre, enabling them to benefit from advantages such as tax exemptions and eligibility to participate in public tenders.

At the Investment Centre, investment solutions for businesses, micro-enterprises and entrepreneurs will be available, as well as access to microcredit opportunities.

The Digital Payments Hub will facilitate partnerships with Pay4All for the integration of payment solutions through references, Multicaixa, Multicaixa Express and e-Kwanza into a single platform within 24 hours. The area will also feature the INAPEM business incubator (TWENDY).

The Kids Zone, a family-oriented space aimed at children, teenagers, young people, students, teachers, partners, companies and institutional visitors, among others, will feature the following key activities during this edition of ANGOTIC:

  • Kids Tech Academy – electronics and programming for children;
  • ITEL Creator Studio – podcasting, vector photography and digital content creation;
  • Robotics Arena – robotics workshops, assembly and demonstrations;
  • Future Careers Zone – immersive experiences focused on the professions of the future;
  • Immersive Tech Lab – virtual and augmented reality experiences;
  • STEM Simulation Lab – simulated science and technology experiments;
  • E-Sports Learning Zone – educationally guided digital gaming activities;
  • Electric Mobility Track – electric vehicles developed by students;
  • ITEL Brand Store – institutional products and merchandise;
  • Student Innovation Gallery – exhibition of 12 technological projects developed by ITEL students.

In Luanda, ANGOTIC 2026 is expected to attract more than 20,000 participants and visitors, including prominent international political figures, global ICT industry leaders, national and international exhibiting companies, startups from various provinces of Angola, approximately 100 national and international speakers, national and international media organisations—some of which will travel specifically to the Angolan capital for the event—as well as academics, researchers and technology enthusiasts.

According to the programme for this edition, the following have already been confirmed as of the date of this press release: 11 national and international companies as official sponsors of ANGOTIC, more than 300 startups—having already reached the maximum capacity allocated to them—approximately 200 exhibiting and non-exhibiting companies, and nearly 5,000 tickets already sold.

Regarding ticket sales, it is worth highlighting that, as in the 2025 edition, tickets are also available through the ANGOTIC website. The “Family Ticket” category allows up to three children accompanied by a guardian to access the ANGOTIC experience with a single ticket.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of ANGOTIC.

 

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Energy

Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027 to Define Libya’s Next Phase of Energy Expansion in Tripoli

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Etu Energias

Returning for its fifth edition, LEES 2027 will advance Libya’s $18 billion energy pipeline, targeting 1.6–2 million bpd, gas megaprojects and renewables

TRIPOLI, Libya, June 4, 2026/APO Group/ –The fifth edition of the Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2027 returns to Tripoli on January 23–25. Positioned as Libya’s landmark energy event, LEES serves as the country’s premier international platform for investment, technical collaboration and private sector engagement across oil, gas, power and renewables.

 

LEES 2027 builds directly on the outcomes of LEES 2026, which marked Libya’s shift from post-recovery stabilization to execution-led development. The 2026 edition established an estimated $18 billion pipeline of energy and infrastructure projects and repositioned the sector from ambition to delivery, setting the foundation for the 2027 summit’s execution-focused agenda.

 

A central focus for 2027 is upstream acceleration. The National Oil Corporation’s (NOC) 2026 licensing round introduced 22 on- and offshore exploration blocks, the country’s first in 17 years, alongside a mandate to drill 70 to 100 new wells annually. With support from the Ministry of Oil & Gas, LEES 2027 will evaluate initial seismic results, contract awards and the transition from exploration rights into operational development phases.

Production expansion remains a core investment theme. Libya’s output stabilized at approximately 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2026, with LEES 2027 targeting pathways toward 1.6 million bpd in the near term and a long-term ambition of 2 million bpd. The summit – endorsed directly by the NOC – will focus on infrastructure bottlenecks, field optimization and midstream capacity required to support higher output levels.

 

Gas monetization and large-scale infrastructure development will also feature prominently. Eni’s $8 billion offshore Structures A&E project remains on track for completion by late 2027, while discussions around Chevron-linked shale studies highlight potential resources estimated at 123 trillion cubic feet of gas and 18 billion barrels of oil across key basins, including Sirte, Murzuq and Ghadames.

Moving from licensing and planning into large-scale execution and infrastructure delivery, LEES 2027 is a focal point for this critical transformation in Libya’s energy sector

 

The sector aims to attract an estimated $3–4 billion in annual drilling investment following unified drilling regulations announced in 2026. LEES 2027 will assess early implementation outcomes, including operational safety, fiscal predictability and contract execution efficiency across upstream assets.

 

Meanwhile, Libya’s 4 GW solar roadmap is advancing, anchored by TotalEnergies’ 500 MW Sadada solar project. Supported by the Renewable Energy Authority of Libya as an institutional partner, LEES 2027 is expected to focus on financial close milestones, construction timelines and the scaling of independent power purchase structures within the national grid strategy.

 

Human capital development will also remain a strategic pillar at next year’s event, with the Energy JEEL initiative having trained more than 900 youth participants aged 15–35 in engineering, digital systems and energy operations, forming a national talent pipeline aligned with Libya’s long-term energy transition and industrial expansion goals.

Against this backdrop, LEES 2027 – which takes place at the Tripoli International Convention Center – will serve as the sector’s execution benchmark, converting licensing frameworks, infrastructure commitments and production targets into operational outcomes across hydrocarbons, power generation and next-generation energy systems.

 

“Moving from licensing and planning into large-scale execution and infrastructure delivery, LEES 2027 is a focal point for this critical transformation in Libya’s energy sector,” says James Chester, CEO of LEES 2027 organizer Energy Capital & Power. “It will be a defining platform where investment commitments from 2026 are translated into measurable production, capacity expansion and long-term energy security outcomes.”

 

Join industry leaders at the Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2027 in Tripoli and explore investment opportunities in one of Africa’s most dynamic energy markets. LEES 2027 offers a premier platform for partnerships, innovation and sector growth. Visit www.LibyaSummit.com to secure your participation. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com

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

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