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META, UNDP, ITC and Others Partner Towards the Afrilabs Annual Gathering 2022

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The 2022 AAG aims to promote digital skills for inclusion & employment, encourage entrepreneurship and startups through legislation

ABUJA, Nigeria, October 16, 2022/APO Group/ — 

Several top players in Africa’s innovation ecosystem have pledged their commitments to be part of the 7th AfriLabs (https://AfriLabs.com) Annual Gathering (AAG), scheduled to take place in Lusaka, Zambia from the 26th to the 28th of October, 2022 with the theme, “Intra-Africa Connectivity, Collaboration and Innovation”.

These partners include: Mozilla, GIZ Make-IT, Africa Union, GIZ-AU, International Trade Centre (ITC), Venture Capitalists for Africa (VC4A), Wylde International, Zanaco Plc., Flourish Ventures, Briter Bridges, Africa Business Heroes (ABH) and GIZ-PAU. Others include Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), Accelerated Growth for SMEs (AGS),  United  Nations  Development  Program  (UNDP),  Intel,  Emirates  Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Meta (Facebook) and Brienze and Lloyds Aviation. The mass media is not left behind as TechCabal and Radio Phoenix have also signed up as press partners.

According to AfriLabs Executive Director, Anna Ekelodo, “Africa’s innovation ecosystem is at a critical stage of development and in order to facilitate the progression into the next stage, relevant stakeholders need to be deliberate and strategic with collaborative efforts within and across the continent. At AfriLabs, we are always delighted to work with new and existing partners in our commitment to enabling a thriving innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa, powered by our community.”

Matthias Rehfeld, Head of program, Make-IT in Africa stated the following about their participation at this year’s AAG, “Only collective action and joint investment can challenge the gaps, barriers and protectionism that stand in the way of African innovation. Make-IT in Africa is delighted to collaborate with partners like AfriLabs who believe in the power and work towards truly interconnected pan-African innovation ecosystems. With our support to this year’s Gathering, we wish to underline the central role of women in strengthening environments where innovation can thrive – not only, but especially when it comes to leadership – and advocate for intra-Africa collaboration and connectivity that taps into the female powerhouse.”

Also, Chris Odongo, CEO Wylde International stated that, “Wylde International ltd is very glad to be here to participate in the AfriLabs Annual Gathering in Lusaka, Zambia. We are delighted to share with hubs across Africa a data backed process that they can use to achieve entrepreneurship support success. The process is called “SCALE” and has been used by organisations all over the world delivering growth to the enterprises connected to their hubs.”

AfriLabs has created a digital platform that unites all the stakeholders in Africa’s innovation ecosystem under one umbrella

The AAG is the flagship event of AfriLabs, the largest network of technology and innovation hubs in Africa, and this year, will feature panel sessions, an ecosystem tour and a MetGala night among other activities. All these are geared towards sparking connectivity and collaboration among key innovation leaders from all over the continent. AfriLabs will also be launching several new initiatives birthed from the network. As a thought leadership organisation and a convening platform to accelerate innovation in Africa, AfriLabs has successfully put together a white paper that outlines ten innovation policy areas for African Governments to contemplate. The proposed policy pathways which will be launched during the 2022 AAG aims to promote digital skills for inclusion & employment, encourage entrepreneurship and startups through legislation, and create an enabling environment to attract investments among other objectives. The AfriLabs Policy Pathways highlight the voices of innovators, entrepreneurs, hubs and other stakeholders across Africa on what innovation policy priorities should be.

Furthermore, AfriLabs has reached new heights on the journey of digital transformation. Based on its 10-year growth and transformation strategy, AfriLabs has created a digital platform that unites all the stakeholders in Africa’s innovation ecosystem under one umbrella. The platform, AfriConnect, will be one place with the ability for Startups, Hubs, Corporates, Government Agencies, NGOs and other ecosystem stakeholders to connect, network, collaborate, learn, share and transact. In the future, this will transform into a marketplace, intending to bridge the divide between African communities, the technology & innovation ecosystem, and trade & research while fostering accredited information sharing.

Arjuna Costa, Managing Partner at Flourish Ventures commented, “We are thrilled to be sponsoring such a distinguished and influential event in the African tech space. AfriLabs, which focuses on building a community and empowering tech founders and entrepreneurs across all of the rapidly emerging tech hubs in Africa, fits perfectly with the ideology of our new Africa-focused pre-seed investment program. We appreciate the role that institutions such as AfriLabs play in encouraging innovative solutions to boost Africa’s burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit, and we are looking forward to partnering and helping accelerate AfriLabs’ ongoing impact.”

Alice Munyua, Senior Director, Africa Innovation and public policy program – Mozilla, stated that, “At Mozilla, our mission is to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the web, ensuring that the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all. We are excited to be part of the AfriLabs Gathering as we connect with startups, entrepreneurs, and other players within the tech ecosystem on the continent. Through one of our programmes, Lean Data Practices, we will be exploring privacy and good data management with the aim of boosting startup and entrepreneurs’ capacity on security and data governance.”

Commenting on partnering with AfriLabs, Zanaco Plc Head Client Solutions, Marketing and Corporate Communications Chanda Katongo said, “Zanaco Plc is pleased to partner with AfriLabs at this year’s Annual Gathering. As an organisation driving a digital first strategy, we believe that partnerships such as this and our presence at the Afrilabs Annual Gathering will support in accelerating our digital drive”.

Milou Van Bruggen, Associate Programme Officer (JPO) – Tech Sector Development Africa, International Trade Centre – United Nations stated that, “ITC is excited to participate in the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering at Lusaka. Under the FastTrackTech Africa project, which now falls under ITC’s new Switch ON initiative, ITC has done a lot of work supporting the tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in 7 Sub-saharan African countries – one of which is Zambia – over the past few years. In our work, we partner with and assist many business support organisations with a focus on tech hubs as they are the spill of the tech entrepreneurship ecosystems in Africa. We are supporting tech hub managers from Ghana, Ethiopia, Senegal and Uganda to come to Lusaka for the Gathering and host a workshop on the Tech Entrepreneurship ecosystem drivers in Zambia. We are looking forward to being part of this great impactful event!”

Don’t miss out on the rich content scheduled for the AAG2022. Register at https://AfriLabs.com today and plan to attend in-person or virtually.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AfriLabs.

Energy

Venezuela Energy Week Confirms 19 August Date for Houston Industry Showcase

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Officially supported by Venezuela’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and national oil company PDVSA, the Houston Industry Showcase will take place on 19 August, convening U.S. energy leaders ahead of Venezuela Energy Week 2027 in Caracas

HOUSTON, United States of America, August 10, 2026/APO Group/ –The organizers of Venezuela Energy Week (VEW) have confirmed that the Houston Industry Showcase will take place on 19 August 2026 at The Post Oak Hotel. Officially supported by Venezuela’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and national oil company PDVSA, the event will bring together U.S. energy companies, investors and policymakers to explore commercial opportunities ahead of Venezuela Energy Week 2027 in Caracas in February.

The showcase will feature Minister of Hydrocarbons Paula Henao as a keynote speaker, providing an update on Venezuela’s energy priorities, investment agenda and opportunities for international partnership. Her participation underscores the country’s commitment to strengthening engagement with global industry as it seeks to expand production and unlock new upstream investment.

Bringing together exploration and production companies, independent operators, oilfield service providers, engineering firms, technology companies and financial institutions, the Houston Industry Showcase will examine opportunities across exploration, production optimization, infrastructure rehabilitation and field development.

As Venezuela works to increase oil and gas production, demand is expected to grow for the technical expertise of U.S. service providers in drilling, well intervention, completion services, production optimization, artificial lift, digital oilfield technologies and infrastructure rehabilitation. Houston-based industry leaders – including SLB, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford and a broad network of EPC contractors, equipment manufacturers and specialized service companies – are well positioned to support the modernization of mature fields, improve operational efficiency and deliver the technologies and services needed for future upstream projects.

The Houston event follows a successful Industry Showcase in London, which brought together international investors, operators and energy service companies to explore Venezuela’s evolving investment landscape. Building on that momentum, the Houston edition will deepen engagement with the U.S. energy industry and strengthen commercial dialogue ahead of Venezuela Energy Week 2027.

Venezuela Energy Week – the country’s largest energy investment platform to date – has been confirmed for 22–25 February 2027 in Caracas. Organized by Energy Capital & Power, the event will bring together government leaders, investors and industry stakeholders from across the global energy value chain.

To register for the Houston Industry Showcase on August 19, visit https://apo-opa.co/4g0TncR. To learn more about delegate, sponsorship and partnership opportunities for the showcase or to secure your place at Venezuela Energy Week 2027 in Caracas, contact info@venezuelaenergyweek.com.

Supporting Venezuela’s Earthquake Recovery
Our thoughts are with the people and communities affected by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. As the country begins the long process of recovery, we encourage members of the global energy community to support relief and reconstruction efforts through the CAF Recovery and Reconstruction Fund for Venezuela, which channels contributions from individuals, companies and organizations to emergency assistance, essential services and long-term rebuilding efforts.

To learn more or make a contribution, please visit the CAF Recovery and Reconstruction Fund for Venezuela (https://apo-opa.co/4hkvteE).

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

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Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) Secures New Patent for Smart Stabilization System from Intellectual Property Office of Singapore

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The Smart Stabilization System is a pioneering digital market infrastructure designed to stabilize asset markets by intelligently managing supply-demand gaps and mitigating excessive volatility

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, August 10, 2026/APO Group/ –The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org) is pleased to announce that the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has granted a new patent for its innovative Smart Stabilization System.

 

The patent was granted on 10 July 2026 under Singapore Patent No. 10202250873B for the invention titled “A Computer Network Stabilization System and Method.” The patent application was filed on 1 September 2022 and was formally granted following a comprehensive review process.

This achievement reflects our commitment to translating pioneering research into practical solutions that contribute to economic resilience and sustainable development

The Smart Stabilization System is a pioneering digital market infrastructure designed to stabilize asset markets by intelligently managing supply-demand gaps and mitigating excessive volatility. Leveraging sophisticated algorithms and advanced simulation models, the system is designed to anticipate supply and demand imbalances and implement programmable stabilization measures before they escalate into market disruptions.

Unlike traditional stabilization mechanisms that rely on capital reserves, buffer funds, or external interventions, the Smart Stabilization System introduces a next-generation framework for achieving autonomous market stabilization through proactive and programmed stabilization mechanisms. By incorporating distributed ledger technology and cryptographic trust mechanisms, the platform enhances transparency, trust, and operational resilience for digital asset and commodity markets.

The successful patent grant reflects IsDBI’s growing contribution to technological innovation and its commitment to developing knowledge-based solutions that address contemporary economic and development challenges.

Since filing the patent application back in 2022, the Institute has continued to advance the Smart Stabilization System through ongoing development and testing, aimed to expand its practical applications and support future capitalization opportunities. These advancements have positioned the system as a potentially transformative solution for enhancing stability and resilience in increasingly digital and interconnected economies.

Commenting on this occasion, Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI, said, “The grant of this patent by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore further strengthens the Institute’s position as a leader in developing innovative knowledge-based solutions that leverage modern technologies to address complex development challenges. This achievement reflects our commitment to translating pioneering research into practical solutions that contribute to economic resilience and sustainable development.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI).

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Liberia to Preview Next Oil & Gas Licensing Round Strategy at Houston Investor Day

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The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority will host operators, investors and partners in Houston on August 19 to preview future licensing opportunities and showcase the exploration potential of its offshore basins

HOUSTON, United States of America, August 7, 2026/APO Group/ –The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) will present its strategy for the country’s next offshore licensing round at Liberia Investor Day Houston on August 19, bringing together international exploration companies, investors, service providers and energy leaders to discuss the next phase of Liberia’s upstream development.

Hosted in partnership with Energy Capital & Power, the event will provide a platform for the LPRA, led by Director General Hon. Marilyn T. Logan, to outline Liberia’s regulatory framework, investment priorities and plans to attract new participation across the country’s offshore sector. Discussions will focus on upcoming licensing opportunities, exploration prospects and the subsurface data supporting future investment decisions.

Liberia’s offshore sector is entering a new phase of exploration activity, with renewed international participation and a growing pipeline of opportunities. Following the award and ratification of eight Production Sharing Contracts in 2025, Liberia has re-established itself as a frontier exploration destination, with international operators advancing work programs designed to further evaluate the country’s petroleum potential. TotalEnergies is progressing exploration activities that include offshore geochemical surveys, 3D seismic acquisition and seabed mapping, while Oranto Petroleum has also signed contracts to explore Liberia’s offshore.

At the Liberia Investor Day Houston, the LPRA will provide industry stakeholders with insight into the priorities shaping the next licensing round, including the anticipated process, qualification requirements, available acreage and access to technical data. The engagement will give prospective investors a clearer view of Liberia’s exploration landscape and the opportunities emerging across its offshore basins.

The event will also facilitate direct dialogue between LPRA and the global upstream community, connecting companies with policymakers and industry stakeholders involved in shaping Liberia’s next chapter of petroleum development.

As exploration companies continue to seek new frontier opportunities, Liberia Investor Day Houston will highlight the role of regulatory certainty, data availability and strategic partnerships in unlocking long-term investment across Liberia’s offshore sector.

Registration is now open for attendees. Companies interested in Liberia’s emerging offshore opportunities are invited to join LPRA, investors and upstream leaders in Houston for insights into the country’s licensing strategy and exploration outlook. For more information contact info@energycapitalpower.com.

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

 

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