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Mukuru distributes millions in aid to vulnerable Africans

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economic headwinds

Providing safe money transfers across Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 19, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Next-generation financial services platform, Mukuru (www.Mukuru.com), has successfully distributed millions in aid to disadvantaged recipients in Africa through its secure and transparent Enterprise Payments platform. This enables it to help many of those whose lives and ability to earn were disrupted by COVID-19 lockdowns and other economic issues.

At the same time, Mukuru has started using its established platforms to help businesses transfer cash around the countries in which it currently operates, offering a bespoke service making use of its current network.

The preferred African international money operator and fintech enabler will be rolling out aid transfers to more countries as it helps several UN organisations and other aid NGOs such as the United Nations Children’s Fund, Food and Agricultural Association, Red Cross, and Oxfam.

Mukuru has rapidly expanded its Enterprise services across Southern Africa, with significant focus on Zimbabwe, where it is already a uniquely trusted financial services brand and there is an acute need for assistance. This need is exemplified by its long-standing work with World Food Programme (WFP) project aid officials at the Tongogara Refugee Camp, where it distributes aid to thousands of vulnerable refugees, alongside support for the community. Here, it employs four staff from the camp to assist with service provision and has donated books and stationery.

“Positive feedback from WFP at Tongogara has given us the opportunity to expand to other camps in Zimbabwe, and we have also been contracted by other NGOs that assist with Bulk Cash Disbursements within the Tongogara Refugee Camp, such as World Vision, Church World Services, and Childline,” says Kevin Nyakotyo, Mukuru Enterprise Sales Manager.

Mukuru is currently onboarding clients across its extensive African footprint, using its reach and capabilities to ensure on-time payments for millions, and building exciting capabilities in newer markets such as Uganda, where it launched outbound and inbound remittance services this year.

Safe transfers

Our money transfer system allows for end-to-end traceability, ensuring that aid organisations can be audited without worrying about oversights in accountability

Michael Scott, Group Head of Commercial at Mukuru, explains that institutional aid donors insist on strict audit and accountability standards when funding cash disbursement projects, as corruption and poor governance can easily erode the value intended for delivery to vulnerable recipients.

“Our money transfer system allows for end-to-end traceability, ensuring that aid organisations can be audited without worrying about oversights in accountability. It also means that, on the off chance that there is fraud, this can quickly be identified and resolved,” says Scott. This accountability is enabled through its ability to identify and digitally capture the details of recipients in real-time at the point of cash disbursement, storing uniquely identifiable recipient information for inspection by Enterprise clients; auditors can verify a collection against digital copies of the recipient’s identity document and collection slip.,

Mukuru, a household name across Southern Africa, operates an extensive regional cash pay-in and pay-out network, providing its customers with convenient access to key financial services close to where they live and work. For example, says Nyakotyo: “Mukuru currently offers a much-needed service in Zimbabwe. As many banks are closing branches, Mukuru is consistently expanding its network of Mukuru-owned and partner payout locations to ensure exceptional urban and rural reach across the country”.

Nyakotyo adds that Mukuru prides itself in offering accessible solutions to customers with varying levels of basic, financial and technical literacy. Where mobile data network coverage is poor, making service via app or WhatsApp difficult, USSD enables continued access to Mukuru’s platforms. “To ensure financial inclusion, we need to be where the people are. Especially in terms of humanitarian aid principles, we realise that our offering needs to be relevant and suitable in harsh environments.”

Some (https://apo-opa.co/3Vny8JC) 80% of all labour migration in Africa is intra-regional, with the bulk of these people being low-skilled workers. Most African countries are either sources of, or destinations of, migrant flow, and those who move fill demand for roles in agriculture, fishing, mining, and construction as well as services such as domestic work, health care, cleaning, restaurants, and hotels.

To ensure that Mukuru gets cash to the recipients, it has supplemented its network of branches with over one thousand fibreglass booths, each of which houses one or more Mukuru tellers, and allows people to pay in, and cash out, across rural areas of Southern Africa, says Nyakotyo. A Mukuru booth brings socially uplifting financial services to a community, as well as employment opportunities for the teller and booth support services.

“We create a safe environment for beneficiaries to come and collect. We don’t want to make it difficult for them to access their funds. We serve everyone with the dignity that they deserve. It’s something we do proudly.”

Other services the company offers, and which it will continue to expand upon, includes Cash Transfers, Mukuru Funeral Cover, Enterprise and Aid Payments as well as the Mukuru Card.

The enterprise segment is a new area, and one that makes perfect sense, says Scott. “Having developed this extensive network to meet customers where they are geographically located, it made sense to extend our offerings to businesses, governments and nonprofits, where we can be as trusted as we are in the person-to-person space.” It provides a self-service web portal for these organisations to manage their transfers in real time and monitor progress of disbursements; bespoke reporting ensures that organisations can confidently rely on Mukuru to deliver the last mile.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mukuru.

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Reload Logistics Releases Outlook Report: “Unlocking Southern Africa’s Trade Potential”

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Reload Logistics

New insights highlight infrastructure, digital innovation, and sustainability shaping regional trade

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 24, 2025/APO Group/ –As trade corridors expand and the demand for sustainable supply chain solutions grows, Reload Logistics (www.ReloadLogistics.com) has released an industry outlook report titled “Unlocking Southern Africa’s Trade Potential in 2025 and Beyond.” The report sheds light on transformative trends in infrastructure, trade integration, and digital innovation driving Southern Africa’s logistics landscape.

Key insights from the report include:

  • Critical Minerals Driving Growth: Southern Africa provides around 30% of the world’s critical minerals for electric vehicles, including cobalt and copper, contributing to the transition towards cleaner energy.
  • Strategic Infrastructure Investments: The Kasomeno-Mwenda Road Project is removing over 300km from DRC-to-Tanzania routes, while the Dar es Salaam Maritime Gateway Project plans to double port capacity to 30 million tons by 2030.
  • Technological Transformation: Tech logistics solutions have improved route optimization by up to 15%.
  • Sustainability Imperatives: By 2030, demand for green logistics could reach approximately $350 billion globally, with exporters increasingly adopting lower-carbon transport options.
  • Transformative Trade Corridors: Port developments at Dar es Salaam, Durban, Walvis Bay, and Beira are enhancing efficiencies and opening cross-border opportunities.

The report projects that by 2030, the African Continental Free Trade Area will boost intra-African trade by over 50%, creating new commodity flows while regional infrastructure investments address network gaps.

Download the full report (https://apo-opa.co/3RuAwLx) to explore how your business can stay ahead in the evolving logistics landscape of Southern Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Reload Logistics

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African Mining Week (AMW) to Spotlight Investor Strategies Driving Africa’s Mineral Industrialization

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Energy Capital

African Mining Week 2025 will convene global investors in Cape Town to explore financing strategies, geopolitical trends and ESG factors driving Africa’s mineral industrialization

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 24, 2025/APO Group/ –African Mining Week (AMW) – taking place from October 1–3, 2025, in Cape Town – will connect global investors with high-impact opportunities across Africa’s mining sector, spotlighting the strategies fueling the continent’s mineral industrialization.

A key highlight of the event will be a high-level panel, The Investor Perspective: Financing Africa’s Mineral Industrialization. The session will explore the evolving investment landscape and examine diverse financing mechanisms – including bank loans, private equity, venture capital and impact investing – that are mobilizing capital into African mining.

DFIs Drive Infrastructure Investments

Attracted by strong returns and Africa’s long-term growth potential, development finance institutions (DFIs) are ramping up investments into the continent’s mining infrastructure. In March 2025, the African Development Bank approved a $150 million loan to Mauritania’s state-owned mining company SNIM and committed $500 million to the Lobito Corridor – a strategic railway project linking Angola, the DRC and Zambia to international markets. Meanwhile, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is backing several critical mineral projects, including Nyanza Light Metals’ $780 million PGMs facility in South Africa, Gecamines’ expansion in the DRC, Giyani Metals’ manganese development in Botswana and FG Gold’s project in Sierra Leone. Between 2014 and 2024, AFC invested over $1 billion into Africa’s mining sector. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is also deepening its commitment, providing more than $750 million toward the Lobito Corridor, $34 million for Pensana’s Longonjo rare earths project in Angola and $3.2 million to Chillerton’s green copper development in Zambia.

Geopolitics and African Prospects

Geopolitical shifts are intensifying the global race for Africa’s critical minerals, vital for the energy transition and digital economy. From 2019 to 2023, companies from the United Arab Emirates committed over $110 billion to African projects. In early 2025, UAE-based Ambrosia Investment Holding acquired a 50% stake in Allied Gold’s projects in Ethiopia and Mali, investing $375 million to scale up gold production. Canadian mining investment on the continent has now surpassed $37 billion, with companies like Ivanhoe Mines, Fortuna Silver, Pioneer Lithium and Trigon Metals leading expansion efforts. Similarly, Australia’s mining footprint in Africa reached $60 billion in asset value in 2024, supported by firms such as Sovereign Metals, Cazaly Resources and Atlantic Lithium.

Private Placements

Private placements are emerging as a preferred capital-raising vehicle for mining ventures across Africa. Companies including Zanaga Iron Ore, Moab Minerals, Global Atomic Corporation, Premier African Minerals and Trigon Metals are leveraging this mechanism to fast-track project development and attract investor interest. As ESG criteria take center stage in investment decision-making, AMW will serve as a platform for financiers and project developers to engage on sustainability metrics, transparency and responsible investing.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power

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Moore Global Partners with U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) to Advance Critical Minerals Investment in Africa

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Africa Energy Forum

Moore Global has partnered with the U.S.-Africa Energy Forum in Houston to enhance investment in Africa’s energy and critical minerals sectors, leveraging its financial expertise to support sustainable resource development and global market integration

HOUSTON, United States, April 24, 2025/APO Group/ –The U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Moore Global, a leading global accounting, audit and advisory network, to drive investment and collaboration in Africa’s energy sector, with a focus on critical minerals. This partnership underscores the growing significance of Africa’s mineral resources in supporting global energy transitions and securing supply chains for key industries, including oil and gas, renewables and battery technologies.

Moore Global brings decades of expertise in financial advisory, investment facilitation and strategic consulting across key markets, including Africa. With a strong presence in the region, the firm has played a pivotal role in guiding energy and natural resource investments, helping stakeholders navigate regulatory environments and optimizing project financing. Given Africa’s vast reserves of critical minerals essential for clean energy and industrial applications – estimated to hold approximately 30% of the world’s proven volumes – Moore Global’s involvement in USAEF will enhance discussions on sustainable extraction, value chain development and the continent’s positioning in global markets.

As part of the forum, Moore Global will lead a dedicated private equity session on financing African energy projects, featuring in-depth discussions on deal structuring, risk mitigation and capital deployment. As a premier platform for U.S.-Africa energy cooperation, USAEF brings together investors, policymakers and industry leaders to catalyze deals and partnerships across the energy value chain. Through this collaboration, Moore Global will provide thought leadership, financial expertise and strategic insights – reinforcing USAEF’s mission to accelerate investment in Africa’s oil, gas and critical minerals sectors. With energy security and resource independence high on the global agenda, the partnership aims to shape impactful investment strategies and policy frameworks that support Africa’s long-term growth.

Moore Global’s partnership with USAEF marks a crucial step in advancing Africa’s energy and critical minerals sectors

“We are delighted to be a key part of this forum. Our global expertise, coupled with our sector knowledge and global relationships, means we can add real value to these conversations and ongoing energy projects. Moore has a wealth of knowledge and insight to share, and I look forward to working closely with all of those involved,” said Candice Czeremuskin, Moore Global Leader, Private Equity.

“Moore Global’s partnership with USAEF marks a crucial step in advancing Africa’s energy and critical minerals sectors. With their deep understanding of financial structures and investment landscapes, they bring valuable expertise that will help bridge the gap between African resource holders and global capital markets. We look forward to working together to drive meaningful engagement and sustainable investment in Africa’s future,” said James Chester, CEO,  Energy Capital & Power.

For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and more information, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com. Join us in Houston this August to connect with the leaders shaping Africa’s energy landscape and experience the momentum that drives ECP’s events worldwide.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power

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