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Rise of the Printing Industry in Africa: Trends to Watch

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Printing Industry

The Africa Printers Market is expected to cross the value of US$ 235.3 Mn by the end of 2031

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 29, 2022/APO Group/ — 

The printing industry, much like any other industry, has gone through continuous evolution and transformation. New trends are progressively affecting the landscape of global businesses leaving no industry off the hook, with digital disruption being on the upswing ushering in the rise of digital technologies such as IoT, AI and more. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled a wave of digital disruption like never before, forcing industries at large to adopt these trends into their ways of working with the printing industry being no exception.

As per reports (https://bit.ly/3bBOZmR), the global printing market size is expected to grow from $311.53 billion in 2021 to $322.43 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5%. The printing market is expected to grow to $350.2 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 2.1%. Whereas, the Africa Printers Market is expected to cross the value of US$ 235.3 Mn by the end of 2031. These strong numbers suggest that the printing industry globally as well as in Africa is opening doors to embracing new trends and technologies.

The Digital Printing Boom

The African continent has seen an uptick in the use of digital inkjet printers given its faster printing rate as compared to the traditional printers. “The beauty of digital printing lies in the fact that it requires no manual setup which makes it an extremely efficient and fast process. This is particularly beneficial for low-volume projects as compared to offset printing, which is why we see a big demand for these printers in the market. There is also plenty of scope to introduce customization without any real turnaround time, making digital printing a popular choice given the fast paced world we live in,” commented Eiji Ota, Business Unit Director, Canon Central and North Africa

The Inkjet print market is right now worth $80.4 billion which is likely to reach $118.2 billion in 2025 according to latest Smithers’ report. Canon recently showcased its stellar line-up of digital inkjet printers at Gulf Print and Pack 2022 GPP.

Gulf Print and Pack (GPP) 2022, MENA’s premier trade show for print service providers at Dubai World Trade Centre

The Color Printing Revolution

In the coming years, we will see print service providers prioritizing on print security given the fact that they deal with multiple stakeholders for print projects

The past few years have seen a rapid upsurge in the demand for color printing all across Africa, thus paving the way for growth in the demand for Laser and Inkjet Printers across the continent. The massive shift from black and white printing to color printing has enabled the expansion of the laser and inkjet printers market, which consequently has driven the printers market in Africa. With an estimated 2,000 commercial printing companies operating in Africa, majority of which are small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs), this demand is predicted to intensify even further, contributing to the high growth of the printing market in Africa.

Canon’s newly launched imagePRESS V1000 places a strong emphasis on automation, tasks such as color repeatability and registration alignment are simplified for print establishments looking to produce a wide range of applications, from direct mail and business cards to booklets, posters, and other creative marketing collateral

The Significance of Security

Cyber security has emerged to be one of the top priorities for businesses, as industries are still struggling to come to terms with the after-effects of the pandemic. In the coming years, we will see print service providers prioritizing on print security given the fact that they deal with multiple stakeholders for print projects. Hybrid ways of working are here to stay and have introduced new challenges when it comes to security, hackers are increasingly adopting innovative ways of cyber-attacks, making organization data more vulnerable. The threat of regulatory fines and subsequent loss of business has the potential to cause ongoing damage to organizations. “The transition to hybrid and remote ways of working has highlighted a very important issue for organizations which was majorly overlooked in the past and that being Cyber Security. The efficient and secure management of data and information is vital to the health of any organization. Similar to any device connected to your network, your printers could be endangering your information security if not implemented and managed carefully. At Canon, our third generation imageRUNNER ADVANCE devices introduce security information event management (SIEM) integration, which makes it easier for enterprises to include printers in their existing security monitoring systems,” remarked Eiji Ota, Business Unit Director, Canon Central and North Africa

Going Green

The wave of sustainability has taken most if not all industries by storm and for the right reasons. Businesses are placing emphasis on reducing their environmental impact as well as increasing their scores on the sustainability index. The current trends forecast a mounting demand for products that can offer both high functionality and low environmental impact. Canon’s Managed Print Services combine industry leading technologies and services to seamlessly that have supported customers in reducing their environmental impacts by up to 60%. Recycling of printing products such as ink cartridges will play a big role in reducing the impact on the environment and local communities in the future.

Cloud and Connectivity

As digital disruption continues to intensify, we are witnessing an upswing of cloud computing where applications and products are no longer hosted on the desktops or on laptops and instead, the users can directly access such services from the “cloud”. Consequentially, cloud printing is emerging to be one of the hot trends in the industry with 67% of organizations expecting to increase their use of cloud print management, with a further 5% planning to move completely to cloud printing according to this report (https://bit.ly/3bEdfEU).

“The COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed business priorities and ways of working around the globe, people now prefer to work in the cloud as it has benefits such as flexibility, the potential to increase productivity and efficiency, while delivering real cost benefits. Providing cloud-managed print services is no longer an add-on but a pre-requisite. Printing services that are convenient, cost-effective, environment friendly while delivering a great quality output will pave the path for future trends in the printing industry across Africa,” summarized Eiji Ota, Business Unit Director, Canon Central and North Africa

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).

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Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

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

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