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Sonahydro Director General (DG) to Champion Sustainable Exploration Dialogue During African Energy Week (AEW) 2023

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Marcellin Bilomba Mbale

Marcellin Bilomba Mbale, Director General of Sonahydro SA, will speak at African Energy Week 2023 on the frontier potential of the Democratic Republic of Congo and how the country is prioritizing local content and sustainability in its oil and gas industry

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 4, 2023/APO Group/ — 

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) – the voice of the African energy sector – is proud to announce that Marcellin Bilomba Mbale, Director General of the National Oil Company (NOC) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will speak at this year’s edition of the African Energy Week (AEW) conference and exhibition – Africa’s premier event for the energy sector, scheduled for 16 – 20 October in Cape Town. During the event, Mbale will provide insights into how the country plans on integrating sustainability with oil and gas exploration, and how regional collaboration is set to accelerate the country’s local content and infrastructure development.

Representing one of the final frontiers for oil and gas exploration worldwide, the DRC – through Sonahydro – is working towards unlocking the full potential of its untapped acreage with the aim of scaling up energy security and long-term economic growth. While the country’s proven oil reserves equate to 180 million barrels, estimated reserves are measured at over five billion barrels, offering lucrative opportunities for frontier E&P players.

Under efforts to boost foreign direct investment and attract new players to the sector, the DRC launched a 30-block licensing round in 2022. To date, three gas blocks have been awarded with 27 oil blocks still on offer. As such, AEW 2023, with its upstream-focused panel discussions and numerous networking opportunities, represents the best platform for Mbale to showcase the central African country’s upstream potential, signing new deals with E&P players. In addition to bringing in new investments and players across the DRC’s energy landscape, the licensing round will help increase the country’s oil production from the current rate of 25,000 barrels of oil per day. Sonahydro, in partnership with international E&P firm Perenco, is responsible for this production.

Sonahydro has played a crucial role in laying the foundation on which the DRC’s energy market is expanding

As a frontier market, the DRC is also leveraging cooperation with regional producing neighbors, including Angola, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo, to advance energy security, infrastructure and local content development. DRC stands to learn a great deal from regional producing markets, particularly when it comes to sustainable hydrocarbon practices. Through knowledge and skills transfer, the DRC plans on scaling-up sustainability within its sector while ensuring new developments prioritize environmental protection and economic opportunities.  

Partnerships with regional producers include a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Uganda for the utilization of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline; an agreement signed with Equatorial Guinea for the joint development of an oil refinery and storage facilities in the DRC; and a deal signed with Angola for the joint development of Block 14 – situated on the maritime border of the two countries. AEW 2023, with its regional cooperation focus, represents the best platform for Mbale to network with representatives from NOCs from other African countries to discuss current and potential partnership opportunities.

“Sonahydro has played a crucial role in laying the foundation on which the DRC’s energy market is expanding. The NOC is targeting unlocking the country’s full energy potential through a series of exploration and production activities and partnerships with regional and global energy players. The untapped energy potential across the DRC’s Coastal Basin, the La Cuvette Basin and the West Branch Basins will be crucial for driving regional energy security and adding value into the local economy,” states NJ Ayuk, the Executive Chairman of the AEC.

Taking place under the theme ‘The Energy Renaissance: Prioritizing Energy Poverty, People, the Planet, Industrialization and Free Markets’, AEW 2023 will unite African hydrocarbon producing countries including the DRC with global investors to showcase, discuss and maximize investment and partnership opportunities within the continent’s burgeoning energy industry.

AEW is the AEC’s interactive exhibition and networking event uniting African energy stakeholders, driving industry growth and development, and promoting Africa as the destination for African-focused events. For more information about sponsorship, attendance, and partnership opportunities, visit www.AECWeek.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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The 27th China International Education Annual Conference held a cloud dialogue, where Yin Yuzhen and Saikaos discussed the exchange of folk ecological education

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November 11, 2026

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China

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 November 2026 – The 27th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE) hosted a “CACIE Talk” session in Beijing on October 30, where Yin Yuzhen, a Chinese anti-desertification pioneer, Bai Fan, head of the Luoyang No. 2 Foreign Language School Education Group, and their American friend Sakolsky, whose full name is Ronald Sakolsky, reconnected via video link. The brief conversation added a new footnote to a cross-border green story now spanning 26 years.
 




 
In the video link, Sakolsky said he had launched preparations on October 1 to establish the Sakolsky Foundation. He plans to work with the China Education Association for International Exchange to build a platform for exchanges between Chinese and American teachers and students, using people-to-people exchanges to bridge cultural divides. Communication and understanding, he said, are important bridges to a peaceful future for young people in the global village we all share. Bai Fan also noted that face-to-face cross-border educational exchanges can help young people learn tolerance and respect, and see a real, multi-dimensional China. Yin Yuzhen responded with a simple observation that resonated with the audience: planting trees and nurturing people both come down to perseverance.

The friendship had its origins in the Maowusu Sandy Land. In 1999, Sakolsky, then teaching in Luoyang, was moved by Yin Yuzhen’s story of taking root in the desert to control desertification, and raised $5,000 himself to support her afforestation efforts. Yin invested the entire sum in the sandy land, planted some 50,000 saplings, erected a stone marker bearing her friend’s name, and kept one dollar as a memento.

The two then lost touch for more than two decades. Yin kept up her sand-control work day after day while thinking of her friend far away. In May 2026, she posted a video appeal to find him and located Sakolsky within 26 hours. In August that year, the two met in person in Ordos and walked together into the forest that now stands there.

For more than four decades, Yin Yuzhen and her husband have remained committed to the Maowusu, bringing a total of 70,000 mu (about 4,667 hectares) of barren sand under control. The shifting dunes that once rolled with yellow dust have gradually become woodland and pasture. Today, 85 percent of the Maowusu Sandy Land in Uxin Banner has been treated, and the transformation of this sandy expanse is regarded as a model case in reversing land degradation worldwide. Over the years, the area has continued to attract volunteers from many countries to take part in desertification control, and people-to-people cooperation on environmental protection has continued to grow.

The goodwill that began with sand control has long gone beyond a single stretch of sandy land. On October 15 this year, Yin Yuzhen was named one of the inaugural “100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development” at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. There she joined Sakolsky and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu in planting a crape myrtle as a symbol of friendship, sharing China’s experience in desertification control on the international stage. Windblown sand respects no borders, and a shared commitment to ecological conservation has carried the story of two ordinary people out of the desert and onto the international multilateral platform.

The thread of people-to-people friendship clearly runs from the saplings in the Maowusu to the crape myrtle as a mark of friendship in Rome, and now to the conversation in Beijing about exchanges among young people. Sakolsky’s plan to establish the foundation is meant to carry forward the goodwill that began in the desert: starting from an ecological commitment, using educational exchange as a bond, and helping more young people build connections and pass on the power of goodness and beauty.
 




 

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Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group–World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) Investment Excellence Awards 2026 Announce Winners

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November 11, 2026

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Islamic Development Bank

Beyond recognizing excellence, the Awards foster peer learning and the exchange of best practices among IsDB Member Countries, helping transform investment opportunities into sustainable, impactful, and investment-ready projects

GENEVA, Switzerland, November 11, 2026/APO Group/ –The IsDB Group–WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 (https://www.IsDB.org) concluded today during the 30th World Investment Conference (WIC 2026) in Geneva, Switzerland, recognizing outstanding Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) for their contributions to sustainable investment, investment facilitation, and economic development across IsDB Member Countries.

 




  

The General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Egypt, received the IsDB Group- WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 for Outstanding Sustainable Investment Project for the Kom Ombo Solar PV Power Project, a landmark initiative that has delivered measurable economic, social, and environmental impact while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Invest Oman received the IsDB Group-WAIPA Investment Excellence Awards 2026 for Investment-Ready Projects, Partnerships & Facilitation Excellence in recognition of its success in developing investment-ready opportunities through effective partnerships, stakeholder coordination, and investor facilitation.

The National Investment Promotion Agency of Comoros received a Special Recognition Award for Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The agency was recognized for supporting investors at every stage, from preparing projects to aftercare.

The Awards are a joint initiative of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group and World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), established to recognize Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) from IsDB Member Countries that are driving sustainable development, private sector growth, economic diversification, and long-term prosperity through investment.

A total of 15 applications were submitted for the 2026 edition. Following an eligibility screening process, all eligible submissions were reviewed and assessed by an independent international jury, which selected the winners based on the published evaluation criteria.

The awards were presented by Mr. Ismail Ersahin, Chief Executive Officer of WAIPA; Mr. Sahal Almarwai, Division Manager of Outreach & Events Management at the IsDB Group Business Forum (THIQAH); and Mr. Kadir Basboga, Associate Manager, Regional Integration, Cooperation & Capacity Development at IsDB. The ceremony brought together IPAs leaders, senior government officials, investors, and private sector representatives attending the World Investment Conference (WIC) 2026.

Launched during the IsDB Group Annual Meetings 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Awards reflect the evolving role of IPAs in supporting investors throughout the investment lifecycle, strengthening investment ecosystems, coordinating stakeholders, and developing bankable investment opportunities. Beyond recognizing excellence, the Awards foster peer learning and the exchange of best practices among IsDB Member Countries, helping transform investment opportunities into sustainable, impactful, and investment-ready projects.

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

 

 




 

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Lord Nicholas Stern to headline Africa’s Green Economy Summit as continent looks towards 32nd Conference of the Parties (COP32)

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November 11, 2026

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COP32

AGES 2027 brings global and African leaders together in Cape Town to focus on financing and delivering Africa’s sustainable future

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 11, 2026/APO Group/ –Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, one of the world’s leading authorities on the economics of climate change, will deliver a keynote address at Africa’s Green Economy Summit (https://apo-opa.co/4iRv4j7) (AGES), taking place from 23 to 26 February 2027 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town. His participation comes as Africa looks towards COP32, which Ethiopia will host in 2027.

 




  

Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government and Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, will address delegates during the opening keynote session: “Ready for the World: Financing and Delivering Africa’s Sustainable Future.”

A foundational figure in shaping the economic case for global climate action, Professor Lord Nicholas Stern led the landmark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, which demonstrated the profound economic risks of inaction on climate change and made the case for investment in a transition to a low-carbon economy.

His participation comes as Africa enters an important period for climate action. With COP32 placing the global spotlight on the continent, the focus is increasingly shifting from ambition and commitments towards implementation: mobilising capital, building investable projects, strengthening resilience and ensuring the green transition supports economic growth, industrialisation and jobs.

“COP32 is an opportunity for Africa to change the narrative from a continent seeking climate finance to a continent offering some of the world’s most compelling green investment opportunities. AGES 2027 is about making that opportunity tangible by connecting capital with projects, policy with implementation, and ambition with delivery,” says Emmanuelle Nicholls, Group Director: Green Economy at VUKA Group.

That transition from ambition to delivery sits at the heart of the newly released AGES 2027 programme, with “Road to COP32: Africa’s Implementation Agenda” running as a cross-cutting theme throughout the summit. The opening programme also features a dedicated discussion on Africa’s adaptation and resilience agenda on the road to COP32.

New voices shaping Africa’s green economy

AGES 2027 is about making that opportunity tangible by connecting capital with projects, policy with implementation, and ambition with delivery

Professor Lord Nicholas Stern will be joined by a growing line-up of African and international leaders spanning green growth, climate finance, development finance, trade and investment.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Mallé Fofana, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Directorate for Green Growth Implementation at the Global Green Growth Institute
  • Satu Kahkonen, World Bank Division Director for South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini
  • Haile Mekonnen, COP32 Climate Finance Representative for the Ethiopian Private Sector and member of UNECA’s COP32 Climate Finance Technical Team
  • Aakif Merchant, Director and Head of Africa at Convergence
  • Dave Chalila, Head of Africa and Middle East Investments at GuarantCo (PIDG)
  • Roslyn Ng’eno, Senior Investment Expert at the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat

 

The programme will examine some of the most immediate opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s sustainable development, including energy access and green industrialisation, water security, sustainable agriculture, climate and nature finance, critical minerals, sustainable mobility, carbon finance, digital infrastructure and the mobilisation of institutional capital.

From climate ambition to capital

The COP32 conversation at AGES will be grounded in investment and delivery.

AGES 2027 is expected to bring together 700+ delegates, 150+ investors and 40 investment-ready projects representing a US$2 billion pipeline, creating a marketplace connecting African opportunities with the capital, partners and expertise required to take them forward.

New additions for 2027 include a Ministerial & Technical Leadership Roundtable, a closed-door DFI Roundtable and the Green Village, alongside investor roundtables, curated matchmaking and project pitches.

The City of Cape Town returns as host city for AGES 2027.

The full AGES 2027 programme is now available, together with the summit’s new infrastructure and SMME Dealbooks highlighting investment-ready African projects seeking capital and partnerships.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

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