CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 24, 2026/APO Group/ –Converge Africa is proud to announce that Amazon South Africa has confirmed its role as a Diamond Partner of Converge Africa 2026, reinforcing its commitment to accelerating digital commerce adoption, marketplace growth, and seller enablement across South Africa.

 

Converge Africa has become South Africa’s leading digital commerce and retail technology conference, bringing together decision makers from eCommerce, fintech, fulfilment, digital marketing, cybersecurity, and customer experience under one roof.

At Converge Africa 2026, Amazon.co.za will deliver a series of seller masterclasses, hands-on workshops, and platform demonstrations aimed at both existing sellers and businesses exploring selling on Amazon for the first time.

These sessions will focus on helping South African entrepreneurs understand how to launch, operate, and scale successful marketplace businesses, from onboarding and compliance, to optimising product listings, leveraging fulfilment options, using advertising and analytics tools, and building operational excellence at scale.

“Our Diamond Partnership with Converge Africa reflects Amazon South Africa’s commitment to empowering small businesses through practical execution, seller capability building, and collaboration,” said Suzelle Abe, Head of Marketplace at Amazon South Africa. “By empowering local entrepreneurs to reach customers nationwide through our marketplace, we’re contributing to small business growth, innovation, and job creation across South Africa. This seller-first philosophy underpins our decision to align with Converge Africa as an industry platform that prioritises execution, and skills transfer, enabling South African businesses to deliver the high standards of service and reliability our customers expect.”

Marketplace success depends not only on access to customers, but on the availability of payments infrastructure, fulfilment and last-mile delivery, advertising technology, data insights, and customer experience capabilities, all of which form core components of Converge Africa’s agenda.

The event’s multi-track structure, spanning fintech and payments, eCommerce, fulfilment, digital marketing, security, and CX, closely aligns with Amazon’s marketplace enablement strategy and its focus on building a resilient, scalable seller ecosystem that can meet the expectations of South African consumers.

“This approach reflects Amazon’s broader commitment to supporting local businesses and fostering innovation, while ensuring customers benefit from a seamless, reliable shopping experience. By investing in seller education and operational readiness, Amazon aims to lower barriers to entry and enable sustainable growth across its marketplace,” adds Abe

Converge Africa 2026 will take place from 4–6 May 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, welcoming commerce leaders, sellers, technology providers, and industry stakeholders from across South Africa and the continent.

 

• To attend, sponsor or exhibit, complete this form (https://apo-opa.co/4aNNYmC)
• View the live Programme (https://apo-opa.co/4qZbP9h)
• Visit the Converge Africa website (https://apo-opa.co/3P0iX7K)

 

Converge Africa 2026 4–6 May, CTICC, Cape Town

Frictionless digital commerce. Transacting seamlessly, without borders.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 20, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa’s Green Economy Summit (24–27 February 2026) will present a curated, deal‑ready pipeline of climate projects from more than 25 African countries. Since 2023 our mission has been unchanged: connect global capital with Africa’s ventures. This year’s portfolio spans early‑stage SMMEs and bankable expansion and infrastructure opportunities, together seeking approximately USD 3.09 billion in funding – roughly USD 90 million for SMME-stage pitches and nearly USD 3 billion for expansion and infrastructure.

The projects cover energy, waste, e-mobility and circular economy, food and agriculture, blue economy, built environment and nature‑based solutions, offering investors a rare, investable cross‑section of climate solutions across the continent.

 

Deal‑ready, technically validated pipeline

AGES is designed to accelerate transactions through focused pitch sessions, curated 1:1 matchmaking and investor briefings that align founders, DFIs, commercial banks, venture funds and specialist partners. The projects on stage are beyond concept: most have pilots, offtake LOIs or bankable feasibility studies. That technical validation, combined with near‑term market demand, creates investable opportunities – provided the right mix of catalytic capital, blended finance and structured risk mitigation.

Elodie Ashdown, Investment Project Lead at VUKA Group, adds: “AGES presents curated deal flow where catalytic investors can unlock both impact and return – from decentralised hydrogen manufacturing to circular industrial solutions and resilient food systems. Now is the moment to mobilise blended capital and turn validated pilots into regional industries.”

 

Strategic verticals

 

• Alternative energy: Projects include electrolyser BoP manufacturing, battery assembly, decentralised solar mini‑grids and AI‑driven energy management. These investments address decarbonisation, energy stability and domestic manufacturing, accelerating access to reliable, low‑carbon power and reducing diesel dependence.

 

• Waste management & circular economy: Initiatives range from pyrolysis and advanced battery recycling to medical‑waste sterilisation and composite manufacturing. These solutions turn waste into traded products and feedstock, reduce landfill pressure and generate measurable carbon outcomes – attractive  to impact‑focused and risk‑adjusted investors.

 

• Sustainable agriculture & blue economy: Proposals include vertical farming, organic‑waste‑to‑bioproduct systems, traceable small‑scale fisheries, seaweed‑to‑fuel pathways and insect‑based feed platforms. Combined with nature‑based investments – catchment  restoration, urban composting, market infrastructure, these projects strengthen food security, livelihoods and carbon finance potential.

 

Investor ecosystem & financing approaches

Expected investor participants are well matched to the pipeline’s needs:

 

• Multilaterals and climate funds: concessional finance and guarantees for large infrastructure and nature‑capital projects.
• Commercial banks and asset managers: project finance and structured lending for revenue‑backed ventures.
• Impact VCs and growth funds: equity to scale SME platforms and technology businesses.
• Specialist investors and sector partners: technical expertise that reduces execution risk and accelerates market access.
• Credit enhancement and local‑currency intermediaries: bridge foreign capital with on‑the‑ground lending.

 

Strategically pairing instruments to project maturity – from  pilot funding and blended concessional finance to commercial debt and equity – will  be critical to convert validated opportunities into industrial capacity and jobs.

 

Market context and readiness

Several market trends support investability: declining renewable and storage costs; stronger corporate carbon commitments and regulation; and policy and SEZ approvals enabling on‑shoring of green manufacturing. For higher‑risk technologies (e.g., some power‑to‑liquid pathways), staged financing that blends demonstration and commercial capital will be essential.

 

“African ecosystems are maturing and investor interest is translating into tangible manufacturing prospects and skilled jobs across the Western Cape and beyond,” says Amanda Ganca, Head of Investment at WESGRO.

 

Africa’s Green Economy Summit is a practical convening for investors ready to move from commitment to deployment. Founders will deliver concise five‑minute pitches followed by five minutes of Q&A, with curated matchmaking and targeted 1:1 meetings. Institutional and strategic investors are invited to attend pitch sessions, join investor briefings and consider catalytic commitments that accelerate manufacturing, job creation and resilient systems across Africa.

 

The Africa Green Economy Summit brings together an influential coalition of leaders and partners shaping the continent’s sustainable future — led by the Host Organisation, the African Union, with Sanlam Investments as Title Sponsor, Standard Bank as Gold Sponsor, and Silver Sponsors FSD Africa, Gautrain and UNOPS. Proudly hosted in partnership with the City of Cape Town, and supported by Government Partners including the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Summit creates a powerful platform for collaboration, investment and action — join them and many more as we accelerate Africa’s green growth journey.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, February 20, 2026/APO Group/ –Venezuela’s long-dormant oil and gas sector is rapidly reactivating in early 2026, sharpening the relevance of Caribbean Energy Week (CEW)’s First Mover Advantage in Venezuela’s Frontier session. Recent developments – including a visit by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to assess the country’s oil-sector overhaul, alongside new U.S. licensing measures enabling foreign companies to handle Venezuelan crude – signal a renewed pathway for commercial engagement with the world’s largest proven oil-reserve base.

Venezuela holds roughly 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, a resource endowment larger than any other country, yet decades of sanctions, underinvestment and bottlenecks in output have kept actual production far below potential. Recent shifts suggest a meaningful pivot toward reintegration and growth: expanded U.S. licences are supporting a return of Venezuelan crude to export flows, and global energy companies like Shell are exploring offshore gas projects that could position Venezuela as a Caribbean‑Atlantic gas exporter in the next few years.

Last month, Venezuela enacted oil sector reform laws that roll back state monopolies and open the industry to private and foreign participation, including potential minority ownership and arbitration protections. These changes – driven by interim leadership and influenced by U.S. engagement – mark the most significant overhaul in decades and are designed to attract capital and technical expertise back into the market.

At CEW 2026, the First Mover Advantage in Venezuela’s Frontier session will showcase how these shifts translate into concrete opportunities for investors and operators. With production targets set to rise – Venezuelan output has climbed toward one million barrels per day and could return to pre‑blockade levels by mid‑2026 under expanded licensing frameworks – understanding how to enter early and navigate the regulatory, fiscal and operational environment will be critical.

For Caribbean stakeholders in particular, Venezuela’s strategic location and resource profile make it a potential driver of regional energy security and market stability. Heavy crude from Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt has historically supplied regional refineries and markets, and renewed export flows could support Caribbean demand while enhancing trade linkages with North America and beyond. The session will unpack both short‑term plays – such as crude supply agreements and logistics optimization – and longer‑term strategic partnerships.

Investor interest is also being shaped by geopolitical dynamics. U.S. engagement – including calls by Energy Secretary Wright for a “flood of investment” – underscores Washington’s interest in balanced, commercially viable partnerships. While major U.S. firms like ExxonMobil remain cautious, reforms that reduce state dominance, provide clearer dispute resolution pathways and expand market access are being actively discussed and developed.

CEW 2026 will bring together policymakers, energy company leaders, financiers and regional energy planners to explore these dynamics in depth. Participants will gain insights into how Venezuela’s resource base, evolving legal regime and shifting international engagement can intersect with Caribbean and American commercial interests. For investors seeking first‑mover advantage in hydrocarbons or related energy infrastructure, this forum provides a roadmap for engagement at a pivotal moment in Venezuela’s energy resurgence.