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The dtic, Standard Bank, MTN & DHL Join Forces to Help African Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) Compete and Grow Across Borders

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Standard Bank

Multi-stakeholder partnerships to equip African businesses with the finance, digital capabilities, trade knowledge and logistics support needed to succeed in regional and global markets

Our ambition is not only to help SMEs trade more, but to help them grow sustainably, create jobs and unlock new opportunities across the continent

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 12, 2026/APO Group/ –South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), Standard Bank, MTN, and DHL (www.DHL.com) have announced a series of strategic partnerships aimed at helping SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa scale their businesses, access new markets and participate more effectively in regional and global trade.

 

Launched under the banner of DHL’s GoTrade, this series of initiatives are aimed at helping African businesses overcome some of the most common barriers to growth, including limited access to finance, export readiness challenges, digital adoption gaps and market access constraints.

Since 2021, GoTrade has launched in more than 50 countries, supporting more than 24,000 SMEs globally, including more than 8,000 women-owned businesses. Across Sub-Saharan Africa specifically, more than 8,000 SMEs have participated in GoTrade programmes and capacity-building initiatives. DHL will be investing 300 million Euro on the African continent by 2030, as part of this investment the company will continue investing programs that extend participation in trade and support sustainable growth.

“Across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), SMEs represent more than 90% of businesses and provide approximately 70% of employment, making them one of the continent’s most important engines of economic opportunity and inclusive growth. Despite their significance, many of our entrepreneurs continue to face barriers related to financing, digital adoption, trade knowledge and market access, limiting their ability to participate fully in regional and global trade.

We are excited to work with our partners to create a collaborative ecosystem aimed at addressing these challenges through practical interventions that support businesses at every stage of their export journey,” said Hennie Heymans, CEO DHL Express SSA.

The partnerships announced bring together complementary expertise from government, financial services, telecommunications and international logistics to create a practical support ecosystem for businesses looking to grow through trade.

The partnership between the dtic and DHL supports the department’s broader objectives around industrialisation, export growth and emerging exporter development. The collaboration will focus on trade education, capacity-building programmes, business clinics, trade missions, corridor activation initiatives and increased awareness of key trade frameworks, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other trade agreements that create new opportunities for African businesses.

“This partnership between the dtic and DHL demonstrates the power of collaboration in advancing trade and economic development,” said Acting Deputy Director-General Willem van der Spuy. “By working together with private-sector partners, we can provide businesses with practical support that enhances competitiveness, drives export participation and enables more emerging exporters (especially SMEs) to benefit from regional and global trade opportunities. Government’s role is to convene the right partners around a common framework, and this initiative reflects exactly that: the dtic setting the direction, with DHL and its partners Standard Bank and MTN strengthening delivery on the ground.”

Through its partnership with DHL, Standard Bank will bring its pan-African footprint, trade-finance expertise and cross-border trade ecosystem to help SMEs access new markets and participate more effectively in regional and global value chains. Standard Bank’s role in the partnership is to help SMEs translate export ambition into bankable, executable trade opportunities by combining finance, advisory support and access to trusted trade networks. In addition to banking and trade-finance solutions, the bank will connect businesses to its Export Readiness Programme, which provides entrepreneurs with the knowledge, advisory support and practical tools needed to compete internationally. First launched in KwaZulu-Natal in 2025, the programme has since expanded to Gauteng and the Western Cape.

Standard Bank’s strategic partnership with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) also enables business matchmaking, trade linkages and market-access opportunities between African and Chinese businesses. In 2025, the bank connected clients from four African markets with Chinese importers across product categories including rooibos tea, coffee, cocoa, nuts and wine, helping to unlock meaningful new export opportunities for African businesses.  Standard Bank’s trade and payments capabilities also help SMEs navigate one of the most complex aspects of international expansion: moving money safely, efficiently and across borders. By combining banking infrastructure with trade expertise and partner networks, the bank is helping African businesses participate in global trade with greater confidence.

“Access to finance alone is not enough. SMEs also need access to buyers, markets, trade knowledge and trusted networks. Through our Export Readiness Programme, our international partnerships and our collaboration with DHL, Standard Bank is helping African businesses build the practical capabilities and connections they need to trade beyond their domestic markets. This partnership strengthens our ability to support SMEs across key trade corridors, including within Africa, and to help them grow with greater confidence,” says Bill Blackie, Chief Executive of Business & Commercial Banking at Standard Bank Group.

Through its collaboration with DHL, MTN will help SMEs digitise and grow their operations by providing digital skills training, access to connectivity and cloud solutions that enable secure data storage, team collaboration, remote working and business scalability, digital payment capabilities, online marketing support. The partnership will also provide SMEs with mentorship opportunities, and guidance on expanding into new markets through exporting.

“Digital transformation is a critical enabler of business growth and competitiveness,” said David Behr, MTN Group Chief Enterprise Business Officer. “By combining MTN’s reach and digital capabilities with DHL’s international trade expertise, we can help SMEs embrace technology, improve business performance and access new opportunities across Africa and beyond.”

Together, the partners aim to create a stronger pipeline of export-ready businesses equipped to compete in increasingly interconnected markets. The collaborative initiatives are expected to support entrepreneurship, job creation and economic inclusion across African markets.

“African SMEs have the ambition and innovation needed to compete globally, but they cannot do it alone. Success in international trade requires access to the right combination of knowledge, finance, technology, policy support and logistics capability. By bringing together the strengths of the public and private sectors, we are creating an ecosystem that will help more businesses become export-ready, connect to international markets and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s economic growth agenda. Our ambition is not only to help SMEs trade more, but to help them grow sustainably, create jobs and unlock new opportunities across the continent,” added Heymans.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of DHL Express.

 

Events

Showcase Indian Ocean Convenes Private and Institutional Capital Across the Region’s Luxury Corridor

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real estate summit

The re-positioned, fourth edition of the flagship real estate summit highlights the Indian Ocean corridor as a proving ground for the world’s most recognisable luxury hospitality brands and independent operators, representing one of Africa’s most compelling investment stories

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, September 23, 2026/APO Group/ –Showcase Indian Ocean, formerly the API Mauritius & Indian Ocean Property Forum, is returning as a high-impact capital and investment summit that focuses on Mauritius as the centrepiece of a wider regional story where island destinations are maturing through capital investment, tourist demand and innovation.

 




  

Backed by API Events’ decades of B2B real estate, capital and hospitality events experience and headline-sponsored by Cushman & Wakefield | Broll, the event takes place at the InterContinental Resort Mauritius on 8 October. Now in its fourth edition, the event has been rebuilt around the transition from high-churn sales to institutional-grade investment, with a programme spanning regulatory changes, private credit, capital structuring and the integration of Agentic AI into dealmaking.

A maturing hospitality investment market

“The Indian Ocean is home to some of the most iconic destinations globally and the hospitality sector’s relative maturity is evidence of this, while the region still presents numerous entry opportunities for those not present,” says Wayne Godwin, Group Managing Director: International Markets, Broll Property Group.

Spearheaded by investment, real estate and hospitality leaders, the Indian Ocean Showcase programme will explore how capital is deploying across a corridor extending from Mauritius to the Maldives, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Madagascar, Réunion and Mozambique.

From growth potential to investable opportunity

The summit will also explore the growing prominence of GCC family offices and sovereign wealth funds in resort investment, alongside the shift from passive fund allocations into direct deals in hospitality, branded residences and mixed-use property.

“For investors, the opportunity across this market is not simply about identifying where growth is happening, but understanding where the fundamentals are strong enough to support investable real estate. Connectivity, infrastructure, demand and the ability to execute will increasingly determine which opportunities translate into successful transactions,” says Calvin Crick, Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield | Broll Transactions.

Emphasis will be placed on capital-light development models and the use of branded residences to compress developer entry requirements, evidenced by a wave of branded openings from global and independent hotel groups. The investment case is further underpinned by tourism demand, with Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zanzibar all posting record visitor arrivals in 2025.

Understanding distinct markets and occupier needs

We’re excited to continue our legacy in the Indian Oceans region with this repositioned event

While hospitality remains a key component of the region’s investment story, the opportunity extends across a broader real estate landscape.

“The Indian Ocean should not be viewed as a single real estate market. Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles and Réunion each have distinct economic, regulatory and occupier dynamics, creating different opportunities for businesses looking to establish or expand their presence in the region. For occupiers, understanding these local market conditions will be critical to making informed real estate decisions,” says Natasha Bruwer, Managing Director: Occupier Services, Cushman & Wakefield | Broll.

The broader agenda will examine the growth drivers shaping the region, alongside lessons learnt from mature markets and against the backdrop of new flagship projects. It will also explore emerging investment themes, including the Mauritius Real Estate Index, green bond structuring against DFI and institutional ESG bankability requirements, and emerging asset classes such as senior living, digital-nomad multi-stay models, resort logistics and asset tokenisation.

A dedicated design and development track will examine how two decades of master-planning quality have shaped long-term investor confidence in the market.

Beyond hospitality

“Beyond hospitality, the combination of high ease of doing business, economic maturity, and growth makes this an attractive region for commercial, industrial, retail, residential, and other real estate asset classes. As Cushman & Wakefield | Broll, we are delighted to support this event and are pleased to have this exciting partnership in place,” says Godwin.

“We’re excited to continue our legacy in the Indian Oceans region with this repositioned event, designed to answer questions of capital structure, regulatory positioning and long-term institutional confidence across the entire corridor,” says API Events Commercial Director, Murray Anderson.

“The decision to move from a traditional property forum to a capital, investment and hospitality-focused summit reflects the rapidly changing geopolitical environment, surging tourism demand and the maturation of Indian Ocean island economies.”

Event snapshot:

8 October, InterContinental Mauritius Resort

300+ global attendees (investors, operators, developers and financiers).

60+ speakers across 14 sessions

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of API Events.

 




 

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Energy

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Brings Oil Development Push to African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as Hydrocarbons Minister Leads Sector Agenda

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African Energy Chamber

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is advancing new petroleum data, exploration and infrastructure initiatives as Minister of State for Hydrocarbons Acacia Bandubola Mbongo prepares to address investors and industry leaders at African Energy Week 2026

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 23, 2026/APO Group/ –The Democratic Republic of the Congo is stepping up efforts to develop its hydrocarbons industry, with Minister of State for Hydrocarbons Acacia Bandubola Mbongo set to speak at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 in Cape Town, where she will present the country’s evolving oil and gas agenda to international investors and industry stakeholders.

 




  

Her appearance comes as Kinshasa moves to strengthen some of the infrastructure needed to support a more active petroleum sector. In July, the country launched its first national petroleum and gas data bank, inaugurated by Bandubola in Kinshasa. The platform is intended to centralize and improve access to geological and petroleum information, providing a more structured basis for exploration and investment.

Exploration is also moving up the government’s agenda. On September 15, Bandubola chaired discussions on accelerating the development of oil blocks 1 and 2 in the Albertine Graben, an area in eastern DRC where the government has been seeking to advance petroleum activity. The latest discussions underscore Kinshasa’s focus on moving prospective acreage toward development rather than leaving resources at the exploration stage.

The DRC has an enormous opportunity to build a stronger domestic oil and gas industry, but realizing that potential requires more than resources underground

At the same time, the DRC is looking beyond its borders for technical expertise. In May, Bandubola signed an agreement with Algeria’s energy minister covering cooperation in hydrocarbon exploration and production, as well as technical expertise and petroleum data. The partnership reflects Kinshasa’s efforts to draw on experience from established African oil and gas producers as it builds out its own sector capabilities.

The government is also working on the downstream side of the industry. Earlier this year, the hydrocarbons ministry outlined projects aimed at improving fuel supply in three provinces, including additional storage and distribution infrastructure. Such investments form part of a broader effort to strengthen the systems needed to supply a country with significant distances between producing areas, population centers and markets.

Bandubola’s role also has a regional dimension. The DRC is taking on a leadership position within the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization in 2026, giving the Minister an additional platform to engage with other African oil and gas producers on investment, technical cooperation and the development of the continent’s petroleum resources.

For investors, the DRC’s challenge is increasingly about translating prospective resources into a functioning industry – supported by credible data, exploration activity, infrastructure and partnerships. AEW 2026 provides a platform for the government to outline how it intends to do that and where international capital and expertise could fit into the next stage of development.

“The DRC has an enormous opportunity to build a stronger domestic oil and gas industry, but realizing that potential requires more than resources underground. It requires credible data, infrastructure, technical expertise and investment partnerships that can turn geological potential into productive assets and economic opportunity,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Acacia Bandubola Mbongo’s participation comes at an important moment as the country works to put those building blocks in place and engage investors on the opportunities emerging across its hydrocarbons sector.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

 

 




 

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Business

MSGBC 2026 Puts Technology at the Center of the Basin’s Next Energy Phase

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Etu Energias

Five technical presentations at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 will examine the technologies and engineering strategies needed to turn the basin’s resource base into producing, connected and commercially viable projects

DAKAR, Senegal, September 23, 2026/APO Group/ –The MSGBC basin is entering a different stage of its energy development. Discoveries are moving into production, operating assets are generating new data, and companies are using improved seismic interpretation and development concepts to evaluate the next wave of acreage. The challenge is increasingly about execution: turning geological potential into projects that can be financed, built and operated competitively.
 




 

Taking place in Dakar from December 1–3, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 will feature five technical presentations examining the technologies and engineering approaches shaping that transition, from subsurface interpretation and deepwater development to gas monetization and digital operations.

Sharper Subsurface Intelligence

The presentation, “Basin Architecture & Subsurface Potential: Mapping the Next Phase of MSGBC Exploration” will examine how new seismic data and production experience are refining understanding of the Atlantic margin. TGS Principal Exploration Advisor Felicia Winter will present the latest regional subsurface assessment.

TGS’s Mauritania MegaSurvey covers more than 100,000 square-kilometers, while its Jaan 3D project adds approximately 28,300 square-kilometers across Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. New drilling and production data are providing additional calibration points for geological models, helping companies assess petroleum systems and evaluate both established and frontier acreage with greater confidence.

Turning Discoveries Into Production

As exploration matures, engineering decisions become critical to determining whether discoveries can move efficiently toward first production. The presentation, “From Discovery to First Production: Engineering Development Concepts for Frontier Deepwater Assets” will examine concept selection, phased development and capital-efficient engineering for deepwater projects. Subsea production systems, long-distance tiebacks and flow-assurance requirements will feature among the considerations involved in developing complex offshore resources.

For operators, the objective is to manage technical complexity while keeping development costs and schedules under control – a priority as more MSGBC discoveries move into the development pipeline.

Building the Offshore Project Base

The “Deepwater Engineering & Offshore Project Delivery in the MSGBC Basin” session will focus on the next challenge: executing projects at scale. The presentation will cover subsea installation, FPSO and FLNG integration, contracting and offshore logistics, while examining how standardized engineering and modular construction can improve cost and schedule performance across successive developments.

A growing project pipeline is also expected to increase demand for drilling, marine, fabrication and engineering services. Coordinating contractors and securing specialized equipment will become increasingly important as multiple projects advance across the basin.

Finding More Markets for MSGBC Gas

Gas development presents another opportunity to move beyond individual projects toward a more integrated regional energy system. “Gas Processing, LNG Infrastructure & Regional Gas Monetization Pathways” will examine how MSGBC gas can serve LNG exports while also supporting domestic power generation and industrial demand. Projects including Yakaar-Teranga and BirAllah illustrate the range of monetization options emerging across the basin.

Regional infrastructure could further expand those options. The proposed African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, for example, could connect West African gas resources with markets along the Atlantic corridor, creating potential links between upstream production, processing, LNG and power infrastructure.

Making Complex Assets Smarter

As production expands, digital technologies are becoming increasingly important to managing complex offshore operations. The “Digital Oilfields & Intelligent Energy Operations” presentation will examine digital twins, real-time subsea monitoring, predictive maintenance and automated emissions tracking, with a focus on how these tools can improve reliability and reduce unnecessary intervention.

For operators, the commercial case is straightforward: remote monitoring, automated diagnostics and centralized technical support can help manage geographically dispersed assets without increasing operating costs at the same rate as production and infrastructure.

That shift from discovery to delivery will be central to MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026, bringing together the companies, technical specialists, investors and policymakers working to turn the basin’s resource potential into the next generation of energy projects.

For more information visit www.MSGBCOilGasandPower.com. To secure your participation at the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 conference and exhibition, please contact: sales@energycapitalpower.com.

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

 




 

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