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USTDA and AIF Showcase Women as Investment Champions

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Investment Champions

USTDA and AIF showcased how their existing partnership advances women-led sustainable infrastructure in Africa

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 28, 2022/APO Group/ — 

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and African Development Bank’s (www.AfDB.org) Africa Investment Forum (AIF) co-hosted a forum of 40 women leaders who are delivering high-quality solutions for Africa’s infrastructure needs. The forum took place during last week’s U.S.-Africa Business Summit, in Marrakech, Morocco.

During the forum, USTDA and AIF showcased how their existing partnership (https://bit.ly/3zaVKEx) advances women-led sustainable infrastructure in Africa. The closed-door gathering brought together women leaders from Africa’s private sector, the U.S. government, and international development finance agencies. It also supported the U.S. government’s Prosper Africa initiative to increase trade and investment between African nations and the United States.

“It is critically important to bring together women to talk about opportunities in infrastructure development and getting access to capital,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Director. “Our partnership with AIF will facilitate women’s entrepreneurship in Africa and spark the development of sustainable infrastructure in support of Africa’s long-term growth.”

AIF Senior Director Chinelo Anohu lauded the transaction-focused nature of the partnership.

“Today, we have been discussing the obstacles to investment, and how to surmount them. We also considered how to build partnerships across agencies, and how to share deal flows and collaborate on the missing pieces that will enhance infrastructure investment to the continent. This is a collaboration that we will continue as we head to the Africa Investment Forum 2022 Market Days in Abidjan in November, and to the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December.”

It is critically important to bring together women to talk about opportunities in infrastructure development and getting access to capital

Addressing the media after the women’s summit, Dana Banks, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for the U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit, said, “the discussion was a true demonstration of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to Africa and commitment to focus on women’s empowerment in the run-up to the U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit in December.” Banks also announced that the focus on women, and on connecting project sponsors with capital, will be one of the pillars of the White House Summit.

About the USTDA-AIF Partnership

In November 2021, USTDA and AIF signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support high-quality infrastructure solutions for sub-Saharan Africa. It draws on AIF’s capacity to mobilize capital (https://bit.ly/3J9lB4k) and USTDA’s focus on assuring the bankability of deals through its provision of feasibility studies on a grant-making basis. The MOU has already led to a mutually beneficial collaboration to advance sustainable infrastructure projects that support Africa’s long-term growth, as the two organizations share their deal pipelines.

This partnership with USTDA will help AIF advance several of its ongoing priorities, including its “Women as Investment Champions” (https://bit.ly/3oyn7DF) initiative, which was launched in 2019 and led to the establishment in 2021 of a stand-alone pillar for transactions that are not only founded and led by women, but also have a significant gender impact.

The Women as Investment Champions initiative will be profiled at AIF’s 2022 Market Days, taking place from November 2-4 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The platform is expected to increase the proportion of deals that are women-led, and women impactful, as well as build upon AIF’s March 2022 unveiling (https://bit.ly/3Bp3TIa) of 45 projects worth up to $50 billion for its virtual boardrooms. Eight of these were women-led with a value of nearly $5 billion.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Business

Canada–Africa Financing Forum to Convene Investors and Decision-Makers in Cape Town – May 14, 2026

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Ateau Zola

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships

TORONTO, Canada, April 29, 2026/APO Group/ –The Canada–Africa Chamber of Business (https://CanadaAfrica.ca) will convene investors, financiers, policymakers, and industry leaders in Cape Town on May 14, 2026 for the Canada–Africa Financing Forum—a high-level platform focused on unlocking capital and accelerating deal flow across African markets.

Registration is open (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships. The program connects leaders from venture capital, private equity, and institutional investors to examine where capital is moving—and where the next opportunities lie—supported by Canadian project partners with proven capacity to deliver on-the-ground.

Delegates will engage directly with finance and investment decision-makers, following the program opening, featuring messages from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Mark Carney, in addition to high-level Ministerial representation.

This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation

“This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation,” said Garreth Bloor, President of the Canada–Africa Chamber of Business. “We are convening investors, institutions, and project leaders who are actively shaping transactions across Africa—and connecting them directly with Canadian partners who are ready to work together.”

The Canada–Africa Financing Forum reflects the Chamber’s role as a privately financed, market-led platform advancing Canada-Africa trade and investment through world-class networking and information-sharing events.

Why Attend

  • Direct access to active dealmakers and capital allocators
  • Insights into where capital is being deployed and key players delivering major projects
  • Opportunities to build partnerships across Canada and African markets
  • Participation in a curated, high-level environment focused on execution

Secure Your Place

Space is limited and demand is strong.

Apply to secure your place (http://apo-opa.co/4vXb9oz)

Read More and View the Program (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

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ORUN and 1xBET Partner to Support a Dynamic Creative Africa

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MIR Holding

During the MASA 2026 edition, held from April 11 to 18, 2026, ORUN and 1xBET implemented the We Champion Talent program, an initiative aimed at promoting African talent and advancing the development of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –As part of the Innovation Village co-organized with MASA at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan from April 14 to 18, ORUN (https://ORUN.Africa) announces the rollout of its partnership with 1xBET to support a creative Africa that is structuring itself, professionalizing, and scaling across the continent.

We aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency

Designed as a space of convergence between heritage, innovation, and knowledge transmission, the Innovation Village features scenography crafted by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses on creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a major institutional highlight on April 17. Its narrative platform is built around three pillars: memory, structure, and transmission. The initiative aims to position cultural and creative industries as an economic driver for the continent.

“The Innovation Village was conceived as an act of construction. By partnering with organizations such as 1xBET, we aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

This vision aligns with ORUN’s broader ambition to produce, structure, and internationalize African creative industries through events, content, and strategic partnerships.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of ORUN, part of African Currency Network (ACN).

 

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MIR Holding Reaffirms Its Commitment to African Creative Industries Alongside ORUN at Marché des Arts du Spectacle Africain d’Abidjan (MASA) 2026

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MIR Holding

More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –On the occasion of MASA 2026, held from April 11 to 18 in Abidjan, MIR Holding (https://MIRHolding.odoo.com) reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the growth of African creative industries by partnering with ORUN as part of the Innovation Village, hosted at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan. This presence reflects a clear intention to support the scaling of cultural and creative industries so they can fully contribute to job creation and value generation across the continent.

 

Co-organized by ORUN and MASA, the Innovation Village brought together over several days scenography designed by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses dedicated to creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a key institutional highlight on April 17.

At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains

Built around three pillars — memory, structure, and transmission — the initiative carried a renewed ambition for culture: positioning it as a concrete lever for economic structuring and African projection.

By supporting this initiative, MIR Holding aligns with a broader dynamic aimed at strengthening connections between creation, entrepreneurship, content, youth, and growth ecosystems. More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures. MIR Holding stands among the main partners of the Village, alongside Africa Currency Network and other stakeholders engaged in this vision.

“With ORUN, we are not only seeking to make culture visible. We aim to help provide it with a framework, a reach, and a trajectory. What is at stake here is the continent’s ability to better transform its creative energy into sustainable value, real opportunities, and influence,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

Mouhamed Dieng, President of MIR Holding, added: “Supporting Africa’s creative industries is not about backing a secondary sector. It is about investing in one of the continent’s most powerful spaces for storytelling, youth, innovation, and competitiveness. At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MIR Holding.

 

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