DAKAR, Senegal, October 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Nabil Saimi, Senior Investment Director for the Project Development Fund at Africa50, will speak at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 in December. His confirmation brings one of the continent’s leading infrastructure investors to the Dakar conference, with a focus on the earliest and most decisive phase of the project cycle: when concepts become bankable assets. Africa50’s model is built around carrying projects from development through to financing, an approach well matched to the basin’s expanding pipeline of gas, power and infrastructure projects.

 




 
 

Africa50 was set up by the African Development Bank (AfDB) alongside African governments and now has 33 shareholder states, with Senegal, Mauritania and The Gambia among them. The platform has mobilized close to $9 billion in investment across the continent, according to Senegal’s Presidency. Its Project Development business invests equity at the preparation stage to ready projects for financiers, generally targeting developments worth more than $100 million, with power, transport, midstream gas and information and communications technology as priority sectors.

Senegal has been central to Africa50’s power portfolio. At its 2017 shareholders meeting in Dakar, Africa50 partnered with national utility Senelec under a joint agreement to develop the 120 MW Malicounda combined cycle power plant and select its strategic sponsor. The €154 million plant entered commercial operation in August 2022, adding 8% to Senegal’s generation capacity, and was built with the ability to run on the country’s own gas once supply is available. In April 2026, an Africa50 delegation met President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in Dakar and reaffirmed its support for Senegal’s development priorities.

Project development is gathering momentum across the organization. In September 2026, Africa50 appointed former International Finance Corporation (IFC) regional director Cheick-Oumar Sylla as CEO of its Project Development Fund, a key appointment under its 2030 roadmap. Separately, the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa Project Development Fund (AGIA-PD), managed by Africa50, secured $50 million from Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and France’s Proparco in 2026, adding to the $118 million raised at its first close in August 2025 as the fund targets $400 million.

Africa50’s reach now extends deeper into gas and grid infrastructure across the continent. In 2026, the platform unveiled partnerships in Tanzania covering LNG and electricity transmission, while a $20 million commitment from British International Investment took its Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to roughly $330 million in total commitments. Both areas carry weight in the MSGBC basin, where LNG exports and gas-to-power plans are shaping the region’s next phase of development.

Plants such as Malicounda were built with domestic gas in mind, and the basin’s next generation of power and gas infrastructure will depend on capital committed early in development. Saimi’s participation strengthens MSGBC 2026’s focus on connecting the region’s project pipeline with the investors able to advance it.

Organized by Energy Capital & Power (ECP) and held under the High Patronage of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 takes place December 1-3 in Dakar and will convene heads of state, ministers, investors, operators and development partners from Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry. Explore opportunities and secure your participation at www.MSGBCOilGasAndPower.com.

JUBA, South Sudan, October 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is expanding its footprint across East Africa, with a $16 billion refinery planned in Kenya and a $335 million investment in Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC). As these developments open new opportunities for regional petroleum trade, the company’s CEO and Managing Director David Bird has joined the South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026 conference as a speaker.

 




 
 

Taking place in Juba on November 24-25, SSOP returns for its seventh edition as the nation’s premier platform for investment, dealmaking and policy. Bird’s participation comes as South Sudan looks to translate its resource potential into renewed exploration, higher production and greater participation in regional petroleum value chains. With major downstream investment reshaping East Africa’s energy market, SSOP 2026 offers an opportunity for producers, refiners and investors to establish the partnerships needed to advance regional energy trade and unlock new commercial opportunities.

The event arrives at a strategic time for Dangote. On September 30, the company officially broke ground on a 700,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Lamu, Kenya. Set to come online in 2029, the facility is designed to supply gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to East African markets, with regional governments offered a combined 30% stake in the project. The project aims to replicate Dangote’s 650,000-bpd Nigerian facility, which is currently operating at full capacity and is set to expand to 1.2 million bpd. A delegation from South Sudan attended the Lamu groundbreaking ceremony, underscoring the country’s commitment to strengthening regional petroleum ties.

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Beyond the Lamu facility, Dangote is strengthening its footprint across East Africa’s distribution networks. Just this month, the company acquired a 25% stake in KPC, securing access to established infrastructure transporting petroleum products from Kenya’s coast to regional markets, including Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Following the $335 million transaction, Dangote plans to invest an additional $1.5 billion to expand KPC’s approximately 1,300-km pipeline network, bringing its total planned investment to $1.8 billion.

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For South Sudan, East Africa’s only established commercial crude oil producer, Dangote’s expansion introduces new opportunities for regional petroleum integration. The country holds approximately 3.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and is seeking to increase production through new exploration, redevelopment of mature fields and investment in supporting infrastructure. While no crude supply agreement between South Sudan and Dangote has been announced, the development of additional regional refining capacity could create opportunities for future feedstock supply arrangements, subject to commercial viability, infrastructure and crude compatibility.

Bird brings extensive experience across refining, petrochemicals and integrated energy infrastructure to SSOP 2026. Before joining Dangote in 2025, he served as CEO of OQ8, the $9.5 billion Duqm refinery joint venture in Oman, overseeing the development and commissioning of major refining, pipeline and terminal infrastructure. He also held senior leadership positions at Shell, spanning upstream production, downstream operations and global energy supply chains. His participation at SSOP 2026 will bring expertise in large-scale refining investment, project delivery and regional petroleum market development to discussions on South Sudan’s next phase of growth.

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As the country’s official energy event, held in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum, SSOP 2026 provides a platform for advancing discussions around regional trade, refining and infrastructure investment. The conference brings together international and national oil companies, refiners, trading companies, infrastructure developers, financiers and technology providers to negotiate partnerships, mobilize investment and connect South Sudan’s petroleum resources with regional and international markets.

Register for SSOP 2026: https://apo-opa.co/3WGMyXJ

JUBA, South Sudan, October 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Djibouti’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is sending a high-level delegation to the upcoming South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) conference on November 24-25, bringing new opportunities for cross-border collaboration as the two countries seek to strengthen oil and gas ties, expand trade infrastructure and unlock new opportunities for energy investment.

 




 
 

Director of Hydrocarbons Wahib Ali Boulo will represent the ministry at the seventh edition of the conference, which convenes international investors and leading operators from November 24-25. The delegation’s participation builds on an oil and gas cooperation agreement signed by the two countries at SSOP 2022, as well as a new trade corridor initiative aimed at improving South Sudan’s access to international markets.

Djibouti and South Sudan have been strengthening cooperation in recent years under efforts to address energy bottlenecks and accelerate regional development. In September 2026, South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation James Pitia Morgan met his Djiboutian counterpart Abdoulkader Houssein Omar in Djibouti, where the two officials reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation and advancing shared regional priorities.

The meeting followed the signing of an agreement in August 2025 to develop the White Nile trade corridor. The initiative aims to establish river and dry port infrastructure in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Renk, linking South Sudan to international trade routes through Djibouti. Planned routes include road transport through Ethiopia and river connections along the Sobat and White Nile, providing a potential alternative logistics network for the landlocked country.

For South Sudan’s oil and gas industry, improved regional connectivity could create opportunities to strengthen equipment supply chains, reduce logistics constraints and facilitate cross-border petroleum trade. Djibouti, meanwhile, stands to reinforce its position as a regional logistics and maritime gateway, connecting East African energy markets to international investors and suppliers.

Against this backdrop, SSOP 2026 provides an opportunity to build on existing agreements and translate bilateral engagement into new commercial partnerships. As East Africa’s premier energy dealmaking platform, the conference connects governments, international operators, investors and service providers to advance oil and gas projects, infrastructure development and regional energy trade.

At the 2022 edition of the event, Djibouti and South Sudan signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a framework for expanding bilateral cooperation across oil and gas, investment and cross-border energy trade. The agreement demonstrated the conference’s role in facilitating government-to-government partnerships and opening new commercial opportunities across East Africa.

Djibouti’s return to SSOP reinforces the event’s role as a catalyst for cross-border cooperation, bringing regional partners together to advance investment opportunities and turn strategic agreements into tangible energy projects.

To register for SSOP 2026 in Juba on November 24–25, visit: https://SouthSudanOilPower.com/