Author: Victor Olayiwola

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America, April 16, 2026 The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) and The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise and strengthen cooperation between the two institutions. The signing took place on Wednesday 15 April, on the margins of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Washington DC. Cooperation under the agreement will focus on capacity building, knowledge sharing and research, as well as cooperation through technical dialogue, information exchange, joint seminars, and staff‑level interactions, subject to the internal rules and procedures of…

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 16, 2026 Canadian-based oil and gas company Sintana Energy has announced its intention to list the company’s shares on the Namibian Securities Exchange, signaling a shift toward inclusive growth and early-stage local participation in one of Africa’s most promising frontier oil and gas markets. The move reflects the company’s overall strategy to explore options to provide and develop liquidity for local investors, ensuring Namibians are not merely spectators to the country’s hydrocarbon boom, but active participants in the value chain from the outset. The African Energy Chamber (AEC) welcomes the listing as a strategic and forward-looking…

WINDHOEK, Namibia, April 16, 2026 Namibia’s President Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has announced a major push to accelerate petroleum reforms, including progress on a Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, as the country moves to fast-track governance and investment frameworks ahead of first oil. Speaking at the Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC) 2026 in Windhoek on Wednesday, the President said the reforms are central to improving regulatory efficiency, strengthening investor confidence and ensuring that the country’s emerging offshore oil sector delivers broad-based national benefits. The announcement comes as Namibia intensifies efforts to convert its Orange Basin discoveries into production, with policymakers…

LAGOS, Nigeria, April 16, 2026 Africa’s energy challenge is not a shortage of resources. It is a shortage of governance that works. The continent holds some of the world’s richest solar potential, vast wind corridors, major gas reserves, hydropower capacity, and critical minerals. Yet Africa still consumes less electricity per capita than in almost any other region. Millions of homes remain unconnected. Industries depend on diesel. Hospitals ration power. Geology cannot explain this contradiction; only institutions can. A fair energy transition for Africa will not be decided by how quickly we install solar panels or sign climate commitments. It will…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 16, 2026 On the sidelines of Africa’s World Travel Market (WTM), Emirates (www.Emirates.com) and Wesgro have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive inbound tourism and boost visitors to Cape Town and the Western Cape. The partnership underscores the airline’s longstanding commitment to the market through attracting visitors from across its global network supporting the province’s strategy of unlocking tourism growth. The MoU was signed by Afzal Parambil, Emirates’ Regional Manager for Southern Africa and Wrenelle Stander, Wesgro’s Chief Executive Officer, at the Emirates’ stand at WTM. Under the agreement, Emirates and Wesgro will collaborate on boosting…

LUANDA, Angola, April 16, 2026 Angolan financial institution Banco Sol has signed onto the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition as a Silver Sponsor, underscoring its commitment to the growth of the country’s oil and gas industry. The sponsorship reflects the increasing role of domestic financial institutions in mobilizing capital for projects and service industries, creating new pathways for stakeholder engagement and investment deals. While international capital continues to play a major role in funding large-scale oil and gas developments, local banks in Angola are becoming increasingly involved in financing service companies, logistics providers, engineering firms and small-to-medium…

PARIS, France, April 15, 2026 Gabon is emerging as one of Africa’s most active upstream investment destinations, offering opportunities across frontier deepwater exploration, recent discoveries and ongoing production drilling. Clotaire Kondja, Minister of Petroleum and Gas, will represent Gabon’s investment agenda at the Invest in African Energy (IAE) Forum in Paris on April 22–23, as the country positions itself as a multi-entry hotspot for global oil and gas investment. The clearest signal of renewed international interest came in October 2025, when ExxonMobil signed an MoU with Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas to evaluate deepwater and ultra-deepwater blocks, marking its…

LUANDA, Angola, April 15, 2026 Eugene Okpere, Executive Vice President Exploration, Strategy & Portfolio for Integrated Gas & Upstream at Shell, will speak at the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Conference and Exhibition – taking place this September in Luanda. Okpere’s participation follows Shell’s return to the market in 2025 and subsequent exploration agreement covering three deepwater blocks, a move expected to unlock approximately $1 billion in investment. Shell’s return to Angola after a 20-year hiatus marks a major upstream development for Angola. After previously exiting the Angolan upstream sector, the company’s re-entry signals renewed confidence in the country’s…

LAGOS, Nigeria, April 15, 2026 Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) (www.AfricaFC.org), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, today announced its equity investment in Dhamana Guarantee Company Limited (“Dhamana”), a credit enhancement facility established to unlock long-term, local-currency financing for infrastructure projects across East Africa. The investment forms part of AFC’s approved commitment of up to US$20 million in capital, with an initial tranche of US$10 million in Dhamana’s core capital. Dhamana is designed to provide guarantees that enable infrastructure developers access domestic debt capital markets – particularly pension funds and institutional investors – on improved terms, while also supporting financial institutions to…

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 15, 2026 WESGRO (https://apo-opa.co/4cMtugg), the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, has partnered with Enlit Africa 2026 as a provincial partner, reinforcing the province’s position as a leading destination for energy investment, infrastructure growth and green economy development. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing dialogue, collaboration and investment across Africa’s evolving power, energy and water sectors. By participating in Enlit Africa 2026, WESGRO aims to showcase Cape Town and the Western Cape as a competitive regional economy, facilitate strategic partnerships across the energy value chain…