Author: Victor Olayiwola

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, March 3, 2026 Minister of Oil, Gas and Environment of Suriname, Patrick Brunings, will deliver a keynote address at Caribbean Energy Week (CEW) 2026, taking place March 30-April 1 in Paramaribo, Suriname. Minister Brunings’ participation is one of the most anticipated contributions to this year’s agenda, bringing firsthand insight into Suriname’s accelerating energy sector transformation and regional collaboration initiatives. Suriname is rapidly positioning itself as a significant player in the Caribbean’s energy landscape amid a series of deepwater discoveries and expanding upstream activity. The Guyana–Suriname basin has yielded a string of major hydrocarbon finds, with TotalEnergies and partners…

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 3, 2026 When Lesego Chombo was crowned as Miss Botswana in 2022, she immediately set up a foundation to support disadvantaged youngsters and their parents in rural areas. After ending her term as Miss World Africa in November 2024, the 26-year-old became the youngest cabinet minister in Botswana’s history when she was appointed as Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs and she is now leading the charge on a Gender-Based Violence Bill focusing on protection, care and support of victims, as well as prevention. Raïssa Banhoro realised that lack of literacy, limited numeracy and a lack…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 3, 2026 Pan African Multilateral Bank, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com), has announced a major expansion of its engagement with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), increasing its regional financing limit from US$3 billion over the next four years. The enhanced commitment builds on more than $750 million already disbursed across the region and a robust pipeline of over $2 billion in transactions currently under execution, signaling a decisive scale-up of support to governments and the private sector. Addressing the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the CARICOM in Basseterre, St.…

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 3, 2026 The organisers of DRC Mining Week, the region’s longest-running and most influential mining platform, have unveiled what it will focus on in June this year, including an expanded vision for investment, industrialisation, and cross-border collaboration in the heart of Africa’s mining capital. Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo – 17–19 June 2026 DRC Mining Week, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s longest-running and most influential mining platform, has officially launched its 2026 teaser brochure — unveiling an expanded vision for investment, industrialisation and cross-border collaboration in the heart of Africa’s mining capital. Taking place from 17–19…

BARCELONA, Spain, March 3, 2026 Cassava Technologies (www.CassavaTechnologies.com), a global technology leader of African heritage, has announced the launch of Cassava Autonomous Network, an agentic solution designed to significantly improve network performance across Africa. This solution is the first African-ready, autonomous network designed to self-optimise mobile Radio Access Networks (RAN) and built specifically for the unique complexities of Africa’s connectivity landscape. Powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure, NVIDIA NIM microservices (https://apo-opa.co/407MEpV), and NVIDIA Network Configuration Blueprint, Cassava Autonomous Network offers policy-driven automation that replaces manual network adjustments with continuous, intelligent optimisations, reducing operational bottlenecks and increasing efficiency by up to 75%. Cassava…

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 3, 2026 VUKA Group (https://WeAreVUKA.com) announces a strategic partnership between the Standard Transfer Specification Association (STSA) and the DLMS User Association (DLMS UA) to advance secure, interoperable, and future-ready smart metering systems. The collaboration bridges legacy prepaid electricity meters with modern smart metering, aligning STS token technology with the widely adopted DLMS/COSEM data model. This enables utilities to modernize while protecting existing investments, ensuring secure data exchange and strengthened smart prepayment integration. The partnership supports seamless STS token integration with DLMS/COSEM protocols, coordinated roadmap development, and expansion across electricity, water, gas, and time metering applications. With STS recently reaffirmed by the International Electrotechnical Commission…

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 3, 2026 Verdant IMAP (“Verdant”) (www.Verdant-Cap.com) is pleased to announce that it has advised Polysmart Packaging Group (“Polysmart” or the “Company”), a leading integrated recycled food-grade and non-food-grade recycled plastic manufacturer, on the successful close of a USD 5 million strategic equity investment from an African-focused private equity investor. The transaction provides growth capital to optimise operations, enhance production efficiency, and support Polysmart’s expansion into one of Nigeria’s most advanced rPET processing platforms, further positioning Polysmart as a globally competitive circular economy platform serving both domestic and international markets. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Ogun…

KIGALI, Rwanda, March 3, 2026 Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org), the flagship philanthropic initiative of Alibaba Philanthropy and the Jack Ma Foundation, has opened applications for its 8th edition, calling on African entrepreneurs who are building businesses defining the continent’s future. Launched under the theme “Defining Africa’s Future Today”, the 2026 edition reinforces ABH’s role as a founder-first platform supporting Africa-led solutions with the ambition, scale, and substance to drive lasting economic transformation. Across the continent, entrepreneurs are solving real problems with bold, innovative solutions—from climate-smart agriculture and digital finance to healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. Africa’s Business Heroes…

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America, March 2, 2026 U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will return to Powering Africa Summit (PAS), taking place in Washington, D.C. on 19-20 March 2026, where he will take part in a fireside chat focused on energy access and clean cooking. Having provided a keynote address and participated in a fireside chat at the 10th anniversary PAS 2025, Secretary Wright will again join policymakers and industry leaders at this year’s Summit to discuss US-Africa cooperation across energy infrastructure, critical minerals and investment strategies. Building on last year’s focus, ‘The Future of the US & Africa…

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, March 1, 2026 The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org) is pleased to announce that it has been granted Patent No. 12,548,031 B2 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on 10 February 2026. This milestone marks the Institute’s second USPTO patent and its fifth patent overall, reinforcing its position as a leader in fintech innovation for economic development and Islamic finance. The patent protects an original method for achieving consensus in Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), such as blockchain networks. Named Proof-of-Use (PoU), this mechanism introduces a paradigm shift in how transactions are validated and secured. In a blockchain…