Author: Victor Olayiwola

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…

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 15, 2026 The rise of Namibia as one of the world’s most closely watched oil and gas frontiers did not happen by accident. Long before the wave of supermajors and billion-dollar discoveries, a small group of local pioneers were working to position the country as a serious player in global energy markets. Among them, Knowledge Katti stands out for both the scale of his ambition and the lasting imprint of his work. Today, Katti serves as Chairman and CEO of Custos Energy and as a Director at Sintana Energy – roles that place him at…

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 15, 2026 The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF) has approved a grant of 1.7 billion CFA francs to finance the Project to Strengthen Competitiveness of the Private Sector across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). The project aims to strengthen competitiveness of the private sector and the broader economy across all eight WAEMU member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, while supporting the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It will do so by capitalising on production and trade opportunities, and…

PARIS, France, April 14, 2026 Olimpia Pilch, Chief Strategy Officer of the Critical Minerals Africa Group (www.CMAGAfrica.com), will attend and contribute to discussions at the upcoming Invest in African Energy Forum, taking place in Paris on April 22–23, 2026. Bringing extensive expertise in strategic development and international critical minerals markets, Pilch will join industry leaders, policymakers, and investors to highlight the essential role of critical minerals in underpinning Africa’s evolving energy landscape. Her participation will focus on strengthening mineral-to-energy value chains, advancing sustainable resource development, and fostering cross-border partnerships that enable long-term energy security. “Africa represents one of the most…

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 14, 2026 The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and The Global Trust Project (TGTP – part of VUKA Group) (www.WeAreVUKA.com) have entered into a memorandum of understanding to pilot the Trust Equity Framework (TEf) in up to 18 municipalities across South Africa. The initiative will be voluntary for participating municipalities and is intended to support stronger municipal trustworthiness, improved service delivery, better stakeholder relationships and more credible local conditions for investment. The pilot comes at a time of sustained pressure in local government. The Auditor-General of South Africa reported that municipalities took an average of…