The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has congratulated President Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election and assumption of a second term as President of the Republic of Zambia.
President Hichilema was re-elected in the presidential election held on 13th August 2026 and was sworn into office for his second term on 1st September 2026.
In his congratulatory message, the Secretary-General expressed confidence that the close partnership between Zambia and the United Nations will continue.
The Secretary-General’s message comes as messages of congratulations continue to be received from leaders, governments and international organisations following President Hichilema’s re-election and inauguration. The messages reflect the continued international engagement with Zambia and recognition of the importance of sustained cooperation in advancing the country’s development priorities.
As President Hichilema begins his second term, continued cooperation between Zambia and the United Nations is expected to focus on supporting national development priorities and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, while strengthening Zambia’s contribution to multilateral efforts to address shared global challenges.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations.
The Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition opened in Luanda on Wednesday with Angola looking toward its next phase of oil and gas development, underpinned by a Hydrocarbon Strategy through 2050, more than $70 billion in projected upstream investment, Sonangol’s expanding operational footprint and new downstream infrastructure.
Financing that next phase could receive a major boost as early as November. African Energy Chamber Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk announced during the AOG opening that he had been informed that Afreximbank and the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) will launch the long-awaited Africa Energy Bank that month.
“This will allow companies to do the big work,” Ayuk said, calling for continued exploration and investment across the continent. “Always explore, keep exploring.”
APPO Secretary General Farid Ghezali echoed these remarks, emphasizing in his opening address that mobilizing African capital will be essential if countries such as Angola are to translate their resource wealth into broader economic development.
“Resources alone do not create prosperity. What matters is our ability to turn these resources into opportunity,” he said. “Institutions such as the African Energy Bank can help mobilize capital, support strategic projects and finance Africa’s development.”
The financing announcement comes as Angola advances its 2025-2050 Hydrocarbon Strategy, targeting more exploration, faster project development and sustained production. Alcides Andrade, Executive Administrator of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG), said the Hydrocarbon Strategy is currently being reviewed as Angola competes for increasingly selective global capital.
“Our objective is not only to award blocks, but to transform blocks into investment, investment into discovery, and discovery into production,” Andrade said.
The ANPG projects an upstream investment pipeline of $70 billion over the coming five years, supported by opportunities spanning offshore acreage, underexplored onshore basins and mature producing assets. Andrade highlighted that the regulator will also continue the Permanent Offer Regime while working to simplify procedures, improve contractual models and reduce decision-making timelines.
National oil company Sonangol is set to play an increasingly operational role in this next phase as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026. Sonangol Board Member Osvaldo Inacio said the company is now present in 42 oil concessions and operates 11, while expanding across gas, petrochemicals and other industrial activities.
“There is a principle which synthesizes our responsibility: produce to transform,” Inacio said. “It is not enough to have resources. It is fundamental to develop the capacity to transform them into added value.”
According to Inacio, Sonangol invested $10.5 billion between 2021 and 2025, while its portfolio grew from $995 million in 2022 to $3.4 billion in 2025. He said the company has also increased its net volumes by 200,000 barrels per day in recent years and processed 50,000 km² of 3D seismic.
That expansion extends downstream, where Angola is seeking greater domestic refining, storage and distribution capacity. Luís Fernandes, Director General of petroleum derivatives regulator Instituto Regulador dos Derivados do Petróleo (IRDP), identified energy security, domestic value creation, competition and product quality as central pillars for the sector.
“Domestic refining will reduce the dependence on importation,” Fernandes said, adding that Angola needs “an integrated logistics network that connects refineries with terminals.”
The recently completed Cabinda Refinery and ongoing Lobito Refinery development – scheduled to come online in 2027 – form part of this strategy, while IRDP sees further investment opportunities in storage, pipelines, distribution and lubricant manufacturing.
With Angola’s long-term hydrocarbons strategy taking shape and new African financing mechanisms emerging, Angolan energy leaders used the opening of AOG 2026 to make a central message clear: the next phase of the country’s oil and gas development will be built around investment, exploration, domestic capacity and execution.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) hosted a Local Content Development Forum in Luanda, Angola, on 9 September 2026, bringing together government institutions, financial institutions, indigenous companies and industry players to explore financing opportunities across Angola’s oil and gas value chain.
Held at the Centro de Convenções de Talatona, the forum focused on how financing, partnerships and transaction structures could support the growth of Angolan companies across the sector, including opportunities in project finance, trade finance, downstream infrastructure and industrial development.
Angola remains one of Africa’s most significant energy markets, with Afreximbank having invested close to US$2 billion in the country’s oil and gas sector. The forum built on that engagement by examining how more Angolan companies could progress from participation into ownership and scale, when the right financing, partnerships and structures are made available to them.
Commenting on Afreximbank’s ambition to support the next generation of Angolan energy companies, Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, Afreximbank, said:
“Angola has built a strong platform for its energy sector, with Afreximbank playing a longstanding role in structuring, financing and mobilising capital to support its development at scale. The next phase is about enabling more Angolan companies to move from participation and service provision towards ownership and scale, drawing on the experience of successful indigenous African operators to turn that ambition into bankable transactions and build the next generation of national and regional champions.”
Speaking at the Forum, Berta Rodrigues Issa, President of ASSEA (Association of Indigenous Companies for the Oil Industry of Angola), congratulated Afreximbank on hosting the event, and for placing Local Content where it truly belongs: “A country does not industrialise merely by exporting more than it imports. It industrialises when it transforms its resources, develops productive capacity and builds companies capable of competing beyond its borders. That is why Afreximbank’s theme- “From Resources to Value” – is so deeply aligned with Angola’s Local Content agenda.
“For ASSEA, Local Content cannot be limited to the participation of Angolan-owned companies in one-off contracts. It must be a deliberate path towards capacity building, industrialization and competitiveness.”
The forum examined practical constraints facing indigenous companies, including access to appropriate financing, bankability, execution capability and market access, and considered how Afreximbank’s financing and advisory capabilities could help address these barriers.
Participants also drew lessons from Nigeria, where indigenous companies such as Oando and Heirs Energies have expanded their ownership and operating positions through significant acquisition transactions. Oando’s US$783 million acquisition of Nigerian Agip Oil Company increased its interests in OMLs 60–63 from 20% to 40%, while Heirs Energies acquired a 45% interest in OML 17 and assumed operatorship of the asset. The examples illustrated how indigenous African companies can scale into larger ownership and operating roles.
The forum also highlighted significant pipeline of opportunities across Angola’s oil and gas sector, including US$2.5 billion for Lobito Oil, US$1 billion for Sonangol, US$1.4 billion for Amufert and US$280 million for Itracom.
Discussions centred on how public institutions, local banks, industry operators and investors could work together to advance these opportunities towards implementation.
– on behalf of Afreximbank.
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About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A strong supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2025, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$48.5 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$8.4 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), GCR (A), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-), Moody’s (Baa2) and S&P Global Ratings (BBB+). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
“Digital technology is changing the very nature of police cooperation.” Deputy Commissioner Stéphane Mawana is closely observing the changes brought about by digital technologies in police work. An investigator with the Congolese National Police (PNC) for the past eight years, he attended the National School of Cybersecurity in Dakar. He says he fully understands the importance of celebrating International Police Cooperation Day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this year under the theme “Digital Technology at the Heart of Police Cooperation.”
Threats that know no borders
“Today, in addition to informants and physical resources, cyberspace is helping us a great deal in solving crimes,” explains Deputy Commissioner Stéphane Mawana.
Digital technology was therefore a major focus on Monday, September 7, during the celebration of International Police Cooperation Day at the University of Kinshasa.
“Digital technology is playing an increasingly prominent role in police investigations,” the Deputy Commissioner further notes.
The Commissioner General of the Congolese National Police, Benjamin Alongaboni, shares the same view. “Crime is evolving; it is becoming digital,” he observes, regretting that “technologies are increasingly being exploited for criminal purposes.”
Cybercrime, disinformation and transnational criminal networks are among the threats that know no borders and are increasingly posing risks to countries around the world.
This led Christiane Sophie Eone, UNPOL’s Coordinator for Reform and Restructuring, to observe: “We are operating in an environment where technology is redefining threats.”
Cooperation: “a strategic necessity”
During the day’s celebrations, police officers, academics, civil society representatives and government partners unanimously recognized that the complexity of digital threats requires information sharing. Hence the importance of police cooperation.
“Information sharing is crucial,” insists Deputy Commissioner Stéphane Mawana, for whom police cooperation is a key asset in the fight against cybercrime.
UNPOL made the same case.
“Faced with this complexity,” says Christiane Sophie Eone, “police cooperation is no longer an option; it has become a strategic necessity.”
She further emphasized that MONUSCO is mobilized to support the Congolese police “in this spirit of shared responsibility.”
“Our shared ambition is to see the emergence of a police force capable of anticipating digital threats while remaining deeply human and worthy of the trust of the Congolese people,” she said.
For the Commissioner General of the Congolese National Police, it is likewise essential for police forces to share information in order to combat networks that increasingly rely on digital tools that know no borders.
The Minister of the Interior, who also attended the celebration, concluded that, at present, “no State can claim to act effectively alone” in the face of such threats.
He particularly stressed the need to exchange experiences among police forces from different countries in order to effectively combat criminal networks.
From laboratories to police stations
But why celebrate Police Cooperation Day within the grounds of the country’s oldest university?
UNPOL is advocating for stronger bridges between academia and the police.
“By celebrating International Police Cooperation Day here, we are demonstrating our commitment to linking academic reflection with security action,” explains Christiane Sophie Eone.
For the Commissioner General of Police, it is imperative to bring the police closer to academia and the research community.
UNPOL’s Coordinator for Reform and Restructuring took the opportunity to challenge the many students who attended the celebration: “Dare. Innovate. Dare to put forward ideas, because tomorrow’s security is being created today in your laboratories and through your research and reflections.”
Since 2023, International Police Cooperation Day has been celebrated on September 7 to highlight the essential role of international police cooperation in promoting peace, security and justice.
– on behalf of Mission de l’Organisation des Nations unies en République démocratique du Congo (MONUSCO).
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Egypt, Sisira Senavirathne, together with officials of the Embassy, met with the Chairman of the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce in Ismailia, Akram Hussein Al-Shafei, and members of the Executive Board at the Chamber’s headquarters in Ismailia on 26 August 2026. The meeting discussed a broad range of trade and investment opportunities and explored avenues to further strengthen bilateral economic relations through enhanced engagement between the business communities of Sri Lanka and Egypt.
The meeting was attended by more than 20 representatives from the business and investment community, including company representatives and Board Members of the Chamber engaged in various sectors in Ismailia. The interaction provided an important platform to showcase Sri Lanka’s trade and investment potential, foster greater engagement between the business communities of the two countries, and promote Sri Lanka Expo 2027 among Egyptian investors and business entities.
Ambassador Sisira Senavirathne briefed the Chamber delegation on business and investment opportunities available in Sri Lanka and encouraged the Egyptian business community to explore avenues for business partnerships, joint ventures and direct linkages with their Sri Lankan counterparts. He also underscored the importance of strengthening institutional linkages between business chambers of the two countries, including through the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding, to facilitate sustained business-to-business cooperation.
Chairman of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Mangala Wijesinghe, delivered a presentation on Sri Lanka Expo 2027, Sri Lanka’s flagship international trade and investment forum, which was scheduled to be held in Colombo from 14 to 17 January 2027. He invited the Chamber and the Egyptian business community to participate in the Expo and explore opportunities for establishing and expanding business partnerships with Sri Lankan companies.
Chairman of the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce in Ismailia, Akram Hussein Al-Shafei, underscored the importance of enhancing trade and investment cooperation between Sri Lanka and Egypt for mutual benefit. He highlighted opportunities in Ismailia for foreign direct investment and expanding the presence of Sri Lankan products in the Egyptian market, particularly agricultural products. He also expressed keen interest in participating in Sri Lanka Expo 2027 with a Chamber delegation. Both sides agreed to identify and pursue new opportunities in trade and investment and strengthen partnerships between the business communities through enhanced cooperation and closer engagement between trade chambers.
Key participants from the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce in Ismailia included Vice Chairman Galal Mohammed Taher; Second Vice Chairman Osama El-Adawy; Secretary General Saeed Mohamed Shuaib; Treasurer Wael Abdel Aziz; Assistant Treasurer Ahmed Sami Selim; Chairwoman of the Women’s Business Council Amal Ibrahim Mahmoud; and other members of the Board of Directors. Ambassador Sisira Senavirathne was accompanied by Second Secretary Darshika Dasanayake and Trade Assistant Omar Hamdy of the Embassy.
– on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism – Sri Lanka.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Ryan A. Manzuk, Research Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The southern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is known as the Copperbelt because of its rich deposits of copper and other minerals.
The area was the original source of uranium ore for the first nuclear weapons built by the US’s Manhattan Project (1942 and 1947). Two atomic bombs were then dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
The Manhattan Project’s main source of uranium was the Cobberbelt’s Shinkolobwe mine in south-east DRC. It has been officially closed to excavation since 2004.
However, our recent research shows that substantial unreported quantities of uranium are likely to be leaving the country today. I am a geologist with expertise in analysing data concerning the chemical and mineral contents of rocks. I do most of my work in map-view, taking in spatial data points – like regional cobalt statistics – and drawing conclusions.
Our research is the first to systematically take two crucial factors into account:
the natural geologic co-occurence of uranium and cobalt
their similar behaviour in processing chemistry.
Uranium and cobalt occur together in rock and respond the same way to chemical processing, so they are hard to separate.
From this we were able to come up with a single estimate of how much uranium is at stake when cobalt is mined and exported.
Very few data points about uranium concentrations in ores or the chemical steps that prepare cobalt for shipment are publicly available. We reached our estimates by using geologic maps to model the likely uranium grades in cobalt ores.
We combined these grades with the amount of ore being processed at each facility in the Copperbelt, and a model of uranium behaviour during the processing chemistry prior to shipment.
The end result links cobalt production to likely uranium export. Our calculations show that, in the most likely scenarios, 2,000-5,000 tonnes of natural uranium were exported from the DRC in cobalt-hydroxide shipments between 2000 and 2024.
Less than 10% of this material appears to have been publicly declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency is responsible for uranium accountancy and safeguards. Most of the material was exported to China, which dominates the global cobalt market.
This quantity of uranium could be processed into enough material for roughly 600-1,500 nuclear weapons, by our calculations. Or fuel a standard light-water nuclear reactor for 10-25 years.
Our findings identify a substantial gap in nuclear accountancy and environmental oversight within a critical mineral supply chain. In the weeks following our study’s publication in July 2026, the DRC launched a probe to test outgoing cobalt shipments for uranium content. It will also consult with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
But more needs to be done.
Putting pieces of the puzzle together
The specific risk of uranium exports as a byproduct of cobalt is not a story of covert access to deposits and smuggling. It stems from a geologic coincidence.
Cobalt is key to many modern conveniences and technologies, such as smartphones and laptops. Southern DRC is the source of 70% of the world’s cobalt. The ores that supply this cobalt sit in close proximity to the several concentrated uranium deposits, like Shinkolobwe, that dot the region.
Over the past few million years, uranium has spread throughout the Copperbelt as rainwater has gradually carried it away from the concentrated deposits that formed roughly 600 million years ago, before the first animals even walked on land. Heterogenite, the main mineral that supplies cobalt, can adsorb – or grab hold of – this uranium as it passes by.
The result is that the same minerals that form the world’s majority supply of cobalt are known to have elevated uranium content.
We reviewed several pieces of prior research that noted that uranium and cobalt have similar chemical behaviours in the crude refining that takes place in the DRC.
So nearly all the uranium that comes out of the ground when extracting cobalt minerals will remain in the final product that’s ready for export.
Refineries can follow explicit processes to remove uranium from cobalt. Discussions about these techniques have only begun to happen in recent years, starting roughly in 2020. They are not common. We compiled DRC import records of the chemicals required to remove uranium and found only three of the 31 operations we investigated appeared to be consistently implementing uranium removal measures.
We built a model that took the uranium and cobalt’s geologic co-occurrence and similar behaviours in processing chemistry to form a single estimate of how much uranium is involved. The end result linked cobalt production to likely uranium export.
The risks
The sheer size of the DRC cobalt industry poses a uranium accountancy problem, regardless of uranium grades in ores or removal strategies. The country exported over 200,000 tonnes of cobalt in 2024.
Even if mines in the DRC were systematically implementing uranium removal strategies to keep cobalt products within international shipping limits for radioactivity, enough uranium would be reaching China to make approximately 12 nuclear weapons per year. This is based on our calculations and the size of the DRC’s cobalt industry.
Beyond the clear global security risk that comes from the undocumented flow of uranium, our results demonstrate a widespread risk to the people and environments near these mines.
People are exposed to this uranium when working in the mines. We estimate 1,000-4,000 tonnes of uranium have been discarded in highly mobile forms in tailings areas – sites used to hold material left over after mining. This poses an environmental health and safety risk to the surrounding communities.
Prior research has shown that some populations of miners and communities near mines in the DRC show signs of uranium exposure, based on sampling of their blood and urine. Our research shows that this risk must be considered across the entire Copperbelt.
What next
Systematic assay measurement of cobalt products is a crucial first step in bringing transparency to this issue. This would involve an independent agency taking representative samples of cobalt shipments and measuring the precise amount of uranium present to produce a shared record.
In addition to testing the outgoing shipments, we would also recommend monitoring workers in the DRC cobalt industry for radiation exposure. Our results indicate that even ores that have modest uranium grades present a potential exposure risk as they can eventually achieve high concentrations through processing.
And policies are needed that mandate the treatment of cobalt products to remove uranium and dispose of it in stable forms in tailings areas that are isolated from public water supplies.
– DRC’s cobalt exports contain unreported uranium – our study estimates the global nuclear risk – https://theconversation.com/drcs-cobalt-exports-contain-unreported-uranium-our-study-estimates-the-global-nuclear-risk-291107
Connected to wireless earphones, Yoofi Greene from Ghana begins his dance steps down a busy sidewalk in Guangzhou, China. People, bicycles and cars zoom past. Pedestrians watch with a mix of amusement and annoyance as he glides by them and moves to occupy the middle of the street.
Yoofi draws closer to the long lane of traffic that his dancing has managed to interrupt. He pauses. I steady my phone to track his choreography. He looks directly at the camera. A big smile extends across his face as he proceeds to twerk at an impatient taxi.
Back on the sidewalk, I airdrop him the footage to edit and before you can say “viral dance” he’s uploaded it to social media and his followers – 215,000 at the time of writing.
Yoofi is one of many Africans living in China who are participants in a broader movement to bring emerging lifestyle trends from the continent to new audiences. Like most dancers, he connects with these new audiences on social media.
Dancers rely on social media to create and share dances from different parts of the world. The more followers, likes and reposts they get, the more recognition, status and money they can gain. Going viral also helps dancers connect with and learn from others, while giving them opportunities to travel and migrate.
I am a social and cultural anthropologist from Finland who grew up in China. I was first drawn to the contagious energy of African dance in 2018. The following year, I took my new hobby to Guangzhou. From learning choreography in studios to shooting dance videos on the streets to dancing in nightclubs, I entered this rich world of dance and developed a research project around it to study how African dancers in China harness cultural norms and market themselves to serve their larger mobility project.
I learned that as dance moves from the streets or the studio to the screen, dancers are in a position to provide alternatives to the circulating stereotypes about “Africanness”.
The public display of dance can emphasise racial and ethnic differences and reinforce the perception of certain people as outsiders in both the dancer’s and the audience’s imaginations.
But at the same time it offers opportunities for cultural exchange, friendship and collaboration.
Yoofi Greene
My study was conducted several years ago. The African dance scene has since grown into a big industry in China. Established African dancers regularly teach at dance studios in the country’s cities. Alongside classes, dance camps (intensive short programmes) featuring instructors from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and the wider African diaspora are becoming increasingly common.
This did not happen overnight. Over the past decade, African dance influencers and dance entrepreneurs in China, like Yoofi, have worked hard to attract audiences, offering new ways of imagining Africa.
Yoofi first started posting dance videos in China a decade ago. At the time, African dance had not yet gained public appeal in the country. The market has changed enormously since then. At the tail end of the COVID pandemic, African dance genres moved from the margins to the mainstream.
Yoofi’s popularity rides the waves of many African artists who have exploded in popularity around the world with their vibrant sounds and rhythms.
Internationally, dancers play a prominent role in amplifying music trends like Afrobeats by filming choreographies and “dance crazes” to the music, inspiring viewers to imitate the dance.
Dancers bring a blend of dance styles borrowed from across the African continent to China. These include the sensual hip rotations of Congolese ndombolo, the intricate footwork of Afro house emerging from Angola, and the slick moves grooving to the hypnotic synths of South Africa’s amapiano. Others go viral using Nigerian street styles or Ghana’s azonto style with fast-paced legwork to complement the music’s rapid tempos, and sharp shoulder thrusts, pelvic grinds, and facial movements.
Posting eye-catching and sometimes disruptive videos – like Yoofi’s public street dancing – consistently on social media accounts becomes an entrepreneurial strategy for dancers. The exposure becomes quantifiable in followers, likes and reposts as a crucial way for them to grow their fame and attract paid work.
Yet going viral goes not guarantee long term security or profit.
Countering stereotypes
Many people in China carry racialised stereotypes about Africa and Black people. Tribalist and primitive tropes are presented through dance performances on state television and in theme parks. Globally, Blackness has also become commodified as fashionable.
My study of African dance influencers shows how they defy these stereotypes. They use their phones and cameras to share their dances on their own terms, to celebrate all the layers of diversity of African dance and thus of the African subject.
Viral African dance in China becomes simultaneously a form of cultural exchange, a site that treats racial identity as a commodity, and a means through which dancers strategically negotiate and reproduce ideas about Africa and African dance.
Mathew Nandala
Not all dancers chase online fame by making videos that stop traffic. For example, during the years that Ugandan dancer Mathew Nandala was living in China, he chose to film his dance videos with public backgrounds that display visual contrasts between Africa and China.
With their intricately choreographed sword fighting and acrobatics, Chinese movies influenced Nandala’s aspirations to become a dancer when he arrived in the country. These influences are visible in his dance videos. In one, for example, he is wearing body paint and dancing in a pagoda. In another, he dons a Chinese-inspired outfit while incorporating martial arts into his sequences. Hashtags like #AfroinChina and #Africatotheworld draw wider audiences into these expressions. In a way, this portrays his ability to inhabit multiple places – an expression of being Afropolitan.
Nandala’s viral videos catch people’s attention because they play with cultural and racialised images and stir people to think about them in new ways, to compose multiple worlds at once.
Dance as a way to appreciate difference
Digital platforms offer vital opportunities for African dance influencers to construct their own visions of what it means to be African.
Whether the dance is filmed on the street, like Yoofi’s, or uses imagined worlds, like Nandala’s, viral dance content spreads to new audiences. Its meaning constantly changes as different people use and share it.
What I learned in the course of my research is that, for people who are open to these experiences, dance can challenge racialised stereotypes and transform how we see one another. This does not mean that differences will disappear. It means that we become open to new ways of understanding one another with a deeper complexity.
– Viral African dance videos are busting stereotypes in China – and making money for some – https://theconversation.com/viral-african-dance-videos-are-busting-stereotypes-in-china-and-making-money-for-some-290555
Deputy Minister Gina showcases South Africa’s green hydrogen progress in Japan
Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina, has showcased South Africa’s progress in moving green hydrogen projects from policy ambition towards large-scale energy production during her visit to Japan.
Dr Gina is representing South Africa at the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting, hosted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization in Chiba.
Held in collaboration with the International Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Expo, one of the world’s largest hydrogen-related exhibitions, the meeting seeks to accelerate international cooperation and market development, while strengthening alignment between policy and business in support of a hydrogen-based society.
Reiterating President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2019 address to the nation, the Deputy Minister said: “We must increase the contribution of renewable and clean energy to our national energy mix and explore the potential of the hydrogen economy”.
President Ramaphosa also called on the hydrogen sector at the 2025 Africa Green Hydrogen Summit to move “from PowerPoint to gigawatts”.
Dr Gina said this affirmed government’s commitment to making tangible progress in the country’s energy transition.
Advancing hydrogen mobility
Dr Gina told the gathering that South Africa was leading by example, with evidence that the just energy transition was underway in the country.
She highlighted the recently launched Mobile Hydrogen Refuelling Station, which will support efforts to decarbonise the transport sector.
The project is a collaboration between the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), North-West University (NWU) and Toyota South Africa Motors.
“This milestone represents a notable advancement in hydrogen mobility in South Africa and underscores progress towards establishing an integrated hydrogen value chain,” the Deputy Minister said.
Through another partnership with NWU and African Rainbow Minerals, a Rapid Prototype Training and Testing Facility has also been established to speed up the development and scaling of water electrolysis technologies from laboratory stage to pilot and industrial applications.
Together with Sasol Limited, the DSTI and NWU have developed a 2kW Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyser System, which is currently being tested at one of Sasol’s research laboratories in Sasolburg.
“This research will provide Sasol with confidence in the locally produced technology and enable Sasol to develop the skills that it needs to contribute to the country’s hydrogen economy agenda,” Dr Gina said.
Building partnerships
The Deputy Minister emphasised the need for collaboration in the sector, saying South Africa’s renewable energy and hydrogen ambitions required strong partnerships between governments, industry, research institutions, development finance institutions and international partners.
“By working together, we can build competitive regional industries, create quality jobs, strengthen economic resilience, build resilient industrial economies and secure meaningful places in global green value chains,” she said.
The meeting heard how, at a pivotal moment for energy, hydrogen was receiving renewed attention for its ability to help address some of the biggest problems facing economies today, including energy security, food system resilience, industrial growth and deep decarbonisation.
Dr Gina called on delegates to use the ministerial meeting to pool resources and expertise, build resilient regional value chains, unlock industrialisation and create sustainable prosperity.
According to the Hydrogen Council’s Global Hydrogen Compass 2026, committed investment in clean hydrogen has reached $130 billion across more than 570 projects worldwide, representing 6.9 million tonnes per annum in committed capacity.
While in Japan, the Deputy Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Komori Takuo.
She is also scheduled to attend further bilateral meetings to advance cooperation on energy policy, hydrogen technologies, the clean energy transition and health research and innovation. – SAnews.gov.za
DPWI to issue a Request for Information for the redevelopment of the Telkom Towers
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is set to issue a Request for Information (RFI) for the redevelopment of the Telkom Towers precinct in Pretoria, in a move aimed at transforming the dormant government-owned property into a productive, income-generating asset.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson said according to current estimates, the redevelopment of Telkom Towers is expected to cost between R1.8 billion and R2.2 billion and will involve the refurbishment of all nine buildings in the precinct.
“Once completed, the department will have 106,000 square metres of gross leasable area that can be used to maximise state revenue through existing or new clients,” Macpherson said.
Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria, Macpherson said the project would provide an opportunity to bring government departments currently housed in costly private leases into quality state infrastructure, while also creating capacity for the department to supply accommodation to the private sector.
“The redevelopment is expected to contribute to the creation of more than 5,300 direct construction jobs. These are jobs that support families, grow communities, fix broken metropolitans and drive economic activity which South Africa so desperately needs,” he said.
Macpherson said the RFI will test the incorporation of adjacent government assets into the feasibility study, supporting integrated planning and urban revitalisation in accordance with the Tshwane Inner City Regeneration Programme (TICRP).
“This work means that we will be able to formally publish the RFI as soon as next week. By issuing this RFI we are taking a crucial step in the journey to make Telkom Towers productive and we are doing that now.”
Macpherson said the RFI will seek market input on technical approaches to refurbishing and upgrading the asset to meet regulatory and government accommodation standards.
Macpherson said the department had spent approximately R1.4 billion acquiring, renovating and maintaining the complex, with a further R776 million in financial losses directly attributed to the historical mismanagement of the property.
“After spending the Department found itself in a deeply troubling situation of having to maintain something with the potential to be a world-class asset yet remained completely dormant,” he said.
Macpherson said the property’s continued dormancy had left it vulnerable to vandalism, theft and occupation by criminal elements, while significant amounts had been spent on security.
The Minister said the redevelopment of Telkom Towers formed part of a broader effort to reform how government manages public assets and large-scale infrastructure projects.
“This mission speaks to the heart of the matter – where institutional culture requires a complete overhaul and a path of deep correction so that public funds can never be wasted to the extent that they have been.
“In order to change the strategic direction of this department, it requires the intentional strategic decision to fundamentally change how government does its business and approaches large-scale projects,” he said.
Macpherson said the department had finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Infrastructure Finance and Implementation Support Agency (IFISA), paving the way for the RFI to be issued to the market.
“I can now confirm that we have finalised the MOU with the Infrastructure Finance and Implementation Support Agency (IFISA) and will be finalising the RFI in the coming days.”
“It will also test public-private partnership (PPP) delivery models, including contract structuring, packaging and lifecycle approaches, as well as the commercial viability and bankability of the project.
“The process will further inform risk allocation, affordability and value-for-money assessments, while exploring operations, maintenance and capacity transfer models to ensure sustainable long-term asset performance,” Macpherson said, adding that the department intends to pursue a rehabilitate-operate-transfer model that will ultimately see the precinct fully occupied by government departments in the City of Tshwane.
According to Macpherson, the properties being considered include Public Works House (PWH) and the Central Government Offices (CGO) building.
“Public Works House, the department’s own head office, is currently not operating at its intended capacity. Its refurbishment is expected to cost approximately R2.2 billion and would unlock 63,768 square metres of gross leasable area while creating approximately 5,700 construction jobs.
The CGO building is estimated to require R560 million for refurbishment, which would unlock 41,739 square metres of gross leasable area and create approximately 1,600 construction jobs.
Taken together with Telkom Towers, the three projects are expected to create more than 12,700 construction jobs and unlock approximately 212,000 square metres of gross leasable area.
“The department will actively play its role in driving inner city rejuvenation and ensuring that government departments return to the centre of Pretoria and are located in government buildings. This will ensure that we cut down on costly private sector leases and return that money to departments to be used for service delivery,”
Macpherson said government could not afford to allow the opportunity presented by the redevelopment to be lost.
“We can never allow complacency, delays and excuses to further categorise how the state functions and how it allows bureaucratic processes to prevent economic development such as this project to prosper.”
The Minister said the project formed part of wider reforms aimed at improving the way the department operates and utilises state-owned assets.
“Public Works and Infrastructure is on a path of irreversible reform in how we operate and utilise the assets of the state which are the peoples’ assets,” he said.
He said working with the private sector, generating revenue and reducing the department’s R6 billion leasing portfolio were central to the reform programme.
“Our work with the private sector, revenue generation and reduction of our R6 billion leasing portfolio is central to this work. It forms part of the many initiatives we are undertaking to review our R150 billion asset register and open these properties up for investment.”
Macpherson said the Telkom Towers redevelopment marked an important step in demonstrating that the department’s reform agenda was taking effect. – SAnews.gov.za
The Kingdom of Lesotho participated in the Africa Ministerial Mid-term Review of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the 8th to the 9th September 2026. The Delegation of Lesotho was led by H.E. Mr Matete ‘Nena Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the United Nations in New York supported by officials from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (as National Focal Point for LDCs), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Affairs, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the United Nations and the Lesotho Mission to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The purpose of the meeting was for the African Countries to prepare for the Global Mid-term review to assess progress in the implementation of DPoA Decade 2022 – 31 to be held in Doha, Qatar in March 2027.
It was in this meeting that Lesotho Chaired a session on Leveraging the power of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) to fight against multidimensional vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the session also assessed progress in digital infrastructure, connectivity and digital literacy with particular attention to access, affordability and inclusion.
Lesotho also made interventions in various sessions of the meeting highlighting progress and challenges of African LDCs in the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action.
The meeting concluded with adoption of an outcome document by consensus. The outcome document will form African regional contribution to the High-Level Midterm Review of the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs to be held in Doha, Qatar in March, 2027.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of Lesotho.
