Category: MIL-OSI

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Nominations Now Open for Angola’s Premier Oil & Gas Industry Awards

Source: APO


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As Angola’s oil and gas sector enters a new phase of growth driven by upstream investment, gas monetization, downstream expansion and local content development, the industry leaders and projects shaping this transformation will be recognized at the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Awards Ceremony.

https://apo-opa.co/3Sv1hmN

Held during the official Gala Dinner on September 9 in Luanda, the awards will celebrate companies, projects and individuals making outstanding contributions across Angola’s oil and gas value chain. Nominations are now officially open.

This year’s award categories include:

Game Changer of the Year

The Game Changer of the Year Award recognizes a company or project that has transformed Angola’s oil and gas value chain through innovative technologies, approaches or strategies, setting new benchmarks for performance and industry advancement.

Explorer of the Year

The Explorer of the Year Award honors a company demonstrating exceptional success in exploration activities within Angola. The category celebrates significant discoveries, innovative exploration techniques and strategic efforts that have expanded the country’s resource potential.

Local Company of the Year

The Local Company of the Year Award recognizes an Angolan-owned company that has demonstrated strong performance, resilience and growth within the oil and gas sector. The award highlights contributions to local content development, job creation and sustainable business practices.

CSR Initiative of the Year

The CSR Initiative of the Year Award recognises a company, project or organization that has demonstrated exceptional commitment to social responsibility within Angola’s oil and gas sector. It celebrates initiatives delivering measurable impact in communities through investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, environmental stewardship, skills development and economic empowerment.

National Service Company of the Year

The National Service Company of the Year Award honors an Angolan service provider that has delivered outstanding performance, innovation and value creation across the oil and gas value chain. The category recognizes companies that have strengthened local content participation, created employment and supported the competitiveness of the national industry.

Downstream Player of the Year

The Downstream Player of the Year Award recognizes a company that has made a significant contribution to the development of Angola’s downstream sector. It celebrates excellence in refining, storage, distribution, retail, petrochemicals and related infrastructure, highlighting investments and strategies that enhance energy security and domestic supply.

Lifetime Achievement Award (non-voting category)

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual or company that has made exceptional long-term contributions to Angola’s oil and gas industry. This prestigious award celebrates a career marked by visionary leadership, innovation and a profound commitment to the growth and development of the sector.

The AOG Awards Ceremony reflects Angola’s growing position as one of Africa’s leading oil and gas investment destinations. From frontier exploration and deepwater developments to refining infrastructure and local enterprise growth, the awards celebrate the achievements shaping the next chapter of the country’s energy industry.

Visit https://apo-opa.co/4gMweN6 to submit your nomination.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Could AI create a new form of inequality in South Africa?

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rennie Naidoo, Professor of Information Systems, University of the Witwatersrand

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), and especially large language models deployed as chatbots and digital assistants, are now part of everyday digital life.

These models are being framed as a helpful assistant, a patient tutor, a customer service agent and even a source of emotional support. But what happens when even more human encounters are mediated by machines?

This question matters especially in South Africa, where apartheid not only separated people by law, but also shaped who was seen, heard and recognised as fully human. Its legacy still lives in unequal access to education, healthcare, work, technology and public services.

This is also why ubuntu has become such an important part of South African debates about social life. Ubuntu is a way of thinking about personhood. It sees personhood as relational. It reminds us that dignity is not only individual. It is also formed through mutual belonging.

Ubuntu is expressed through the idea that “a person is a person through other persons”. People become themselves fully through relationships of recognition, care, responsibility and shared life.

As a scholar of technology and society, I have been exploring how AI is reshaping human relationships.

In my research on ubuntu and generative AI, I set about asking what this means in practice. What happens when machines begin to replace the human relationships through which people experience care, recognition and dignity? To answer this question, I used ubuntu as a lens to examine whether AI-mediated interactions can support the kinds of relationships through which human dignity is affirmed.

I argue that the rise of generative AI is more than a technical issue in two ways. Firstly, it is a relational one. Secondly, it’s about who gets access to human beings. In my paper, I describe this risk as a form of “relational apartheid”. By this I mean a social and technological pattern in which access to meaningful human engagement becomes unequally distributed. Some people are met by persons. Others are managed by systems.

This is not apartheid in the legal sense of the past. It is a warning about how old inequalities can reappear in new digital forms.

Simulated care is not the same as shared life

Large language models can now produce fluent and emotionally sensitive responses. They can apologise, encourage, advise and offer language that sounds consoling. They can remember details within a conversation and adjust their tone to the user. For many people, this can feel surprisingly human.

Yet the appearance of a relationship is not the same as a relationship.

A chatbot may respond warmly to a lonely student, a frustrated customer or a patient seeking reassurance. But it does not share in that person’s life. It cannot be vulnerable in return. It cannot be held accountable as a person. It cannot forgive, be forgiven, carry a moral burden or be transformed by the encounter.

Human relationships are difficult because they involve more than responsiveness. They involve mutual risk. We disappoint one another. We misunderstand one another. We apologise, repair and try again. These imperfect processes are part of what makes human relationships morally meaningful.

AI often offers a form of responsiveness without the mutual resistance found in human relationships. It can always be available, endlessly polite, and easily reset. That convenience is attractive. But it may also train us to expect relationships without the hard work of relationship.

The concern is not that every interaction with AI is harmful. AI tools can help people find information, write better, learn faster and access services. Used carefully, AI can create more space for human care rather than replace it.

The danger comes when AI is used as a substitute for human presence in areas where recognition matters.

Inequality is also about who receives human attention

Customer service offers one example. As organisations automate front-line support, people are increasingly routed through chatbots before they can reach a human being. This may reduce costs. It may also improve speed for simple queries. But it can create a tiered system in which some customers receive human attention while others are left with automated interaction.

The labour implications are also becoming visible. Salesforce, one of the world’s largest providers of customer service and business software, has reported that AI agents now handle a growing share of customer interactions. The company has also reduced thousands of support roles in recent years, although it would be simplistic to attribute all of these changes solely to AI. This does not mean all customer service work will disappear. But it does show how quickly routine service work can be reorganised once AI becomes the default front line.

Something similar could happen in healthcare, education and social support. Where human professionals are scarce, AI counselling tools, tutoring systems and advice bots may appear to offer a practical solution. In some cases they may help. But they also risk normalising a situation in which those who are already underserved are increasingly spoken to by machines rather than people.

In a society that the World Bank describes as among the most unequal in the world, old differences in income, education, language, geography and institutional power could reappear in new digital forms.

The problem is not only whether machines give accurate or inaccurate answers. The deeper problem is that some people may be denied the kind of encounter through which dignity is affirmed. A person does not only need a response. A person often needs to be recognised by another person.

Building ubuntu into AI

What about efforts to build ubuntu-aligned AI?

Scholars have explored how ubuntu might inform AI design, ethics and governance.

There is value in designing AI systems that are more sensitive to African languages, local histories and communal values. There is value in involving communities in decisions about how AI is built and used. There is also value in ensuring that technology does not simply import the assumptions of powerful companies and distant markets.

But can ubuntu simply be programmed into a machine?

Ubuntu is not only a set of polite phrases or cultural preferences. It is a way of thinking about persons in a relationship. It depends on shared life, mutual vulnerability and accountability. A system can be designed to support these values, but current AI systems cannot live them in the way people do.

This distinction is important for policy and design.

AI systems should be presented clearly as tools, not companions. They should not blur the difference between simulated care and real care, especially when used by children, elderly people, patients or socially isolated users. In sensitive settings, AI should support human professionals rather than replace them.

It may help South Africa improve public services, widen access to knowledge and support overburdened institutions. But it may also deepen the distance between people if efficiency becomes the main measure of progress.

– Could AI create a new form of inequality in South Africa?
– https://theconversation.com/could-ai-create-a-new-form-of-inequality-in-south-africa-283725

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Kenyans living in towns are farmers too: what this means for rural landscapes

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Mwangi Chege, Lecturer, American University

More and more of Kenya’s farmlands are coming under the control of people who live and work in urban centres. Over the past two decades, the proportion they control has grown to nearly a third of Kenya’s total agricultural land.

This trend has also been recorded in Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. Urban residents acquire rural farmlands because they see land as an attractive investment. They think of farming as potentially rewarding because of rising food prices, liberalised agricultural markets and the growing demand for food in rapidly urbanising areas.

The rural, small-scale farmer has long been the focus of agricultural transformation efforts on the continent. But some researchers and policymakers regard urban residents engaged in farming from afar as more innovative and entrepreneurial – capable of advancing commercial agriculture. These urban residents have better access to financial capital as well as information on markets and commodities.

Other researchers have pointed out that the impacts of urban-based farmers are either ambiguous or negligible.

For my PhD in Geography I investigated whether and how Kenyan urban residents engaged in farming from afar were shaping the development of commercial agriculture in the country. I also looked into the relations that these urban residents have with the rural people and places where they are active.

I found that the increasing control of rural farmlands by urban residents is reshaping the agricultural profiles of rural areas. This happens through the decisions they make about what to grow on their farms. They also influence the livelihood opportunities that are available to rural residents as well as prevailing regimes of labour, expertise and food systems.

Their impact has also been felt through farming practices which prioritise profit over sound land stewardship. My research points to the need to pay closer attention to the impacts of these farmers on rural agricultural landscapes.

Focus on financial returns

A popular term for people who farm from afar in Kenya is “telephone farmers”. Sometimes they’re called “weekend farmers” or “briefcase farmers”. I use the term “translocal farmers”.

The concept of translocality draws attention to how this type of farmer straddles rural and urban settings.

Over 14 months, I interviewed 50 translocal farmers, their farm managers, and county agricultural officials. I focused on the counties of Nakuru and Narok in Kenya’s Rift Valley region. These two counties have highly productive rural farmlands which jointly contribute about 9% of Kenya’s total agricultural production.

These farmlands attract urban residents who are interested in commercial farming, partly because they are close to the cities of Nairobi and Nakuru, and because land is available.

With the permission of the translocal farmers, I visited the farms to observe and record the activities there, including interactions between labourers and managers. The visits also enabled me to verify information obtained from the interviews.

This research revealed that translocal farmers were shaping the agricultural landscape through their decisions on types of crops to plant.

Translocal farmers said they preferred crops that promised decent financial returns and did not require a lot of attention. They chose to cultivate tree crops such as avocados, or grass varieties which could be used as fodder or hay. Vegetable crops such as cabbage, tomatoes and potatoes, or cereals like wheat require regular applications of pesticides and fertilisers. But tree crops and grasses typically only require close attention during planting and harvesting.

That makes them less costly in terms of labour and agricultural inputs, as well as time spent in supervision of farm activities. Vegetables have shorter growth cycles than tree crops or grasses and so can provide faster financial returns, but that means farmers have to source buyers on a regular basis. And vegetables perish fast, which might compel farmers to sell their produce at low prices.

This trend of translocal farmers choosing to plant trees or crops that require less intensive care has also been seen in areas of Tanzania and Uganda where urban residents have expanded their control of rural agricultural land.

Viewed against the reality of increasing control of rural agricultural land by urban residents, these choices shape the agricultural profiles of rural spaces.

Translocal farmers and soil degradation

Farming from afar may also have negative impacts on soil conservation and land degradation because translocal farmers are often absent from their land.

Agricultural officials pointed out to me that translocal farmers were frequently unavailable when the county was undertaking land and soil conservation initiatives that required farmer participation.

In Narok especially, farmers largely gained access to rural agricultural land by leasing from local land owners. County agricultural officers pointed to the high turnover of translocal farmers who would farm for a period and then disappear at the end of the lease period or if their enterprise failed.

As a result, county agricultural officials often did not know who was farming where. Further, translocal farmers felt greater pressure to maximise the returns from their farming so as to recover the funds spent in obtaining access to the land.

Sometimes they would farm in ways that degraded the land – like ploughing along the length of a slope instead of across it to conserve tractor fuel, or neglecting terracing and cover-cropping. Those soil conservation measures would reduce the ground area available for planting crops.

Agricultural policy often takes it for granted that farmers live where they farm. This research has shown that the increasing control of rural agricultural land by urban residents demands greater attention from Kenya’s government. At the national level, policymakers must understand what changing agricultural profiles mean for food security and rural livelihoods. And local government officials need to put more effort into engaging with the people who farm in their respective counties, whether or not they reside there.

– Kenyans living in towns are farmers too: what this means for rural landscapes
– https://theconversation.com/kenyans-living-in-towns-are-farmers-too-what-this-means-for-rural-landscapes-281901

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Tshwane Metro warns of road closures ahead of march

Source: Government of South Africa

Tshwane Metro warns of road closures ahead of march

The Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) has issued a public advisory warning motorists and residents of planned road closures and traffic disruptions during a march scheduled for Tuesday, 30 June 2026.

According to the metro police, the march is being organised by March & March and is aimed at protesting against illegal immigrants.

Participants are expected to gather at Church Square in Pretoria’s city centre from 10:00 before marching to Sunnyside Police Station.

The procession is expected to conclude at approximately 15:00.

The planned route will begin at Church Square before proceeding along Paul Kruger Street, Francis Baard Street, Lilian Ngoyi Street, Madiba Street, Nelson Mandela Drive, Kotze Street, Van Boeschoten Avenue, Robert Sobukwe Street and Leyds Street, ending at Sunnyside Police Station.

The TMPD has advised motorists to avoid the affected areas and make use of alternative routes, including Nana Sita Street, Visagie Street, Justice Mahomed Street, Jeff Masemola Street, Bosman Street, Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Struben Street, Bloed Street, Kgosi Mampuru Street and Eskia Mphahlele Drive.

Authorities also announced that no private vehicles will be permitted at the gathering point at Church Square.

A designated drop-off zone for buses will be located at the corner of WF Nkomo and Bosman streets, after which buses will proceed to the Old Putco Depot in Marabastad for parking.

Private vehicles will be directed to an open parking area at the corner of Kgosi Mampuru and Madiba streets.

The TMPD said officers, together with members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), will be deployed throughout the march to monitor the event and manage traffic along the affected routes.

Residents and commuters are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance and expect delays in and around Pretoria’s central business district during the march. – SAnews.gov.za
 

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A healthy environment for a prosperous South Africa

Source: Government of South Africa

A healthy environment for a prosperous South Africa

By Narend Singh

South Africans often face a false choice, that we must either protect the environment or grow the economy. Our future depends on doing both.

The health of our rivers, wetlands, oceans, forests and protected areas is not separate from the wellbeing of our people. These natural systems provide water, support agriculture, sustain tourism, create jobs and protect communities from the growing impacts of climate change. When they are degraded, the consequences are felt not only by conservationists, but by ordinary citizens through water shortages, lost livelihoods, rising food insecurity and increased vulnerability to floods, droughts and extreme weather events.

This is why environmental protection cannot be viewed as a luxury or an afterthought. It is a fundamental investment in South Africa’s economic future and social wellbeing.

As government, we recognise that many of our conservation institutions face serious challenges. Years of financial pressure, ageing infrastructure, vacancies and rising operational costs have placed enormous strain on conservation authorities across the country. Rangers and environmental officials often work under difficult circumstances, confronting organised wildlife crime, illegal activities and the growing impacts of climate change.

These realities demand honesty and decisive action, hence, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has initiated a focused assessment of protected areas to identify weaknesses, strengthen governance and improve conservation management. We cannot afford complacency when it comes to safeguarding South Africa’s natural heritage.

At the same time, conservation in a democratic South Africa must be about people as much as it is about nature.

Communities living alongside protected areas must see tangible benefits from conservation efforts. Environmental protection must create opportunities, support livelihoods and contribute to local development. This is why government continues to expand benefit sharing initiatives, support previously disadvantaged businesses in the biodiversity economy and strengthen partnerships that ensure communities participate meaningfully in conservation outcomes.

The biodiversity economy represents one of South Africa’s most significant untapped opportunities. Through targeted interventions and the implementation of the revised Biodiversity Economy Strategy, we aim to unlock hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next decade. These opportunities are particularly important for young people, women, rural communities and persons with disabilities who are often excluded from mainstream economic activity.

Environmental programmes already demonstrate what is possible when ecological restoration and job creation work hand in hand. Programmes such as Working for Water, Working for Wetlands, Working on Fire and Working for Coast continue to create employment while protecting critical natural resources.

These initiatives show that environmental investment is not a cost to society; it is an investment that delivers social, economic and ecological returns and climate change further reinforces the urgency of this approach.

South Africa is already experiencing the effects of a warming planet through more frequent droughts, devastating floods, increased wildfire risks and pressure on water resources. Climate change is not a distant threat. It is a present reality affecting communities, businesses and municipalities across the country.

The implementation of the Climate Change Act marks a significant step forward in strengthening South Africa’s response to both mitigation and adaptation. Building resilience requires investment in ecological infrastructure, improved planning and access to climate finance that enables developing countries to respond effectively to a crisis they did little to create.

Climate finance should never be viewed as charity. It is an instrument of global justice and shared responsibility. Developing countries must have the resources necessary to pursue sustainable development while adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Equally important is ensuring that environmental laws are enforced fairly and consistently. Communities have a right to clean air, safe water and healthy ecosystems. Municipalities, institutions and companies that fail to comply with environmental legislation must be held accountable. Environmental degradation cannot become normalised simply because it occurs gradually or because those responsible possess significant resources.

South Africa has made meaningful progress in strengthening environmental enforcement through improved training, intelligence led operations and closer collaboration between government agencies. However, continued vigilance will be required as environmental crimes become increasingly sophisticated and transnational in nature.

Ultimately, budgets alone do not solve problems, they are translated into measurable outcomes, stronger institutions, greater public trust and meaningful improvements in people’s lives.

The choices we make today will shape the South Africa inherited by future generations. Protecting biodiversity, restoring ecosystems, combating climate change and creating sustainable livelihoods are not separate objectives. They are interconnected pillars of a prosperous, resilient and inclusive society.

Our environment is not a barrier to development. It is one of our greatest national assets. If we protect it wisely, it will continue to sustain our economy, strengthen our communities and secure our future for generations to come.

*Singh is the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

 

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Le gouverneur de Lagos inaugure l’Omnifactory d’Arridex, première usine de fabrication additive industrielle multi-technologies d’Afrique de l’Ouest

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

Arridex (https://Arridex.com) a inauguré officiellement son Omnifactory, première usine de fabrication additive industrielle multi-technologies d’Afrique de l’Ouest, lors d’une cérémonie à Lagos présidée par Babajide Sanwo-Olu, gouverneur de l’État de Lagos. De hauts responsables gouvernementaux, des chefs d’entreprise, des membres du corps diplomatique et une délégation d’investisseurs participant au forum Invest Lagos 3.0 étaient présents.

La délégation d’Invest Lagos comprenait des participants à la table ronde du forum sur l’avenir des technologies et de l’innovation. Kayode Adeleke, directeur général du groupe Arridex, y a abordé le rôle des technologies et de l’innovation dans l’industrialisation de l’Afrique, en s’appuyant sur l’expérience opérationnelle d’Arridex dans les secteurs du pétrole et du gaz, du maritime, de l’aérospatiale, de la défense, de la construction et de la production industrielle. L’usine omnifactoriel d’Arridex intègre sous un même toit de multiples technologies de fabrication additive, notamment la fusion laser sur lit de poudre (L-PBF), la projection à froid, le dépôt de filament fondu (FFF) et le frittage laser sélectif (SLS). Elle permet ainsi la production à la demande de composants industriels, de pièces de rechange et de pièces aux conceptions améliorées pour les industries critiques. Ses capacités de production grand format s’étendent aux composants marins de grande taille et à d’autres structures industrielles de grande envergure.

La mise en service de l’usine omnifactoriel marque l’aboutissement de vingt ans d’expertise, désormais intégrée à l’infrastructure. Arridex a débuté ses activités en 2005 en tant que spécialiste de l’intégrité des actifs dans le secteur pétrolier et gazier nigérian et s’est développée progressivement dans les domaines maritime, de la défense, de la construction, des technologies et de l’aérospatiale. L’entreprise n’a enregistré aucun accident du travail avec arrêt sur plus de sept millions d’heures de travail.

Pour le Nigéria et l’Afrique de l’Ouest, l’usine omnifactoriel d’Arridex répond à une dépendance structurelle qui a longtemps affecté la continuité des opérations dans les industries critiques. Les propriétaires d’infrastructures vieillissantes sont régulièrement confrontés à des délais d’approvisionnement prolongés, des chaînes logistiques s’étendant sur plusieurs juridictions et l’obsolescence croissante de pièces anciennes dont les fabricants d’origine ont parfois disparu. L’Omnifactory fabrique ces composants à la demande à Lagos.

Arridex bénéficie du statut de pionnier en fabrication additive, accordé par la Commission nigériane de promotion des investissements (NIPC). Elle est la première entreprise qualifiée par la Commission nigériane de réglementation du secteur pétrolier en amont (NUPRC) pour le déploiement de la fabrication additive dans le secteur pétrolier et gazier. Elle a également conclu un partenariat en coentreprise avec la Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) pour la production locale de composants de qualité militaire fabriqués par fabrication additive. Ces reconnaissances témoignent de l’ancrage institutionnel de l’Omnifactory.

Arridex est également le premier membre africain de l’Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) et un partenaire stratégique désigné du Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC). Kayode Adeleke siège au Conseil consultatif mondial du CWEIC.

“J’ai inauguré aujourd’hui à Lagos la première usine de fabrication additive industrielle multitechnologique d’Afrique de l’Ouest. En produisant des composants industriels et des pièces détachées ici même à Lagos, Arridex contribue à réduire notre dépendance aux importations, à renforcer les industries essentielles et à soutenir la croissance économique. Je félicite l’équipe d’Arridex pour sa vision et son engagement à développer des solutions qui profitent non seulement au Nigéria, mais aussi à l’ensemble du continent africain. Lagos continuera de soutenir les investissements qui créent des opportunités, développent les compétences locales et positionnent notre État comme un pôle d’innovation et d’industrie”, a dit Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Gouverneur de l’État de Lagos

“Notre objectif n’était pas de bâtir la plus grande entreprise, mais une entreprise résiliente. Depuis plus de vingt ans, nous avons choisi la voie la plus exigeante : produire en Afrique ce que d’autres importent, respecter les normes internationales sans exception et privilégier l’objectif au profit. L’usine Arridex Omnifactory est la concrétisation de cette conviction. Le nom est nouveau, mais le travail accompli est loin d’être terminé. Nous ne comptons pas nous arrêter là. D’ici le premier trimestre 2027, nous mettrons en service l’usine Arridex Mega Omnifactory, qui figurera parmi les plus grandes installations de fabrication additive industrielle au monde sur un seul site. Le prochain chapitre de l’histoire de l’industrie manufacturière mondiale peut s’écrire à Lagos. Nous sommes en train de le construire”, a dit Kayode Adeleke, Directeur Général du Groupe Arridex.

Avec la mise en service de l’Omnifactory, Arridex entame une nouvelle phase de son développement : un groupe dont les compétences, les infrastructures et l’ambition convergent vers un même but.

Distribué par APO Group pour Arridex.

À PROPOS D’ARRIDEX : 
Arridex est un groupe africain de technologies industrielles qui bénéficie de plus de vingt ans d’expérience opérationnelle continue dans les secteurs du pétrole et du gaz, du maritime, de l’aérospatiale, de la défense, de la construction et de la fabrication. Grâce à l’Arridex Omnifactory, première usine de fabrication additive industrielle multi-technologies d’Afrique de l’Ouest, Arridex produit des composants industriels à la demande.

Media files

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Reimaging our relationship with the Ocean from Source to Sea

Source: Government of South Africa

Reimaging our relationship with the Ocean from Source to Sea

By Narend Singh

Each year, World Oceans Day provides an opportunity to reflect on humanity’s relationship with the sea. This year, the theme, “Reimagine: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean”, challenges us to think differently about the future we wish to create.

For South Africa, a nation blessed with more than 3,000 kilometres of coastline and an ocean economy that supports livelihoods, trade, tourism and food security, this challenge could not be more urgent.

The ocean is often viewed as something distant from our daily lives a vast expanse beyond our cities and communities. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The ocean produces much of the oxygen we breathe, regulates our climate, supports biodiversity and sustains millions of livelihoods. Every South African is connected to the ocean, whether they live on the coast or hundreds of kilometres inland.

Reimagining our relationship with the ocean begins by recognising a simple but profound truth, what happens upstream ultimately affects what happens downstream.

The health of our oceans is determined long before rivers reach the coast. The decisions we make in our homes, businesses, municipalities and industries shape the quality of our rivers, estuaries and coastal waters. Pollution entering a river in the interior does not disappear. It travels through catchments and estuaries before eventually reaching the sea.

This Source to Sea perspective is central to South Africa’s environmental governance framework. It recognises that protecting our oceans requires protecting the entire ecological system that feeds into them.

One of the clearest examples of this interconnectedness is plastic pollution.

For too long, plastic pollution has been viewed solely as a waste management issue, while effective waste collection and recycling remain essential, the challenge extends far beyond litter. Plastic pollution affects ecosystems, biodiversity, human health, tourism, fisheries and economic productivity. It undermines the resilience of communities and threatens the natural systems upon which we depend.

Recent scientific studies undertaken in South Africa continue to deepen our understanding of how microplastics and other pollutants move through our river systems and into our oceans. The evidence is increasingly translucent plastic pollution is not a single sector problem and cannot be solved through isolated interventions. It demands coordinated action across government, industry, academia, civil society and communities, and this is why partnerships matter.

Addressing complex environmental challenges requires all spheres of government and all sectors of society to work together. It requires evidence-based policymaking, investment in scientific research, and collaboration that transcends institutional boundaries. When researchers, municipalities, state owned entities, environmental organisations and communities unite around a common purpose, meaningful progress becomes possible.

South Africa is also contributing to international efforts to confront plastic pollution. As negotiations continue towards a legally binding global agreement on plastic pollution, countries around the world are recognising that this challenge knows no borders. Pollution released into one ecosystem can affect another thousands of kilometres away. 

Collective action is therefore not simply desirable, it is essential.
As we commemorate World Oceans Day during Youth Month, we must also recognise the opportunities that a healthier ocean can create for future generations.

The transition to a greener and more sustainable economy offers significant prospects for young South Africans. Environmental restoration, recycling, waste management, marine science, conservation, maritime industries, and broader ocean-based economic activities all hold the potential to create jobs, stimulate entrepreneurship and foster innovation.

Our young people are not merely beneficiaries of environmental protection; they are its future leaders. By investing in environmental skills, research, technology and sustainable industries, we can equip a new generation to participate meaningfully in the blue economy while safeguarding our natural heritage.

Ultimately, reimagining our relationship with the ocean requires more than policy change. It requires a shift in mindset.

We must move away from seeing nature as separate from ourselves and instead recognise our deep interdependence with the ecosystems that sustain life. We must rethink how we produce, consume and dispose of resources. We must strengthen cooperation between institutions and communities. And we must acknowledge that every action taken upstream has consequences downstream.

The renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle once observed; “With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea.”

World Oceans Day reminds us that this connection carries both responsibility and opportunity.

If we are prepared to reimagine our relationship with the ocean, we can build a future where rivers flow free from pollution, where coastal ecosystems are resilient, where sustainable development creates opportunities for our youth, and where our oceans continue to sustain life and prosperity for generations to come.

The future of our ocean begins with the choices we make today.

*Singh is the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

 

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Lagos Governor Commissions the Arridex Omnifactory, West Africa’s First Multi-Technology Industrial Additive Manufacturing Facility

Source: APO

Arridex (https://Arridex.com) has formally commissioned its Omnifactory, West Africa’s first multi-technology industrial additive manufacturing facility, at a ceremony in Lagos commissioned by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, and attended by senior government officials, industry leaders, and members of the diplomatic corps and investment delegation attending the Invest Lagos 3.0 forum.

The Invest Lagos delegation included participants from the forum’s panel session on The Future of Technology and Innovation, at which Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Arridex, spoke to the role of technology and innovation in the industrialisation of Africa, drawing directly on Arridex’s operational experience across oil and gas, maritime, aerospace, defence, construction, and manufacturing.

The Arridex Omnifactory integrates multiple additive manufacturing technologies under a single roof, including Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), Cold Spray, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), enabling on-demand production of industrial components, spares, and improved part designs for critical industries. Its large-format capabilities extend to full-size marine components and other large-scale industrial structures.

The Omnifactory’s commissioning is the point at which two decades of accumulated capability become infrastructure. Arridex began operations in 2005 as an asset integrity practice in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and grew sector by sector into maritime, defence, construction, technology, and aerospace. The organisation has recorded zero lost-time incidents across more than seven million man hours of operations.

For Nigeria and West Africa, the Arridex Omnifactory addresses a structural dependency that has long affected operational continuity across critical industries. Asset owners managing ageing infrastructure have routinely contended with extended procurement lead times, supply chains spanning multiple jurisdictions, and the increasing obsolescence of legacy parts whose original manufacturers may no longer exist. The Omnifactory manufactures those components on demand in Lagos.

Arridex holds Pioneer Status in additive manufacturing, granted by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), it is the first company qualified by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for additive manufacturing deployment in the oil and gas sector, and has a joint venture partnership with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) for the local production of military-grade additive manufactured components, a set of recognitions that collectively signal the institutional grounding of what the Omnifactory represents.

Arridex is also the first African member of the Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA), and a Designated Strategic Partner of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), with Kayode Adeleke serving on the CWEIC Global Advisory Council.

Today, I opened West Africa’s first multi-technology industrial additive manufacturing facility in Lagos. By producing industrial components and spare parts here in Lagos, Arridex is helping to reduce our dependence on imports, strengthening critical industries and supporting economic growth. I commend the Arridex team for their vision and commitment to building solutions that serve not only Nigeria but the wider African continent. Lagos will continue to support investments that create opportunities, grow local capacity and position our state as a hub for innovation and industry. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State

“We did not set out to build the biggest company, but a resilient one. For over two decades, we have chosen the harder path, and that is to make in Africa what others import, to meet global standards without exception, and to put purpose before profit. The Arridex Omnifactory is where that conviction becomes infrastructure. The name on the door is new, but the work behind it is not. We are not stopping here. By the first quarter of 2027, we will commission the Arridex Mega Omnifactory, which will stand among the largest single-site industrial additive manufacturing facilities in the world. The next chapter of global manufacturing can be written from Lagos. We are building it.” Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer, Arridex

With the Omnifactory now commissioned, Arridex advances into its next phase: a group whose capabilities, infrastructure, and ambition are pointed in the same direction.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Arridex.

NOTES TO EDITORS: 
1. Arridex is the company previously known as RusselSmith Group. The new identity is effective from 19 May 2026.
2. The Arridex Omnifactory commissioning ceremony took place in Lagos in June 2026.
3. Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Arridex, is available for interview. Requests should be directed to Mediacraft.
4. Arridex holds Pioneer Status in additive manufacturing, granted by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), and is the first company qualified by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for additive manufacturing deployment in the oil and gas sector.
5. High-resolution logo assets and approved facility photography are available from Mediacraft on request.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: 
All media enquiries should be directed to Mediacraft Associates.
Amina Omoike
08033954069
amina.o@mediacraft.ng

ABOUT ARRIDEX: 
Arridex is an African industrial technology group with over twenty years of continuous operational delivery across oil and gas, maritime, aerospace, defence, construction, and manufacturing. Through the Arridex Omnifactory, West Africa’s first multi-technology industrial additive manufacturing facility, Arridex produces on-demand industrial components, spares, and improved part designs for critical industries. Through its subsidiaries, the company designs and manufactures autonomous systems, delivers engineering and construction projects, and builds advanced technology products. Arridex is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.

Website: https://Arridex.com

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National Science Month to showcase SA’s scientific capabilities

Source: Government of South Africa

National Science Month to showcase SA’s scientific capabilities

South Africa’s science and technology capabilities will be on display this month when the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) launches National Science Month on Saturday.

The inaugural event represents a major transition from the traditional National Science Week, which has run since 2000.

The theme for the historic month is: “Science, Technology and Innovation Are for Everyone” and is aimed at deeply entrenching scientific literacy into everyday society.

“The transition to National Science Month is therefore more than an expansion of National Science Week. It is an opportunity to deepen public appreciation of science, technology and innovation by demonstrating how science helps us understand the natural and social world, create and apply new technological and social innovations, solve pressing real-world problems, and build the capacity of the State and economic actors to better serve the needs of our people,” Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Blade Nzimande told a media briefing on Monday.

The formal launch of National Science Month is pencilled in for this Saturday at the Vaal University of Technology in Sebokeng and will kick off the month-long programme of “meaningful public engagement with science”.

The event on Saturday will feature an expansive exhibition boasting 132 stands with more than 100 exhibitors including major national entities like the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as well as universities.

“National Science Month targets every sector of society, including learners, educators, students, scientists, researchers, innovators, industry players, indigenous knowledge holders, science interpreters, journalists, STEM professionals, government departments, research institutions, knowledge intermediary institutions, think tanks, tourists and the general public. 

“During July, over 31 days and across various provinces, these target groups, participating institutions, and partners will take part in an exciting range of interactive activities curated around 14 thematic areas,” Nzimande said.

These thematic areas include:

  • Technology and innovation;
  • Science in human health;
  • Environmental conservation and management;
  • Science in service delivery, and
  • Science in education and others.

Scientific success

The Minister noted that beyond public awareness, the National Science Month serves as a powerful platform to reaffirm national pride by spotlighting the country’s formidable scientific achievements.

These achievements include:

  • South Africa is cohost of the Square Kilometre Array, the world’s largest radio astronomy project, as well as another major scientific project, the Southern African Large Telescope
  • The country built the Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure at Steve Biko Academic Hospital which advances drug development and clinical research, and provides cutting-edge diagnostics and treatment for cancer, tuberculosis, and other major diseases
  • Biovac received approval from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to begin clinical trials of its oral cholera vaccine

“Historically, and still to a considerable extent today, South Africa possess one of the largest and most advanced public science systems on the African continent.

“But we must ensure funding and social participation in the development does not lag behind the pressing needs of the present and future,” Nzimande emphasised.

National Science Month is an opportunity to demonstrate how science to contribute to resolving every day challenges.

“It is also about using South Africa’s science, technology, and innovation capabilities to develop evidence-based solutions to everyday challenges such as unemployment, poverty, education, health care, water provision, energy security, crime, violence, and migration.

“We therefore wish to use this historic announcement to make a strong call to every citizen and every family, in every town and village to please find out which institution in your province will be participating in National Science Month activities and get involved,” Nzimande concluded. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB

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Operation Shanela II nets 15 000 suspects for various offences

Source: Government of South Africa

Operation Shanela II nets 15 000 suspects for various offences

The South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested 15 384 suspects for various offences during nationwide Operation Shanela II operations conducted last week.  

The suspects, arrested between 22 and 28 June 2026, are facing charges including murder, attempted murder, rape, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and drug trafficking.

Among those arrested were 2 884 foreign nationals of different nationalities, apprehended in various parts of the country for contravening the Immigration Act. 

“South Africans can rest assured that law enforcement agencies are fully prepared to safeguard the country, protect lives and property, and maintain law and order,” the SAPS said in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, police have reiterated their commitment to protecting citizens’ constitutional right to protest ahead of demonstrations taking place across the country on Tuesday against illegal migration.

“The SAPS’ role is to maintain public order, protect lives and property, and act decisively against any criminality that threatens public safety,” the Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, said.

Protesters have been urged to demonstrate peacefully while ensuring the safety and security of all South Africans. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin

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