MIL Africa Engine

Source: APO

CEM Africa, Africa’s leading customer experience conference, has announced three internationally respected speakers who will take to the stage at CEM Africa 2026, taking place from 18 – 20 August 2026 in Cape Town.

Bringing together senior leaders from customer experience, marketing, digital transformation, retail, customer service and business strategy, CEM Africa continues to attract influential voices who challenge conventional thinking and share practical insights that organisations can apply to create stronger customer relationships and better business outcomes.

Joining this year’s programme are Martin Urrutia, Global Head of Retail Experience at The LEGO Group; Bruce Whitfield, one of South Africa’s most respected business journalists and best-selling authors; and Zahirah Variawa, Emmy-nominated television presenter, award-winning travel producer and destination marketing strategist.

Together, they represent three distinct but complementary perspectives on leadership, customer experience and business transformation.

Creating World-Class Customer Experiences

Making his South African debut at CEM Africa, Martin Urrutia brings extensive global expertise in retail experience design and customer engagement.

As the Global Head of Retail Experience at The LEGO Group, Martin leads the development of retail concepts and customer experiences that strengthen one of the world’s most recognised brands. His work demonstrates how thoughtful experience design, innovation and brand strategy can be translated into commercially successful customer experiences across global markets.

During his session, Martin will share practical insights into designing memorable retail experiences that strengthen customer relationships while delivering measurable business value.

Speaking ahead of his visit to Cape Town, Martin said:

“During my visit to Cape Town, I look forward to engaging with the city’s authentic experiences, local culture, and distinctive destinations, all of which continue to inform and inspire the retail and brand experiences I create. I am particularly keen to explore Cape Town’s seamless integration of global brands and unique local retailers, alongside its exceptional culinary scene and vibrant public spaces — environments that foster connection, discovery, and new perspectives.”

Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty

Bruce Whitfield has built a reputation as one of South Africa’s most trusted business commentators, interviewing some of the world’s leading executives, entrepreneurs and innovators throughout his career. Drawing on decades of experience covering business, leadership and economic change, Bruce will explore how leaders can make better decisions, embrace uncertainty and identify opportunity in rapidly changing environments.

His keynote will challenge delegates to rethink how resilience, adaptability and decisive leadership can become competitive advantages in today’s business landscape.

The Power of Storytelling to Shape Experiences

Joining the programme is Zahirah Variawa, whose career spans more than 16 years across Africa, the Middle East and international markets.

An Emmy-nominated television presenter, award-winning travel producer, content creator and destination marketing strategist, Zahirah has partnered with tourism boards, governments, airlines and luxury hospitality brands to shape how destinations are experienced and remembered. Beyond broadcasting, she advises governments and international organisations on destination marketing strategy, facilitates industry dialogue and champions tourism as a catalyst for economic growth across Africa.

At CEM Africa 2026, Zahirah will explore how storytelling, human connection and authentic experiences influence perception, build trust and create lasting emotional connections. Her session will demonstrate why the principles of destination branding and experience design are increasingly relevant to organisations seeking to differentiate themselves through customer experience.

A Platform for Africa’s Customer Experience Leaders

The announcement reinforces CEM Africa’s position as the continent’s premier gathering for senior customer experience professionals, bringing together business leaders to explore the ideas, strategies and innovations shaping the future of customer engagement.

From world-class retail innovation and leadership to the power of storytelling, delegates will gain practical insights from speakers whose experience extends well beyond traditional customer experience disciplines. Together, they demonstrate that exceptional customer experiences are shaped by design, strengthened by leadership and brought to life through authentic human connection.

CEM Africa 2026 takes place in Cape Town from 18–20 August 2026, bringing together senior decision-makers from financial services, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, technology, government and other leading industries for three days of learning, networking and business collaboration.

For more information and to register, visit the CEM Africa website.

CEM Africa.com (https://apo-opa.co/4wtCFtN)

View the event programme https://apo-opa.co/4wr3j6r

Ticket Options https://apo-opa.co/4bgs9gQ

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

Source: APO

Across West Africa, violence against women and girls (VAWG) continues to undermine fundamental human rights, limit public participation, and threaten community safety. According to UN Women’s Gender Snapshot, an estimated 14 million women experienced intimate partner violence in the past year across the region. Women hold only 11% of seats in national parliaments and 13% of local government seats across the region.

From 14–16 July 2026, women parliamentarians, Ministers of Gender and civil society leaders gathered in Accra to launch the West Africa Female Parliamentarians Movement on Ending VAWG.

Organized by the Women in Politics Forum (WIPF) and UN Women West and Central Africa, the conference was held under the ACT to End VAWG programme, supported by the European Union, UN Women and the UN Trust Fund.

Participants stressed the need for stronger alliances capable of driving legislative reforms across the sub-region and ensuring that commitments translate into safety for women and girls.

An Emerging Threat: The Pushback on Girls’ Rights

In the West and Central Africa region, there remains a troubling pushback against the rights of women and girls, exacerbated by emerging global crises. “Climate-induced shocks are escalating economic  stress, are driving a rise in child marriages and exploitation. Digital violence continues to target young women and female political leaders.” Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Nigerian legal scholar, human rights activist, and leading authority on gender equality and human trafficking.

UN Women data show that laws alone are not enough if access to justice remains out of reach. The ACT programme strengthens partnerships between women’s rights organizations and decision-makers to advance action on ending violence against women and girls.

“This evidence is vital for parliamentarians. It equips legislators to move from concern to action: to review laws and policies, ask the right parliamentary questions, scrutinize budgets, strengthen oversight, and build cross-party consensus for reforms that protect women and girls.” Afua Ansre, Programme Manager, Gender Partnerships and Institutional Support, UN Women 

High-Level Political Mobilization

Parliamentarians emphasized that ending VAWG is a national development imperative and a legislative emergency. 

Senator Ireti Kingibe, Chair of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Women Affairs and only the second woman in history to represent Abuja in the Senate, emphasized strategic political leveraging: 

“As women, we cannot just beg; we must become a unified lobbying bloc. We must make it clear that any politician who does not support gender bills will not receive the votes of women.”

Similarly, Hon. Zuweira Ibrahim Mohammed, the first female MP elected from Ghana’s Salaga South constituency and a former diplomat, highlighted grassroots awareness: 

“I firmly believe that women hold the inherent power to change things. Our single biggest resource is women themselves. They simply need to be educated on their rights.”

Evidence-Based Action & Next Steps

The movement also reinforces efforts to protect women leaders and strengthen safe political participation across the region.

Participants adopted the Accra Declaration and committed to key actions under the new movement:

Legislative harmonization: Advocating for an ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on VAWG to establish uniform cross-border protections.

Gender-responsive budgeting: Securing national funding for survivor services and legal aid.

Accountability:  Establishing an annual Ministerial Summit and regional scorecard.

The movement marks a significant step toward a future where every woman and girl can live free from violence and discrimination.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.

Source: APO

.

• IMF Management has approved the completion of the first review under Zimbabwe’s 10‑month Staff-Monitored Program (SMP).
• Program implementation through end-March 2026 was strong, with all quantitative targets and structural benchmarks met and most indicative targets observed.
• Sustained policy discipline, stronger fiscal risk management, protection of social spending, continued monetary and exchange rate reforms, and governance improvements will be important to entrench macroeconomic stability and advance Zimbabwe’s re-engagement efforts.

IMF Management has approved the completion of the first review under Zimbabwe’s 10‑month Staff-Monitored Program (SMP). Completion of the review marks an important step in consolidating recent stabilization gains and strengthening Zimbabwe’s track record of policy implementation in support of arrears clearance, debt restructuring, and re-engagement with the international community.

Zimbabwe’s economy has remained resilient despite a more challenging external environment. Growth remained strong in 2025 at 8.3 percent and continued into early 2026, supported by improved agricultural production, robust mining activity, and favorable gold prices. Inflation has remained low, reflecting tight monetary conditions and relative exchange rate stability.

The outlook remains favorable, but risks are tilted to the downside. Growth is projected at 5 percent in 2026 and 4.2 percent over the medium term, while inflation should remain in single digits under tight policies. The current account surplus is projected to narrow but remain robust. Downside risks stem from a major El Niño event and a renewed war in the Middle East.

Program implementation was strong. All end-March quantitative targets were met, including those relating to the primary budget balance, net international reserves, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe credit to the non-financial public sector, external borrowing, and monetary base growth. Most indicative targets were observed, although the indicative target on protected social and priority spending was missed. The end-March and end-June structural benchmarks were completed, and the authorities are making progress toward subsequent reform commitments.

The program continues to support prudent fiscal management. The fiscal primary balance through end-March was stronger than expected, supported by robust revenue collection. The program supports the authorities’ commitment to maintain spending within the approved 2026 national budget, while saving additional revenues to build buffers for potential food-security needs in 2027. The program also supports commitments to contain fiscal risks from gold delivery incentives, a rules-based approach to early redemptions and other liability-management operations, and stronger safeguards for domestic arrears clearance. Strengthening budget execution, commitment controls, public financial management, and domestic arrears clearance will be critical to preventing new arrears and safeguarding fiscal credibility.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has maintained a tight monetary policy stance to contain inflation and reduce pressures in the foreign exchange market. This stance should continue until inflation expectations are firmly anchored and confidence in the local currency strengthens. Staff welcomes the operationalization of the ZiG-denominated term deposit facility as part of a gradual shift toward more market-based instruments. Over time, reducing reliance on non-negotiable certificates of deposit would help strengthen monetary transmission and support domestic money market development. Staff also welcomes the authorities’ plans to develop a comprehensive strategy to further liberalize the foreign exchange market and reform the foreign exchange intervention framework.

Structural reforms remain central to the program’s objectives. Staff welcomes the authorities’ commitment to strengthening social protection systems, while the missed indicative target on protected social and priority spending underscores the need to improve budget execution and ensure timely support to vulnerable groups. Continued progress in public financial management, governance, and fiscal risk management will also be important to reinforce transparency, accountability, and confidence in the authorities’ policy framework.

The program also supports the authorities’ broader re-engagement agenda. Continued progress under the SMP, together with ongoing efforts to reconcile debt data and develop a credible arrears-clearance and debt-resolution strategy, will help advance discussions with external partners and support the next stages of Zimbabwe’s re-engagement process.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source: APO

Following the successful subscription of its Series 1 corporate bond, Dimension Data Limited (https://DimensionData.com.ng) has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million), marking the first tranche of its N20 billion (US$14.7 million) bond programme. The proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.

Speaking at the ceremony, Olugbenga Olabiyi, Managing Director of Dimension Data Limited, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.

“Beyond delivering technology solutions, we work every day to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy. This milestone reflects the confidence of our partners and investors in our vision, and we look forward to translating these investments into infrastructure that supports businesses, innovation and national digital transformation.”

Olabiyi also thanked the company’s customers, partners, Board members and advisers, including Pathway Advisors Limited, Deloitte, STL, Fidelity Bank, FCMB and FSDH Capital, for their continued support.

Shatse Kakwagh, Managing Partner of Mbavaa Partners Limited and Director of Dimension Data SPV Limited, described the transaction as the culmination of a two-year journey built on collaboration and market confidence.

“Today’s achievement validates the quality of work being done by the Dimension Data team and the market’s confidence in the company’s growth strategy. This funding is not the destination – it is the beginning of an even bigger journey.”

He also acknowledged the contributions of the Board, advisers, transaction partners, FSDH Capital, Pathway Advisors and other stakeholders who supported the successful execution of the transaction.

Adekunle Alade, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pathway Advisors Limited, the Lead Issuing House and Book Runner, thanked Dimension Data for its confidence in the firm and expressed appreciation to the high-net-worth investors who participated in the issuance, noting that their support demonstrated strong confidence in the company’s long-term growth prospects despite prevailing preferences for shorter-term investments.

The planned investments will fund the continued expansion of Dimension Data’s fibre network, supporting increasing demand from financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise customers and other technology-driven sectors. As cloud adoption, digital financial services and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the company believes resilient fibre infrastructure will remain a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Dimension Data.

Source: APO

.

Clotaire Kondja, Gabon’s Minister of Petroleum and Gas, has been confirmed as a speaker at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, bringing one of Central Africa’s foremost architects of upstream reform to the continent’s premier energy investment event. Since taking office in January 2026, Minister Kondja has accelerated efforts to attract international capital, unlock Gabon’s largely untapped offshore potential and commercialize its substantial natural gas resources.

Taking place in Cape Town from October 12‒16, AEW 2026 serves as the continent’s leading platform for energy investment, convening government leaders, operators, financiers and technology providers to drive deals across Africa’s oil, gas and energy sectors. With more than 2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and significant untapped offshore acreage, Gabon continues to offer prolific investment opportunities that will be showcased to global investors in Cape Town.

Around 72% of the country’s deepwater acreage remains unexplored, and the government is actively opening new opportunities for investors. Speaking at the Invest in African Energy Forum in Paris in April, Minister Kondja confirmed that Gabon expected to finalize PSCs with ExxonMobil and bp, converting MoUs signed in October 2025 into active deepwater exploration licenses. The government’s modernized Hydrocarbons Code and enhanced fiscal framework are further strengthening the investment case, creating competitive conditions for companies pursuing frontier exploration, mature field redevelopment and long-term production growth.

Upstream investors are targeting frontier offshore blocks and redevelopment of mature assets, while midstream opportunities include new pipelines, storage infrastructure and refinery upgrades. At the same time, the government’s gas modernization agenda is opening investment across LNG exports, gas-to-power projects and downstream industrial gas applications as Gabon positions itself as a regional petroleum and gas hub. The government has also eliminated signature bonuses for deepwater and ultra-deepwater blocks while launching a 2026 licensing campaign covering roughly 70% of the country’s available offshore acreage.

A new investor-friendly Gas Code is under development, complemented by plans for a 130‒150-km pipeline linking Gamba to Libreville by early 2028. The strategy is supported by Perenco’s $2 billion Cap Lopez LNG project, expected to begin operations in 2026 through an FLNG facility capable of producing 700,000 tons of LNG and 25,000 tons of LPG annually while significantly reducing gas flaring.

Investment activity is gathering pace across the sector. BW Energy, Panoro Energy and Gabon Oil Company approved the $300 million Bourdon offshore development in May 2026, targeting first oil in the first quarter of 2028 from approximately 25 million barrels of recoverable reserves. BW Energy and Panoro Energy are also progressing the MaBoMo Phase 2 development, expected to deliver first oil during the first half of 2027, while Assala Energy’s Magoga-A discovery confirmed 8m of net oil play in the Gamba Sandstone formation. Meanwhile, investment continues to accelerate across the midstream segment through planned gas gathering infrastructure, expanded storage capacity and refinery modernization, supporting the government’s ambition of building an integrated petroleum industry while capturing greater value from domestic gas production.

“Minister Clotaire Kondja is leading a new era of investment across Gabon’s oil and gas sector through competitive reforms, frontier exploration and strategic gas development. As Gabon opens new offshore opportunities and advances major infrastructure projects, his insights at AEW 2026 will be invaluable for investors looking to participate in one of Africa’s most dynamic energy markets,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

Beyond showcasing Gabon’s investment agenda, Minister Kondja’s participation will contribute to broader discussions on how African producers can remain globally competitive amid shifting capital flows, evolving energy demand and growing pressure to deliver long-term energy security. His perspective will add to high-level dialogue between policymakers, operators and financiers focused on accelerating investment and strengthening Africa’s role in the global energy landscape.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Source: APO

A new United Nations report says the world has moved past a water crisis into water bankruptcy, and Africa’s utility numbers already show what that looks like.

This is the focus of Water Security & Infrastructure Volume 2026 (https://apo-opa.co/3TrgwgU), launched by ESI Africa, part of VUKA Group, mapping the shift from water crisis to water bankruptcy and holding it against African utility data.

For years, “water crisis” has been the term used whenever a dam ran low or a city faced Day Zero. The Global Water Bankruptcy Report (2026), published by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), argues that the word “crisis” no longer fits.

A crisis is a shock a system recovers from. Bankruptcy is what happens when it can’t. The report defines it as a “persistent post-crisis condition… in which long-term water use has exceeded renewable inflows and safe depletion limits, causing irreversible or effectively irreversible degradation.”

Nearly 75% of the world’s population now lives in a country classified as water insecure. The world has lost 410 million hectares of wetlands since 1970, an area the size of the European Union, at an economic cost the report puts at $5.1 trillion. Glacier mass is down more than 30% over the same period, and 70% of major aquifers are in long-term decline.

Where Africa’s utilities stand

ESI Africa’s new Water Security & Infrastructure Volume 2026 examines that global diagnosis and holds it against African utility data. The pattern repeats at a smaller scale, and it’s already visible in the numbers that regulators publish annually.

Non-revenue water, water that is produced but never billed, lost to leaks, theft or faulty metering, sits above 35% across South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique. In Zimbabwe and among Kenya’s largest utilities, it exceeds 50%.

“Where in South Africa are we addressing non-revenue water?” asks South African Water Chamber CEO Benoît Le Roy. His own answer is that it’s nowhere close to enough. South Africa’s non-revenue water rate sits at roughly 47.8%.

The World Bank reached a similar conclusion in 2017, studying around 120 utilities across 14 African countries. Close to half couldn’t cover their own operating and maintenance costs from revenue. Government transfers filled the gap, but at a cost, because this support removed any pressure on utilities to fix their own finances.

Eight years on, the region’s own regulators confirmed the trend hasn’t reversed. ESAWAS’s 2023/24 benchmarking of 10 major utilities found average cost coverage fell from 99% to 91% in a single year. Collection efficiency dropped from 107% to 87%. In Zambia, two utilities have had tariffs frozen by government decision for more than four years.

Why doesn’t the money move?

Bothwell Manikai, DBSA Principal for Infrastructure Financing, put it directly: “I must admit that the fact that we are where we are in terms of those losses means we can all do more.”

Zakhele Mayisa, AfDB Senior Consultant for Private Sector Engagement, traced the blockage further upstream, to land tenure disputes and thin baseline data that disqualify water projects before financing talks start.

Without ring-fenced revenue, Le Roy argued, no financier can underwrite the risk. Cost-reflective tariffs matter, but they can’t fix a network that loses water before that cost is ever billed.

The next big consumer

The volume also names the sectors that will need to shrink, adapt or pay more: mining, thermal power, agriculture, and, increasingly, data centres. By 2030, AI-related water consumption could reach 9.3 trillion litres globally, enough to cover the annual domestic needs of roughly 1.3 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa’s 360MW of existing data centre capacity already exposes the gap. “We don’t bill the customer for it,” said Nazeem Holmes, senior solutions architect at Open Access Data Centres, explaining why water efficiency lags energy efficiency on site. Power is metered and billed to the tenant. Water, shared across a facility, isn’t.

What comes next

The focus isn’t on building more dams and desalination plants; it’s a warning that doing so can deepen the overshoot by encouraging further unsustainable growth. Instead, there is a call for nature-based capital investment, water-bankruptcy risk screening by lenders, and real-time global monitoring of what remains.

ESI Africa Editor-in-Chief Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl frames the shift in her opening letter to the volume: “I’d wager the utilities that thrive over the next decade won’t be the ones that produce the most water. They’ll be the ones that lose the least of it.”

The full volume features 17 articles unpacking finance, metering and policy responses across the sector, published in partnership with Conlog and the STS Association.

Access the full volume: https://apo-opa.co/3TGzjVw

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

About ESI Africa:
ESI Africa — Africa’s trusted power, energy, water and utility multimedia platform — is positioned as an impartial industry mouthpiece, delivering the latest technical developments and analysis in both print and digital formats since 1996.

The brand’s various routes to market are expertly primed to build a bridge between readers and solution providers as ESI Africa sifts through the daily noise and delivers the tale of Africa’s energy, power, utility and water transformation to the African and global market.https://apo-opa.co/4wkq63G

About VUKA Group:
VUKA Group connects people and organisations across Africa’s energy, mining, mobility, green economy, and retail sectors through events, content, and strategic networking. Venture partners to The Global Trust Project and leaders of NPO Go Green Africa. www.WeAreVuka.com