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Copia Group’s Platinum Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 Sponsorship Highlights Commitment to Angola’s Oilfield Growth

Source: APO


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Angolan service provider Copia Group of Companies has joined the 2026 edition of the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) Conference and Exhibition as a Platinum Sponsor. The company’s participation at the event  – Angola’s premier oil and gas forum – signals a broader commitment to developing the national hydrocarbon value chain as leading operators scale production. By joining AOG 2026, Copia Group strengthens its visibility within Angola’s evolving energy ecosystem while supporting exploration, development and infrastructure growth across the sector.

As Angola intensifies efforts to sustain crude production above one million barrels per day while accelerating new exploration campaigns and redevelopment programs, demand for high-quality infrastructure, fabrication, logistics and technical services is expanding. From deepwater developments and shallow water revitalization projects to non-associated gas monetization and refining enhancements, the country’s hydrocarbon value chain is entering a capital-intensive phase requiring experienced local and regional service providers capable of delivering at scale.

Within this context, Copia Group has positioned itself as a multidisciplinary provider supporting oil, gas and industrial operations. With capabilities spanning engineering services, construction support, project management and technical solutions, the company facilitates collaboration between operators, contractors and project stakeholders. Its Platinum Sponsorship at AOG 2026 reinforces this positioning at a time when Angola’s project pipeline is expanding across upstream and downstream segments.

In a 2025 interview with Energy Capital & Power, Adilson Mangueira Nelumba, Copia Group’s Chairman, and Grildo José Francisco, the company’s Project Director for Oil, Gas & Biofuels, highlighted that the company has “established itself as a strategic partner in Angola’s energy transformation, thanks to a solid combination of international partnerships, multidisciplinary technical expertise and a commitment to sustainable and local development.”

Beyond oil and gas services, Copia Group is playing a central role in expanding Angola’s hydropower portfolio. The company is leading the consortium developing the Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Project, set to produce 2,172 MW once completed. The first turbine is scheduled to operate in October 2026, with subsequent phases coming online through the end of 2028. As the project nears operation, Copia Group’s participation at AOG 2026 is expected to open new avenues for international collaboration, supporting accelerated project development.

Copia’s Platinum-level involvement underscores the importance of strong service sector collaboration in achieving Angola’s production and infrastructure targets. As the country aligns upstream expansion with downstream and midstream development, companies delivering engineering and construction solutions will remain critical to translating policy ambition into operational reality.

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

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Climate finance has failed Africa twice over – how to fix it

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Lisa Sachs, Director, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, Columbia University

The effects of climate change are no longer a future risk for Africa. They are a present crisis.

Floods are destroying infrastructure that took decades to build. Droughts are collapsing harvests and displacing communities. Extreme heat is eroding labour productivity and straining health systems. Coastal communities are losing ground to rising seas and storm surges.

The case for massive investment in adaptation and resilience is overwhelming. In the infrastructure, agriculture, water systems, and coastal protections that help communities survive a climate that has already changed. But adaptation only buys limited time. Only deep, rapid cuts to the greenhouse gas emissions warming the planet can prevent those impacts from escalating beyond the reach of any response.

The global response to this dual challenge has been woefully inadequate, with particularly devastating consequences for the countries that contributed least to global warming yet are most profoundly affected.

First, despite continued pledges to increase adaptation finance, the financing gap remains massive. Africa is receiving less than US$14 billion per year in adaptation finance against an estimated need of more than US$100 billion. And more than half of what does flow arrives as interest bearing loans.

Second, the growing attention to adaptation has crowded out the increasingly urgent imperative of deep decarbonisation. Investing in decarbonisation has become more, not less, urgent as global warming reaches the 1.5°C threshold, with emissions still rising. Deep decarbonisation is the only way to stop climate-related risks from rising to unmanageable levels.

Resilience becomes increasingly ineffective as emissions and temperatures continue to rise. We cannot adapt to many extreme events, or their impacts on food systems, livelihoods and health. Tipping points are irreversible.

Third and most profoundly, the global financial architecture is failing Africa on multiple levels simultaneously, with cascading impacts for both mitigation and adaptation. Investing in decarbonised energy and transport systems and in building resilience to the increased impacts of climate change requires access to long-term affordable capital.

Yet Africa remains trapped in a cycle of perceived risk and access only to limited and expensive financing. This has made it prohibitively difficult to finance critical investments, exacerbating African countries’ vulnerability, increasing perceived risk, and raising the cost of capital. Debt sustainability frameworks, credit rating systems, multilateral lending practices, and global market rules and conventions reinforce each other. They constrain access to capital that is needed for critical climate-related investments, channelling capital away from the places and sectors that need it most.

Understanding how those failures interact is essential to fixing them.

For two decades at Columbia University, as my colleagues and I have worked with governments and partners around the world, we have seen these failures play out directly. In the investment decisions that don’t get made and the infrastructure that doesn’t get built. We have watched risks mount, even as the pathways to decarbonisation were known. Already, we are seeing mounting risks and liabilities. There are increased liabilities, more profound trade-offs, and accumulated borrowing from future generations to cover losses today.

The single most important imperative is to lower the cost of capital for African borrowers, both sovereign and non-sovereign, to invest in modern, decarbonised infrastructure and in resilience at scale, for the benefit of the region and the world.

Fundamentally, this means reformed debt sustainability frameworks, liquidity mechanisms, risk assessments and credit ratings. Sovereigns, project developers and investors should also align around coherent, rigorous least-cost energy system modelling, so that investment pipelines are integrated with economy-wide planning.

Then strategic risk-allocation mechanisms at every level of the system, complementing fundamental reforms at the global level, will allow private capital to flow to hundreds of viable projects across the continent.

Failures on the mitigation front

Only mitigation – the deep decarbonisation of the world’s energy, transport, land and industrial systems – reduces the drivers of climate change. All other financing – for resilience, insurance and disaster recovery – manages the consequences of unmitigated climate risk. It does not reduce the underlying hazard.

That we are failing to decarbonise the world’s economy rapidly and at scale is inexcusable. We have the technology, capital and known pathways to achieve rapid deep decarbonisation. Tremendous technological gains mean that the economics increasingly support low-carbon solutions across the built environment, mobility and energy systems.

Energy consumers that have been passive offtakers can now act as storage on grids, stabilising energy demand, lowering system costs, creating new revenue streams, and lowering costs for downstream consumers. Distributed energy systems allow distinct locales to pool and share their energy, so that system disruptions have more limited impacts. Energy generated from the wind and sun are not subject to political capture or fossil fuel price volatility, the only means of truly securing energy security and economic sovereignty.

The current frameworks and institutions for global decarbonisation were built for a different era. Net-zero plans and mitigation targets obscure the way in which energy systems have transformed, expanding opportunities and enabling emissions reductions through systems optimisation.

Rather than insisting on net zero plans and mitigation commitments, we need:

  • rigorous technical analyses to identify least-cost pathways to decarbonised, optimised energy systems, considering how integration across sectors and regions unlocks efficiencies and reduces cost

  • coordination among diverse actors to support technological diffusion across interconnected systems

  • risk-sharing mechanisms to manage the financing risks that deter private capital at the early stages of transition.

The world is also failing Africa in particular. Africa holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources.

Some 600 million people on the continent still lack access to electricity. Modern infrastructure, properly planned and coordinated, represents an extraordinary development opportunity; energy system investments will power industrial growth, digital connectivity, health and education.

Yet Africa receives just 2% of global clean energy investment, a tiny fraction of the financing needed to build clean energy and mobility systems at scale.

This mismatch reflects the profound bias of the international financial system.

A broken international financial system

The cost of borrowing determines whether an energy system is financeable, and especially whether it is more competitive than fossil-based energy. In Africa’s power sector, the average cost of borrowing to build clean energy infrastructure is 15%-18% on average, compared to 2%-5% in Europe and the United States. At these high costs of capital, clean energy infrastructure is simply not financeable.

Those borrowing costs do not reflect genuine investment risk. They reflect a compounding set of structural constraints and misperceived risks.

GDP per capita is de facto the most decisive determinant of a country’s creditworthiness. A low-income country has virtually no path to investment-grade status regardless of its growth trajectory, governance quality, or returns on public investment.

As of late 2025, only three of 34 rated African countries held investment-grade status. Not a single low-income country held that status.

The IMF-World Bank Debt Sustainability Framework compounds the damage. Based on their institutional methodologies, the IMF and World Bank discourage the long-term public borrowing that African governments need to invest in infrastructure, human capital and climate resilience.

Recent European Central Bank research shows how these failures add up. Climate disasters directly raise sovereign borrowing costs. The ECB analysis shows that the effect is largest and most persistent in developing countries.

A major storm can push bond yields up by more than 140 basis points in an emerging economy, versus roughly 66 in a typical advanced economy. This means the cost of borrowing rises sharply at precisely the moment a country most needs resources to recover and rebuild. Financial breathing room shrinks precisely when climate impacts demand the greatest response.

The ECB analysis further shows that countries with slow energy transitions face a growing transition risk premium. The slower one transitions, the more costly it is to borrow. But the trickle of financing for clean energy in Africa is itself the result of high borrowing costs. So African countries are penalised for facing high borrowing costs for not having adequate public resources to build resilience to the climate impacts they did not cause.

Diagnose and target risk

The structural determinants of this problem are well understood. African governments must be able to access affordable, long-term capital to build clean energy and mobility systems, to invest in resilient cities, agriculture and coastlines, and to develop the institutions, health systems and education on which everything else depends.

That requires credit rating methodologies that stop treating poverty as a self-fulfilling proxy for default risk. And a debt sustainability framework that stops discouraging the public investment African economies need to grow. African countries that can make these critical investments at scale will grow far faster than the world’s wealthy economies. The international financial architecture must reflect that – urgently, before adaptation becomes an increasingly inadequate response to risks we had every opportunity to contain.

– Climate finance has failed Africa twice over – how to fix it
– https://theconversation.com/climate-finance-has-failed-africa-twice-over-how-to-fix-it-278117

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Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the inaugural National Transport Conference, Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg

Source: President of South Africa –

Minister of Transport, Ms Barbara Creecy, 
Deputy Ministers from SADC
Premier of Gauteng, Mr Panyaza Lesufi,
Ministers from SADC,
Leaders of business and labour,
Distinguished Guests,
Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen, 

It is my honour to address this inaugural National Transport Conference. 

Transport is vital to our economy and our people. 

When are transport arteries are blocked or inefficient, growth stalls, costs rise and opportunity diminishes. When they flow freely, the country thrives. 

An effective transport and logistics system is not merely about moving goods and people. It is about unlocking opportunity, restoring competitiveness, reducing inequality and enabling inclusive growth. 

The transport sector is integral to our effort to make economic growth work for everyone.

It is essential for getting goods from our factories and minerals from our mines to markets here and abroad.

By the same measure, it is vital for the development of our rural areas, enabling farmers to get their produce to market and communities to access services.

In a country where the majority of its people was deliberately removed and settled far from economic opportunities, an effective, affordable and safe transport system is essential to narrow those distances.

To take people to opportunity, and to take opportunity to people.

This conference is taking place amid significant changes.

The geopolitical environment is shifting rapidly. Old trade routes are being redrawn and supply chains reconfigured. 

Other countries on our continent are investing aggressively in their own rail and port infrastructure, creating both competition and opportunity. 

It creates competition for our rail and port operations, but it also opens up great opportunities for trade, investment and cooperation throughout our region and across the content.

The defining challenge of our time – climate change – is reshaping both infrastructure and operations. 

In recent years, we have seen the damage that extreme weather events – such as floods – causes to rail, road and port infrastructure.

We have seen how it can disrupt the flow of goods and commuter travel.

We need infrastructure that is resilient and sustainable. Our operational capabilities need to be agile and adaptable.

Through the Medium Term Development Plan, Government has placed logistics reform at the heart of our economic recovery strategy. 

A critical imbalance exists in our freight network: approximately 69 percent of all freight moves by road. 

This places immense strain on our road network and contributes to poor road safety. 

Inefficiencies in logistics are estimated to cost our economy close to R1 billion a day. 

That is a cost we should not – and need not – bear. 

The cornerstone of our reform programme is the National Rail Policy of 2022, complemented by the National Freight Logistics Roadmap of 2023. 

Together, these policies seek to re-establish rail as the backbone of our logistics network.

They seek to bring in new investment from private operators while keeping strategic infrastructure – our rail lines and ports – in public ownership, as assets that belong to all the people of South Africa. 

Through the establishment of the Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager, open access to the rail network has become a reality. 

To date, train slots covering 24 million tonnes a year have been conditionally awarded to 11 train operating companies. We expect the first private operator to commence operations in April 2027. 

We have set an ambitious target of moving 250 million tonnes of freight by rail by 2029. 

In the past financial year, 160 million tonnes of freight were moved by rail, an increase of 5.5 percent on the previous year.

Transnet’s revenue in 2024-2025 rose to R82 billion, which is nearly 8 percent higher than the year before. 

To decrease backlogs and increase port volumes, Transnet has embarked on an extensive upgrading and maintenance programme. 

Building on the experience of our response to the energy crisis, the National Logistics Crisis Committee has brought together a range of government departments and agencies and mobilised expert support to drive the recovery of our logistics capabilities.

Through this work we have seen breakthrough projects on the coal and iron ore corridors to improve operational performance, improved communication between Transnet and its customers, and a significant reduction in security incidents on the rail network.

These are early signs of recovery. They tell us that the interventions are working. 

Passenger rail is also essential for inclusive growth. 

An effective passenger rail system connects communities and provides dignity to working-class South Africans. 

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa – PRASA – has revived 37 of 40 priority passenger rail corridors and introduced more than 300 locally-manufactured train sets. 

We are targeting 116 million passenger journeys this financial year, on our way to 600 million trips by 2029. 

Reliable passenger rail lowers commuting costs and improves access to work, education and healthcare. 

We have launched a new Request for Information to attract private investment in rapid regional rail, rolling stock and depot modernisation. 

Road transport remains indispensable. 

The trucking industry will continue to play a vital role in our logistics supply chains. 

The taxi industry, which carries of 80 percent of South Africans who use public transport, is one of the largest black-owned sectors in the economy. 

The economics of the industry has an impact on the sustainability of public transport, driver behaviour and road safety. 

We are working with taxi associations and financial institutions to de-risk the industry and provide accessible finance to taxi owners and drivers.

Transport must be as inclusive as possible. No one must be left behind.

The Department of Transport issued the Action Plan for Universally Accessible Transport in November 2024, outlining the measures we must take to ensure better transport services for persons with disabilities. 

Our rapid transit bus services are designed with accessibility in mind. The new PRASA trains have dedicated areas in their carriages for those who are wheelchair-bound.

Through the South African National Roads Agency – SANRAL – government manages over 31,000 kilometres of national roads, carrying 70 percent of long-distance freight. 

Major projects – from the Moloto Road upgrade to the Msikaba and Mtentu bridges in the Eastern Cape – have improved safety and connectivity while creating over 35,000 job opportunities and supporting more than 2,000 SMMEs. 

Our roads, which are arteries of growth and development, are far too often places of destruction, injury and death.

More than 12,000 people die on our roads each year. 

Through strategic interventions and deployment of the National Traffic Police on prioritised national routes, we have begun to see a decrease in our number of road accident deaths.

During the latest festive season, the country recorded the fewest number of crashes in five years. 

We aim to at least halve road deaths by 2030. 

As a trading nation, over 90 percent of our trade by volume moves by sea. 

The current conflict in the Middle East has placed a spotlight on our ports and their strategic value. 

When major shipping routes are disrupted, South Africa has an opportunity to position itself as an alternative hub. 

Our ports must be geared to handle any eventuality at short notice and to respond to a geopolitical environment that is becoming more unpredictable. 

Coastal shipping will be critical to advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area and promote regional integration. 

So too will air transport. 

The AU’s Single African Air Transport Market envisions a deregulated and liberalised airspace that allows for improved connectivity between African states. 

A flight that should take four hours should not take eighteen. 

Together with our continental partners we are pursuing the vision of bringing African cities closer together and making travel between them cheaper and easier. 

The aviation sector is crucial to our efforts to drive tourism as an enabler of growth and job creation. 

In closing, this inaugural National Transport Conference must mark a turning point in South African transport. 

A modern, efficient and inclusive transport system will lower the cost of doing business, attract investment, create jobs and improve household incomes.

It will strengthen regional integration and make our economy more competitive. 

To build the partnership that this vision requires, I propose that we consider establishing a permanent Transport Council.

Modelled on our experience with the Energy Council, this would bring together government, the private sector, and all passenger and logistics service providers across land, air and sea. 

Just as collaboration transformed our energy response, cross-sector collaboration of this kind will enable further stabilisation and inclusive growth in transport. 

Let us seize this moment and place transport at the centre of our country’s growth path. 

With these words, I thank you for your attendance and declare the National Transport Conference officially open. 

I thank you.
 

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Africa’s Greenfield Exploration Surges to Meet Global Mineral Demand

Source: APO – Report:

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African mining markets are witnessing an unprecedented surge in greenfield exploration, with governments and investors racing to secure new mineral reserves and expand production pipelines. Last year, South Africa awarded 358 new exploration licenses, Ghana is advancing more than 90 projects and Namibia has received over 800 new applications – all signaling Africa’s intent to strengthen its role in supplying minerals vital to the global economy. The move comes as demand for critical minerals is projected to quadruple by 2040, while gold and other traditional commodities reach record prices, making exploration a strategic priority for industrial growth, job creation and downstream economic diversification.

South Africa: Securing Global PGMs Leadership

South Africa is boosting its exploration pipeline to sustain global leadership in platinum group metals, chrome and manganese while revitalizing gold and iron ore sectors. In 2025, the country awarded 358 new prospecting rights and 32 mining rights, signaling a significant step toward unlocking mineral resources and supporting long-term production growth.

To further stimulate exploration, the government allocated R2 billion to support junior mining companies and expand activity. These efforts are part of a broader plan to mobilize R2 trillion in investment for the critical minerals sector and unlock an estimated R40 trillion in untapped iron ore resources.

https://apo-opa.co/4sMDmvS

https://apo-opa.co/4bqcJph

Ghana: Gold Sector Growth and Industry Diversification

Ghana hosts over 90 active exploration projects, reinforcing its status as Africa’s leading gold producer while expanding into critical minerals. The country has attracted more than $20 billion in mining and exploration investment over the past two years, reflecting strong investor confidence.

Speaking in Cape Town in February, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, emphasized Ghana’s diverse resource base, which includes significant deposits of bauxite, manganese, iron ore, cobalt and nickel. “We are looking forward to further discoveries of critical minerals that will support the global energy transition,” he said.

Namibia: Accelerating Licensing to Unlock Critical Minerals

Namibia is reforming exploration licensing to expand its mining sector and strengthen its position as a leading uranium and diamond producer. The country currently holds 588 Exclusive Prospecting Licenses alongside a growing pipeline of new applications.

https://apo-opa.co/4uOrDin

Mining Commissioner Isabella Chirchir confirmed in Cape Town that Namibia is deploying digital licensing platforms to accelerate processing, reduce backlogs and improve regulatory efficiency. With over 800 new exploration license applications and more than 600 pending environmental approvals, the country is positioning itself to attract increased exploration investment and unlock new mineral discoveries.

Continental Outlook: Strategic Exploration Across Africa

Other African markets are also intensifying exploration to advance national mining strategies: Zambia is expanding copper exploration to reach 3 million tons annually by 2031. Guinea is progressing exploration around the $20 billion Simandou iron ore project, the world’s largest untapped iron ore deposit, supporting global steel supply chains and the Simandou 2040 economic diversification plan.

Against this backdrop, African Mining Week, scheduled for October 14–16, 2026 in Cape Town, will highlight exploration opportunities across the continent. The event will feature panel discussions, country spotlights and project showcases focused on greenfield exploration, investment opportunities and strategies to unlock Africa’s untapped mineral wealth.

African Mining Week serves as the premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2026 conference from October 12-16 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.

– on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Nelson Mandela Bay increases ward councillor discretionary fund

Source: Government of South Africa

Nelson Mandela Bay increases ward councillor discretionary fund

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has increased the Ward Councillor Discretionary Allowance from R100 000 to R150 000 per ward councillor, raising the total annual allocation from R6 million to R9 million per financial year.

The allowance increase was approved during a recent full council meeting.

The Ward Councillor Discretionary Allowance, also referred to as the Ward Councillor Discretionary Fund, is a limited municipal allocation intended to assist councillors in responding to urgent community needs and small-scale social support initiatives within their wards.

The fund enables councillors to assist vulnerable residents, support community-based activities, and address minor but pressing issues, that fall outside normal municipal service delivery programmes.

Council Speaker Eugene Johnson emphasised that the funds are not intended for personal benefit and must be utilised strictly for community purposes in line with approved municipal policies and procedures.

The administration and use of the allowance are primarily governed by the Municipal Finance Management Act (Act 56 of 2003), which regulates municipal expenditure and financial accountability, and the Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000), which promotes community participation and responsive local governance.

In addition, municipalities usually adopt council-approved policies and oversight mechanisms to ensure the fund is used transparently, responsibly, and strictly for legitimate community development purposes.

Council Speaker Eugene Johnson said the decision to increase the allocation was based on the realities faced by ward councillors working directly with communities.

Ward councillors are at the forefront of the challenges faced by our communities. They need to be in a position to respond through different interventions, one of those being the ability to positively contribute to the socio-economic conditions experienced by our residents.

“The funds might not be enough, but if properly utilised, they can contribute to poverty alleviation, grassroots sport development and addressing other community-based social challenges,” Johnson said.

The Ward Councillor Discretionary Allowance is not the only funding mechanism that supports development within municipal wards. Municipalities also implement ward level development through various funding streams provided through national transfers, municipal budgets, and intergovernmental programmes.

These include conditional grants such as the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), which funds essential infrastructure projects such as roads, sanitation, water supply, and community facilities in underserved areas, as well as the Local Government Equitable Share, which assists municipalities in providing basic services to indigent households.

In addition, municipal capital budgets informed by the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) allocate funding for ward-based infrastructure and service delivery projects identified through community participation processes.

Collectively, these funding streams enable municipalities to address community needs, improve service delivery, and support sustainable development across municipal wards.

Other programmes such as the Community Works Programme (CWP), the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG), and other provincial or national initiatives further contribute to socio economic development at ward level. – SAnews.gov.za

 

 

GabiK

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Limpopo government assisting communities affected by floods

Source: Government of South Africa

Limpopo government assisting communities affected by floods

The Limpopo Provincial Government has assured residents that it is fully prepared to assist communities affected by flooding, which has caused widespread damage to roads and infrastructure in parts of the Waterberg, Vhembe and Mopani districts.

The Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure has dispatched engineers to assess the extent of the damage in the affected areas.

The damaged road infrastructure includes the D972 outside Vaalwater and the D192 in Mokgalakwena in the Waterberg District; the D3681 between Tshikunda and Vhufuli in Thulamela Municipality; and the D3830 at Mbhokota village, outside Louis Trichardt in the Vhembe District, as well as several routes in parts of Mopani District.

“Our teams, working together with the disaster management teams of municipalities and sister departments, will be on the ground to assess the extent of the damage caused, as well as ensuring that we come up with both temporary and long-term solutions to the challenges we are faced with as a province.

“We further advise all communities, road users in particular, to avoid flooded roads and bridges during this period and that they must also prioritise their safety,” MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Ernest Rachoene, said on Sunday in a media statement.

Premier Phophi Ramathuba said the current floods are a stark reminder of warnings issued by the South African Weather Service, indicating that Limpopo remains at risk until the end of March 2026. 

The weather service issued a warning for disruptive rainfall in the province from 14 to 15 March, with conditions likely to result in localised flooding in susceptible areas, potentially affecting roads, bridges, properties and municipal services.

With some areas experiencing over 100mm of rain in the last two days, the provincial government has asserted that it stands vigilant and proactive in its response to the ongoing crisis.

“We have received numerous distress calls, particularly from residents in affected districts where essential roads have been destroyed. Incidents, such as mudslides along the R523 between Khalavha and Sibasa and major challenges on the R33 in Waterberg, have been reported. Many low-lying bridges are submerged, rendering roads impassable to schools and health facilities,” the Premier said.

Considering these pressing circumstances, Ramathuba reassured residents that the Provincial Disaster Management Team is actively addressing these urgent needs. 

However, she cautioned that the saturated conditions may lead to delays in reaching some isolated areas. 

“We urge our residents to remain calm and prioritise their safety by avoiding flooded rivers and minimising movement as much as possible,” she said.

Meanwhile, the province has observed the Nwamanungu (Middle Letaba) Dam overflowing for the first time in years, posing a dire threat to communities previously spared from the floods.

The Limpopo Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) is fully prepared to assist all affected communities. Residents are encouraged to report any incidents using the toll-free number 0800 222 111 or by contacting their local municipal offices.

Moreover, the Premier said an appeal to the national government will be made for the immediate reconsideration of funding to address the urgent needs arising from the ongoing disaster. 

“The challenges the province faces are overwhelming, and the residents deserve to have the resources necessary to navigate them,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin

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African Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Could Be Europe’s Lifeline as Middle East, Russia Crises Escalate

Source: APO – Report:

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As tensions flare in the Middle East and Russian supply remains volatile, European buyers are urgently seeking stable alternative sources of gas – and Africa is emerging as a critical solution. Next month, energy ministers from Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and the Republic of Congo will convene in Paris at the Invest in African Energy (IAE) Forum, spotlighting the continent’s LNG capacity and its emerging role in European energy security.

Following the dramatic disruption of Russian pipeline flows, Europe has increasingly turned to LNG to fill supply gaps – contracting cargoes from the U.S., Qatar and, increasingly, African exporters. While African cargoes still represent a smaller share of total imports, their relevance is growing as utilities factor in insurance costs, geopolitical risk and supply diversification. And now, with the Middle East in turmoil and the Strait of Hormuz effectively at risk, African LNG offers European buyers a geographically insulated, lower-risk alternative that can be delivered quickly to key regasification hubs.

Nigeria remains Africa’s LNG backbone, with its volumes historically flowing into Europe’s Mediterranean and Atlantic terminals through a mix of long-term contracts and spot cargoes. As Russian pipeline volumes have declined, Nigerian LNG has become a significant component of LNG deliveries into Iberian terminals, with Portugal sourcing over half of its LNG from Nigeria and Spain among the key European destinations for Nigerian cargoes.

Continued expansion – including the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project – is expected to boost export capacity toward the mid-2020s, adding new volumes that European buyers could secure through multiyear supply agreements. This positions Nigeria not just as a major producer, but as a durable contender for Europe’s long-term LNG demand.

Equatorial Guinea’s LNG exports via the Punta Europa facility have also found consistent markets in Europe and across the Atlantic Basin. Recent upstream developments, including the Chevron Aseng Gas Project, aim to secure additional gas feedstock, reinforcing LNG supply and supporting both domestic gas use and exports. European utilities have shown particular interest in shorter-route shipments from West Africa, as cargoes from Equatorial Guinea reach European terminals faster and with lower freight and insurance costs than many Middle Eastern shipments.

The Republic of Congo has rapidly expanded its LNG ambitions through the Congo LNG project, where Phase 2 – anchored by floating LNG technology – is expected to lift export capacity to roughly 3 million tons per year. Floating LNG’s advantages, including faster deployment, modular expansion and lower upfront capital requirements, position Congo as a flexible supplier for Europe’s evolving gas portfolio. Increasingly, European traders and utilities are factoring in speed to market and supply flexibility alongside price when structuring procurement strategies.

Senegal’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project – developed jointly with Mauritania – represents West Africa’s newest entry into global LNG markets. First gas and initial cargoes began in 2025, marking a major milestone for the region’s gas export ambitions. Planned expansions could add several million tons per year of additional capacity as the project ramps up production.

African LNG’s appeal lies not only in rising volumes but in geostrategic positioning. Compared with cargoes that must pass through conflict-prone routes like the Strait of Hormuz or rely on Russian pipeline networks, African exports are less exposed to direct conflict or geopolitical disruption. This relative “risk discount,” combined with competitive pricing and expanding production capacity, could increasingly shape procurement strategies among European utilities and gas traders.

The ministers gathering in Paris – representing Africa’s leading LNG-exporting countries – will be tasked with converting this growing European interest into concrete investment decisions, offtake agreements and long-term supply partnerships, reinforcing Africa’s role as a stable and reliable energy partner at a time when Europe urgently needs alternatives.

African producers will not replace Russian or Gulf supplies overnight. But with operational LNG capacity already flowing and new projects coming online, the continent’s role in strengthening European gas security is steadily expanding – and the discussions in Paris will reflect that shift in the global energy landscape.

IAE 2026 (https://apo-opa.co/4bp66Um) is an exclusive forum designed to connect African energy markets with global investors, serving as a key platform for deal-making in the lead-up to African Energy Week. Scheduled for April 22–23, 2026, in Paris, the event will provide delegates with two days of in-depth engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, visit www.Invest-Africa-Energy.com. To sponsor or register as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com

– on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Right to human dignity a ‘fundamental’ right

Source: Government of South Africa

Right to human dignity a ‘fundamental’ right

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the right to human dignity as one of the “most fundamental” values enshrined in the Constitution. 

The President addressed the nation through his weekly newsletter ahead of the national commemoration of Human Rights Day this coming weekend.

“This year, we mark three decades since South Africa adopted its democratic Constitution. The Constitution is more than the supreme law of the land; it is a solemn promise that never again should any person be stripped of their humanity and dignity.

“As we observe [Human Rights] day, we must reflect on whether we are fulfilling the promise contained in our Constitution.

“Of all the values enshrined in our Constitution, one of the most fundamental is the advancement of human dignity. It is the foundation on which the rights to equality, to freedom from discrimination, to education, to health, to a safe environment and others are built. It is the idea that every person possesses an inherent worth that must be respected and protected,” he said.

The Bill of Rights within the Constitution formally enshrines the right to human dignity, stating: “Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected”.

This right, the President said, must be “preserved in all circumstances”.

“In our Constitution, human dignity is not an abstract ideal, but a concrete right that has meaning in people’s daily lives. The right to dignity is operationalised through law, institutions and policies. Our courts continue to assert this right and, where necessary, order government and those in power to take measures to enhance people’s dignity.

“Protecting a person’s right to dignity is not limited to the way people treat each other. It is also about improving the circumstances in which people live. It lies at the heart of the policies and programmes of this government and of the work of many organisations and individuals across society,” he noted.

A government at work

Over the past three decades, government has worked to restore the dignity of South Africans, providing services such as water, electricity, healthcare, education and social support where these were “denied to them under apartheid”.

“This work, which we have undertaken together as a society, has enhanced the human dignity of children, who are supported by a child support grant, who have access to early childhood development, who attend fee-free schools, who receive school meals and who will be able to access funding to study at a university or college.

“The provision of housing, water and electricity has changed the lives of families across the country, reducing poverty and improving their quality of life,” President Ramaphosa said.

He acknowledged that, despite the strides made since the dawn of democracy, challenges remain.

Poverty, inequality and unemployment remain “stubborn obstacles to the full realisation of human dignity for every South African”. 

“Closing those gaps is a constitutional imperative that belongs to all of us. That is why we are working even harder to accelerate the momentum of economic recovery, so that our economy can grow faster, create employment and reduce poverty.

“When we mobilise investment to build factories or open mines to create jobs and opportunities for emerging businesses, or when we build new roads and revitalise hospitals, we are working towards a society in which everyone has dignity.

“When we lay new pipes to bring water to outlying villages or repair ageing water infrastructure in cities and towns, or when we restore the supply of electricity to communities, we are advancing the right to dignity,” the President explained.

He stated that as uncertainty begins to affect the global economy, “we must hold fast to the path we are on” and be dedicated to treating every person with dignity.

“We must sustain our massive investment in infrastructure, continue with far-reaching reforms in energy, water and logistics, overhaul our skills development system and expand support to small businesses.

“On Human Rights Day this year, let us rededicate ourselves to the Constitution and to its most cherished principles. Let us resolve in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities to treat every person with the dignity that is their right – and let us never stop working until we have ensured that every person can live in dignity, comfort and peace,” President Ramaphosa concluded. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB

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President Ramaphosa committed to justice for victims of apartheid-era crimes

Source: Government of South Africa

President Ramaphosa committed to justice for victims of apartheid-era crimes

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring justice for victims of apartheid-era crimes, saying their calls for accountability cannot be ignored. 

In a statement on Sunday, the Presidency said government remains determined to pursue justice for families who have long sought closure over unresolved crimes committed during apartheid.

However, proceedings related to the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the matter must first be concluded in court. An application has been filed in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg seeking the recusal of retired Constitutional Court Judge Sisi Khampepe from the judicial commission.

President Ramaphosa appointed the Commission of Inquiry in May last year, with Khampepe serving as its chairperson. She is assisted by retired Northern Cape Judge President Frans Diale Kgomo and advocate Andrea Gabriel.

The Commission was established following a settlement agreement in a court application brought by families of victims of apartheid-era crimes. Its mandate is to determine whether attempts were made to prevent the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

The Presidency said President Ramaphosa will act swiftly once the court has ruled on the recusal application to ensure the commission proceeds with its work.

“The President has been deeply concerned by the current review applications that could be detrimental to the interests of the victims who want closure and accountability from the government regarding their family members and that these applications have the potential to defeat the main objective for the establishment of the Commission,” the Presidency said.

The Presidency emphasised that the President’s foremost concern is safeguarding the integrity of the process, which has been long overdue. 

“Thus, the President believes the court is best placed to make a determination on the matter. This does not constitute a desire to collapse the Commission and its work. President Ramaphosa affirms that the Commission will continue its work once the court delivers a decision and guides the way forward,” the statement said. 

In December last year, the Presidency announced the extension of the deadline for the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of attempts to halt the investigation or prosecution of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) cases.

READ | Khampepe Commission’s deadline extended to July 2026

In a statement at the time, the Presidency said the President has determined 31 July 2026, as the new date for the submission of its final report. – SAnews.gov.za

 

DikelediM

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Access Bank Calls for Stakeholders Collaboration to Boost Intra-African Trade

Source: APO – Report:

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The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc (www.AccessBankPlc.com), Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, has called for stronger collaboration among policymakers, financiers and businesses to accelerate trade within Africa and unlock the continent’s economic potential.

Ogbonna made the call at the Access Bank Africa Trade Conference (ATC 2026) held in South Africa, where he said Africa must address structural barriers that continue to limit the growth of intra-continental commerce despite its vast market opportunities.

Speaking during his opening remarks, the Access Bank Chief noted that the conference was convened to continue conversations which started at the inaugural edition in 2025 on how Africa can expand trade within the continent while strengthening its participation in global markets.

He noted that Africa’s share of global trade remains relatively small, stressing that fragmented trade corridors and structural bottlenecks continue to hinder the growth of commerce across the continent.

His words, “The reality is that Africa still controls a small share of global trade. The corridors are still fragmented and more aspirational than functional, and too many small businesses that aspire to trade across Africa remain constrained”.

Further speaking, Ogbonna explained that stakeholders at last year’s conference agreed on three key priorities at transforming Africa’s trade landscape. The priorities he listed include, (i) Breaking down silos between policymakers, financial institutions and businesses, (ii) Building a trade ecosystem driven by reliable data and analytics, and (iii) Developing systems that support both large corporations and smaller businesses seeking to expand across borders.

He noted that the 2026 edition of the conference is not a fresh start but a continuation of efforts to drive meaningful progress in intra-African trade. According to him, since the last edition of the conference, some progress has been recorded across key sectors of the economy.

“We have seen value chains emerging across agriculture, manufacturing and services, and we are seeing African brands crossing borders and building a global presence,” he said.

Ogbonna also pointed to the growing role of technology platforms in reducing friction in areas such as payments, logistics and market access. He, however acknowledged that the gains remain uneven across the continent, with progress concentrated in a few markets and specific trade corridors.

Speaking on the need for stronger infrastructure financing in growing intra African trade, the Director General for Southern Africa at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Kennedy Mbekeani, called for stronger mobilisation of private capital to finance critical infrastructure required to unlock the full potential of Africa’s trade integration.

“The mobilisation of private capital remains crucial as many African governments are constrained by limited fiscal space and overstretched balance sheets. The mobilisation of capital, particularly private capital, is something that we need to work on”, Mbekeani said.

Opening up on African governments perspective to the drive for intra Africa trade, Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Chipoka Mulenga speaking during the ministerial panel discuss of the conference noted that policy alignment among African countries would be critical to unlocking the continent’s trade potential.

“Policy is very important in making anything come together. It must be consistent, resilient and coherent. If intra-African trade must be enhanced, we must deliberately craft policies that speak the same language across our countries. We should leverage our comparative advantages, rather than competing with one another,” Mulenga stated.

Also speaking during the session, Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ajare, noted that Africa does not lack policy frameworks but rather struggles with harmonised implementation.

“Africa does not lack policies; we already have many. Our challenge is the implementation of these policies in a harmonised manner. That is what we must focus on to make trade work effectively across the continent,” she posited.

Ajare further stressed that countries must be willing to compromise and adopt mutual recognition frameworks to facilitate trade across borders.

“If we insist on verifying every product independently, we will not make progress. Harmonising standards and recognising each other’s certification processes will allow us to trade more efficiently,” she added.

Speaking in the same vein, Botswana’s Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Tiroeaone Ntsima, noted that African governments must focus on creating enabling environments that allow businesses and investors to drive economic growth.

“The governments of today are not like those of the 1960s where everything was done by government. Our role now is to create an enabling environment for businesses and investors to thrive”.

Ntsima added that Botswana is repositioning itself as a key trade corridor within the region. “In the past we described ourselves as a landlocked country, but today we see ourselves as land-linked. By creating corridors that connect markets across the continent, we open up new opportunities for trade and economic growth,” he noted.

On his final notes, the Access Bank Chief urged stakeholders across the continent to move beyond dialogue and take concrete steps that will strengthen trade relationships among African countries, emphasising that Africa’s economic transformation would depend largely on the willingness of businesses and institutions to collaborate more effectively.

“This conference must not end as another talking shop. It must become the birthplace of a movement that contributes to transforming intra-African trade,” he urged.

– on behalf of Access Bank PLC.