On 20 March 2024, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ms. Busadee Santipitaks, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, received H.E. Ms. Roseline Kathure Njogu, Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Republic of Kenya, during her visit to Thailand between 18 – 24 March 2024.

Both sides discussed plans for organising the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of Kenya, to be held in Bangkok in 2024 as well as bilateral issues such as Kenya’s requests for Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) additional scholarships in environment and medicine, visa facilitation for Kenyan English teachers in Thailand and exchanges of health workers. Both sides also emphasised the need for comprehensive measures to combat all forms of human trafficking and to provide humanitarian assistance to Kenyan nationals, lured by traffickers to work in illegal compounds in Thailand’s neighboring countries.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu accepted credentials from the Ambassadors/High Commissioner of Philippines, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kenya and Georgia at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (March 27, 2024). Those who presented their credentials were:

1. H.E. Mr Josel Francisco Ignacio, Ambassador of the Republic of Philippines

2. H.E. Mr Sardor Rustambaev, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan

3. H.E. Mr Mikhail Kasko, Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus

4. H.E. Mr Peter Maina Munyiri, High Commissioner of the Republic of Kenya

5. H.E. Mr Vakhtang Jaoshvili, Ambassador of Georgia

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of External Affairs – Government of India.

Vihiga County took a significant step towards gender equality and peace by launching the UNSCR 1325 Action Plan in December 2023, at the Majengo Law Courts. The Action Plan aims to enhance the inclusion of women in peace and security structures within the county, emphasizing the crucial role women play in decision-making processes for societal progress.

During the launch event, Hon. Lady Justice Jackie Kamau, Judge of the High Court of Kenya, stressed the collective responsibility of Vihiga County and stakeholders in ensuring the successful finalization of the Action Plan. “The active engagement of civil society organizations in drafting the plan signifies a collaborative effort towards promoting women’s participation in decision-making processes and fostering peace in the county,” said Justice Kamau.

The plan outlines targeted actions across five key pillars—prevention, protection, participation, relief, and recovery—with the goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women in the county. With implementation set to begin in 2024, the launch of Vihiga’s Action Plan marks an important milestone. “Vihiga residents have a reason to feel hopeful about the county’s commitment to driving meaningful progress on these critical issues affecting women,” said Dan Bazira, UN Women Kenya Deputy Representative.

Supported by the government of Ireland, UN Women Kenya has been working with the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) through the Wadada Wa Pawa initiative, which trained women in decision-making and empowered them to participate in drafting the Action Plan. “By strengthening women’s leadership and participation, the Action Plan gained valuable insights and support to address issues such as violence against women and girls,” Mr. Bazira added.

The launch of the Vihiga County UNSCR 1325 Action Plan marks a significant milestone in advancing gender equality, empowering women, and strengthening peace and security efforts within the county. By prioritizing the inclusion of women in governance and peacebuilding, Vihiga County sets a positive example for sustainable development and harmony.

“To foster broad understanding and support, the plan needs to be translated into local languages. This important step will allow community members to comprehend, adopt and implement the strategies outlined,” said Mr. Arthur Lisimba, Vihiga County Director for Gender. 

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

John Hamilton, CEO of independent exploration and production (E&P) company Panoro Energy, will participate as a speaker at African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy 2024, Africa’s premier event for the oil and gas sector, taking place on November 4-8 in Cape Town.

Representing the international major’s upstream development across Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, South Africa and Tunisia, and with over 25 years’ experience in energy exploration, production and financing, Hamilton’s presence and participation at AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 will be crucial for the discussion on African oil and gas market challenges and opportunities.

AEW: Invest in African Energy is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

Hamilton has led Panoro Energy in a series of exploration, production and asset acquisitions across Africa. Under his leadership, Panoro Energy recently launched a three-well drilling campaign in Block G in Equatorial Guinea. The first new infill well is expected onstream by the end of Q1 2024, with all three wells expected onstream by mid-year.

Upon completion of the Block G infill drilling campaign, the semi-submersible drilling rig will be relocated to Block S where it will drill the Akeng Deep infrastructure-led exploration well, targeting an estimated 180 million barrels of oil.

Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons last year awarded a 56% participating interest and operatorship of Block EG-01 to Panoro Energy, where the independent will conduct subsurface studies over a period of three years. Panoro Energy will leverage existing data to evaluate hydrocarbon reserves in the block.

Prior to his current role with Panoro Energy, Hamilton was the CEO of Latin American-focused exploration company President Energy PLC; Managing Director of oil and gas investment fund Levine Capital Management; Chief Financial Officer for Indian oil industry firm Imperial Energy PLC; as well as having worked in energy and financing with Dutch investment bank ABN AMRO.

Hamilton’s experience regarding African energy makes him an ideal participant in high-level discussions on how Africa can maximize the exploitation of its 125.3 billion barrels of crude oil and 620 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves to address energy poverty, access and affordability issues.

“The Chamber is honored to host John Hamilton at AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 where he will – together with other African energy market stakeholders, investors and regulators – shape Africa’s own narrative of the energy transition. We commend the progress made by Hamilton and Panoro Energy to boost investments across Africa’s energy landscape and we look forward to his insights on how the continent can accelerate energy funding, exploration and output as we strive to make energy poverty history by 2030,” stated African Energy Chamber Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk.

Under the theme Energy Growth through an Enabling Environment AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024 will host Hamilton in panel discussions around local content development, securing investments in oil and gas and improving E&P across Africa’s energy sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.