Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), will speak at the upcoming Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC) 2024, unlocking newfound collaboration between the two countries on local content policy development and implementation. 

Since his appointment in 2016, Wabote has been a fierce advocate of local beneficiation for both Nigerians and Africans across the sector, steering strategic national programs to build local capacity, calling for enhanced transparency in contracting processes and boosting local manufacturing capabilities. The NCDMB serves to review Nigerian content plans developed by operators, set guidelines and minimum content levels for project-related activities across the oil and gas value chain and engage in targeted capacity building interventions, among other key responsibilities, with a view to achieving 70% local content by 2027. 

Energy Capital&Power is a strategic partner of the Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC) – taking place in Windhoek on April 23-25, 2024. The 6th annual conference unites industry leaders, business executives and policymakers to engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, create new partnerships and identify strategies to foster a prosperous energy industry in Namibia and beyond. For more information, please visit https://www.nieconference.com/

Having spent 26 years at Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria, Wabote offers a unique private sector perspective on local content development and compliance, with roles spanning business management to government relations to local content strategy. During his tenure at the NCDMB, Wabote established a series of impactful initiatives including the $350-million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, which provides affordable credit for Nigerian oil and gas service companies and local contractors, as well as the $40-million Women in Oil and Gas Intervention Fund, created in partnership with the Nigerian Export-Import Bank. 

These policy interventions, pioneered by the NCDMB under Wabote’s leadership, could serve as a blueprint for other African countries seeking to directly translate oil and gas revenues into local content development. Namibia, for its part, is in the process of drafting its own National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy, following a series of high-profile offshore discoveries since 2022. The southern African country is seeking to establish an effective policy that enables training and skill development, job creation and the participation of national companies and service providers across the sector, with a view to generating and retaining local value. 

As Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy continues to consult with stakeholders on its draft policy, NIEC 2024 represents a valuable platform to exchange local content best practices, as well as catalyze new investment in infrastructure, capacity building and technology. The NCDMB is one of the key features that sets Nigeria’s local content policy apart in that it oversees and implements the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, while forming strategic partnerships with leading industry players and educational institutions. 

“As an emerging producer, Namibia can learn from mature markets like Nigeria when it comes to establishing a comprehensive local content framework with specific guidelines. Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote has been a long-time champion of accelerating indigenous participation in oil and gas contracts and ensuring that policy interventions support national local content targets. A well-formulated local content policy is critical to creating both backward and forward linkages across Namibia’s value chain that ensure oil and gas resources are leveraged for inclusive growth,” says Selma Shimutwikeni, CEO of RichAfrica Consultancy, organizers of NIEC 2024. 

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

On Friday, March 15, 2024, the annual Dealmakers Africa Award Gala took place in Lagos, Nigeria. DealMakers is the pre-eminent league table agency for Africa.

At the awards, it was announced that Verdant Capital was ranked joint 2nd by deal flow in 2023 in the prestigious DealMakers Africa M&A leagues tables for the East Africa region overall. This is the fourth successive year that Verdant Capital has been placed in the top three in East Africa.

Verdant Capital also won joint 2nd place overall in the pan-Africa (ex-South Africa) region. Verdant Capital has been placed in the top five in the Pan-Africa region for three consecutive years. Verdant Capital has maintained its high league table ranking consistently in the African region over a period of heightened volatility in global and regional capital markets and over a time of significant macro-economic stress in specific countries. The consistency of Verdant Capital’s performance is a testament to the quality of the support it provides its clients and its tenacity in completing transactions in difficult markets.

In 2023, Verdant Capital completed M&A and private capital transactions in East, West, Central and Southern Africa. Verdant Capital’s landmark transactions completed in 2023 included the sale of Unguka Bank in Rwanda and advising on an acquisition in South Africa for Saint Gobain, the Paris-headquartered group ranking in the top 100 industrial companies in the World. Verdant Capital also advised five clients on debt and equity capital raisings.

Verdant Capital has been successful in bridging the African and global capital markets and structuring cross-border M&A in part because of its position as the IMAP member firm for its region. IMAP is a global M&A partnership founded in 1973, with members in over 40 countries and completing over 200 M&A transactions every year.

Overall, in recognition of the firm’s successes advising private equity firms on exits and facilitating new investments, Verdant Capital received accolades from the prestigious Africa Global Funds awards. The firm won Best Independent Advisory Firm – pan-Africa and Best Advisory Firm to Private Equity.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Verdant Capital.

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About Verdant Capital:
Verdant Capital is a leading investment manager and investment bank specialising in the private capital markets and operating on a pan-African basis. www.Verdant-Cap.com.

One of the much-awaited global events for this year is undoubtedly the Summit of the Future (SOTF) scheduled in September 2024. SOTF is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance, reaffirm existing commitments including to the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Charter, and move towards a reinvigorated multilateral system that is better positioned to positively impact people’s lives.

To ensure that diverse civil society perspectives are engaged in the preparatory process of SOTF 24 and the preceding 2023 SOTF Ministerial Forum to strengthen and revitalize multilateralism, the Global Futures Forum (GFF) led by the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) in partnership with the African Union’s Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) took place in March 2023, in New York. As an Advisory Organ of the African Union, ECOSOCC undertook a number of civil society consultations to provide feedback and inputs on the ‘Pact of the Future’ including the virtual Town-Hall event (June 2023) culminating in the Continental Dialogue on the Summit of the Future which took place on 28th March 2024.

The Continental Dialogue drew the participation of a panel of experts, the ECOSOCC leadership and diverse African CSOs; it was organized with the aim of sharing information and raising awareness on the Summit of the Future to be held in New York in September and the Civil Society Conference that will be held in Nairobi in May, 2024.

The Summit of the Future is intended to advance ideas for governance arrangements in areas of international concern, and potentially others where arrangements are emerging or require updating.

UN member states will be asked to endorse a ‘Pact for the Future,’ a blueprint for international cooperation in the twenty-first century.

In his opening remarks, ECOSOCC’s Presiding Officer, Khalid Boudali emphasized the importance of CSOs in the consultative process on SOTF24.

 “ECOSOCC’s mandate promotes inclusive dialogue with a range of non-state actors in issues that push for good governance. Let us use the moment to bring Afrocentric insights in today’s dialogue. I extend gratitude for your unwavering commitment towards efforts that pursue peace and security on the continent and the world over,” he said.

Ms. Carole Agengo, Co-Chair of the United Nations’ Civil Society Conference in Support of the Summit of the Future, echoed Mr. Boudali’s sentiments on the role of CSOs in shaping the future.

“Since 1947, 68 UN-supported civil society conferences have resulted in successful outcomes. As a result of previous interactions with civil society organizations, we look forward to the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference to be held in Nairobi in May 2024, in support of the Summit of the Future,” she said.

Ms Agengo also expressed her delight at the Summit of the Future happening in the same year that ECOSOCC is celebrating its 20th Anniversary.

A panel of experts during the webinar disussed and gave insights from their technical expertise working in relevant sectors feeding into the Summit of the Future.

Ms. Juliet Okeke Chinemelu, a Member of ECOSOCC’s 4th Permanent General Assembly presented on the topic, ‘The Struggle for Women’s Rights; A Call for Stiffer Intervention.’

“Only 22.6% of women globally participate in the workforce, compared to 77.4% of men and women earn approximately 63% of what men earn for similar work. Women continue to face disparities in education, employment, political representation, and access to healthcare. 52% of women in Africa who experience intimate partner violence seek help or report it. There is a need to get stiffer interventions that accord women all the rights that statistics has shown that they are losing out on currently,” she stated.

Dr. Mariama Williams, Senior Adviser at the Global Afro Descendant Climate Justice Collaborative presented on the topic, ‘Reflection on Climate Justice for Africa on the Pact for the Future.’

“The use of natural resources must protect the people around it. Climate change is Africa’s biggest existential threat.  The way wars and conflicts keep creating emissions on the continent and the world, is concerning. We need to hold our governance structures accountable in this regard. It has also been observed that climate change has also compelled migration across the world,” she explained.

Dr. June Soomer, Chair Designate of the United Nations’ Permanent Forum on People of African Descent tackled the topic, ‘Towards a Global Financial System that Works for Africa.’

“The summit of the future must look to the past. Let’s create financial sustainability within the continent. We must also have more global financing to deal with climate changes. We should marry Agenda 2063 with the African Financial System but let us not forget the 6th region (diaspora) in this drive towards building financial resilience and climate justice,” she said.

Mr. Desire Assogbavi, Francophone Africa Director at ONE Campaign made a presentation on the Role of Africa in the Pact for the Future.

“Africa brings demography and human resource. The global community benefits a lot from collaborating with African innovators. Africa is rich with a lot of resources that with proper management will enrich the continent greatly. As a suggestion, we might need a robust accountability mechanism on what needs to be done and which particular entity would do it in this regard,” he emphasized.

In closing, ECOSOCC’s Head of Secretariat, William Carew said, “ECOSOCC has engaged in raising awareness about the Summit of the Future and is also carrying out consultations to consolidate African voices to ensure that African proposals and insights are reflected in the ongoing negotiations leading to the Summit and in the Pact for the Future.”

He promised that ECOSOCC would continue to share more information on the Summit of the Future, the UN Civil Society Conference and all the activities around ECOSOCC’s 20th Year Anniversary commemoration.

During the online event, participants had a chance to engage the panel of experts in a question and answer session. The Continental Dialogue also gave a chance to participants to ask questions on financing, climate justice and the Pact of the Future.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).

The Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (SEBE) welcomed a high-level delegation of donors to the Africa Multi-hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) Situation Room on 5th March 2024 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The visit aimed to familiarise with the progress and achievements in disaster risk reduction and multi-hazard early warning systems under the leadership of the AUC, and in the context of its Programme of Action to implement the Sendai Framework in Africa. The delegation comprised thirty-three (33) representatives from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the European Union delegation to the African Union.

Speaking on behalf of the African Union Commission at the event, Harsen Nyambe Nyambe, SEBE Director, welcomed the high-level delegation and expressed the

African Union’s appreciation to partners for supporting the continent’s efforts to mitigate disasters which are on the increase in frequency and intensity mainly due to the changing climate.

Director Nyambe also highlighted the strides made by the AU Commission towards enhancing disaster resilience in Africa. These include the development of the AMHEWAS Programme and the inauguration of the AMHEWAS Situation Room at the AU headquarters in 2021, as well as the current synergies between the Programme and the Early Warning for All initiative by the United Nations Secretary-General. 

Furthermore, Director Nyambe emphasised the Commission’s plan to diversify multi-hazard early warning products to include droughts, food security, and earthquakes, among others. He underscored the strong collaboration between the Commission AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities through regular anticipatory meetings, with the current focus on riverine flooding, heavy rainfall, and strong winds, as well as the biennial review reports produced with the support of all the three parties. 

On his part, Mr Amjad Abbashar, Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Africa (RoA), said, “The collaboration between UNDRR and the African Union Commission dates back to 2005. It has been a journey of milestones that also resulted in the establishment of the Disaster Risk Reduction Unit in 2017.” Mr Abbashar underscored that Africa was the first continent to have its Programme of Action aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. He also stated that the PoA has five additional targets tailor-made to the African context. 

Mr Abbashar pointed to the critical role played by the AU Commission – the convening of the Africa Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (AWGDRR), Africa’s premier multi-stakeholder DRR coordination mechanism that meets twice a year. He noted the importance of this mechanism, especially in shaping Africa’s common positions at various global meetings.

A presentation was shared with the partners on the AMHEWAS programme, focusing on progress, key achievements, gaps, and challenges. Ms Nomsa Dube, the AMHEWAS Programme Manager, noted that along with establishing the Continental Situation Room for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have also established regional situation rooms. These include the Disaster Operations Centre at the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) in Nairobi, Kenya, the Disaster Operations Situation Room at the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), and a newly established Situation Room at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, Nigeria. Ms Dube also highlighted the planned establishment of an AMHEWAS Situation Room at the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC) in Nacala, Mozambique. She further noted that the plans for the AMHEWAS programme also include strengthening Member States and Regional Economic Communities’ capacity for preparedness. 

Mr Jully Ouma, a hydrologist at the Disaster Operations Centre at ICPAC, also presented the interoperability of the Continental AMHEWAS Situation Room and the Regional Situation Room. Mr Ouma noted that the AMHEWAS Situation Room and the ICPAC have collaborated to produce various multi-hazard early warning products.

Progress notwithstanding, funding, and human resource gaps persist and must be addressed to ensure the sustainability of the AMHEWAS Programme. The AU Commission appealed for support in rolling out the Programme to reach the vision of AMHEWAS by 2030 and, therefore, accelerate the achievement of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 targets. With increased international cooperation, Africa will likely realise more dividends on effective multi-hazard early warning systems and early action.

The high-level delegation toured the AMHEWAS Situation Room and took stock of the various operations, including generating multi-hazard early warning products to enhance disaster preparedness. During the physical tour of the AMHEWAS Situation Room, Mr. Lusajo Ambukege showcased the operations of the Situation Room and the AMHEWAS products. Mr. Lusajo Ambukege, Senior Early Warning and Disaster Operations Expert reported that the Situation Room produced the Continental Watch bulletin/ advisories and Disaster Situation Reports. The continental watch advisories aim to foster anticipatory action, and the Disaster Situation Reports seek to galvanise solidarity and support for AU Member States hit by major disasters. 

The visit also provided a platform for the delegation to watch a video clip on the impacts of tropical cyclone Freddy in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique arising from the assessment that the AU Commission conducted with the SADC Secretariat and UNDP in August 2023. 

The African Union Commission and the UNDRR Regional Office for Africa (RoA) organised the event.

Collaborating Partners on the AUC’s Disaster Risk Reduction Portfolio

The European Union’s Intra-ACP Natural Disaster Risk Programme catalysed the African Union Commission’s disaster risk reduction activities. Through this solid foundation, The DRR Unit has expanded its scope and established programmes, including AMHEWAS, the Africa Urban Resilience Programme, and the Sahel Resilience Project. In addition to the EU, the DRR functions are also supported by the generous governments of Italy, Sweden, and Norway, as well as implementing partners, namely UNDRR, UNDP, the CIMA Research Foundation, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of Germany.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).