Speakers at the upcoming Technology Information Confederation Africa (TICON Africa) Conference 2024 include respected names in the ICT industry as well as senior officials from member countries.

TICON Africa will be held at the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa between 25 and 27 September alongside the Marketing Society of Kenya’s symposium. The two events will bring together a tangible showcase of how ICT can help drive marketing strategies through the best use of data, business intelligence, and machine learning.

A particular coup for the events is that the speaker at the joint plenary closing session is Nyimpini Mabunda. Mabunda has more than 25 years’ experience in leading major consumer goods, food franchise, and telecoms businesses across Africa and the United Kingdom.

Bringing together the best of both worlds, Mabunda also has experience in melding technology with marketing, with a background that includes strategy, marketing, sales, digital transformation, data analytics, business turnaround, private equity, stakeholder management, and market development.

Africa needs transparent and fair-trade practices for a just energy transition, said Antonio Pedro, Deputy Executive Secretary United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) at an African Consultative Webinar on Critical Energy Transition Minerals and the UN Global Framework on Just Energy Transitions in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

He said that Africa needs to create a competitive mineral resources development environment which “allows it to ride the crest of mineral prices because technological developments, including those that create substitutes, are developing fast.”

“Among other strategies to enhance the domestic footprint of the Critical Energy Transition Minerals (CETMs) sector, African countries need to curb the export of unfinished mineral products through value addition and beneficiation to reap rewards at the higher end of the mineral value chains,” said Mr. Pedro. 

The webinar was attended by officials and experts from governments, civil society and other stakeholders from the region. 

Mr. Pedro noted the progress made by African countries to improve governance, but said challenges remain in many other areas such as taxation, value addition, and the strengthening of linkages. Furthermore, he said the exploitation of minerals poses multifaceted environmental, social and geopolitical challenges.

The highly anticipated COMESA Regional Leather Value Chain Strategy Validation Workshop kicked off today in Nairobi, marking a significant moment for the leather industry in the region. Organized by the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), the workshop has brought together participants from across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region, including government officials, industry leaders, and key stakeholders, all eager to contribute to the future of Africa’s leather industry.

The atmosphere on the first day was charged with anticipation and purpose as delegates gathered to review and validate the COMESA Regional Leather Value Chain Strategy for 2025-2029. This strategy, developed through extensive consultations with industry stakeholders, aims to reshape the leather industry across the COMESA region by addressing key challenges and unlocking new opportunities for growth.

As Azerbaijan prepares to host COP29 in November, the city of Baku is gearing up to host the inaugural Baku Climate Action Week to engage and mobilise society ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Held under the auspices of the COP29 High-Level Champion, Nigar Arpadarai, Baku Climate Action Week will take place from Monday 30 September to Friday 4 October. Working in partnership with London Climate Action Week, now the world’s largest whole of society city-based climate action event, Baku Climate Action Week will feature a range of high-level international conferences alongside multistakeholder local and community events.

The week will take place amid a busy calendar for the COP29 Presidency and highlight the myriad ways the city of Baku and country of Azerbaijan are addressing climate change and inviting international collaboration to deliver climate action.

Baku Climate Action Week is another important milestone in the deepening national conversation to accelerate action on climate change in Azerbaijan. Engaging everyone from political and business leaders to local communities and young people, it will serve as an educational and inspirational platform to address Azerbaijan’s current challenges due to climate change and explore the opportunities presented by the green transition.