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UN chief tasks women on accelerating progress on water, sanitation

Michael Simire
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UN chief tasks women on accelerating progress on water, sanitation

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has called on women to accelerate progress on water and sanitation for all.

Guterres made the call on Monday, March 23, 2026, in his message to mark the World Water Day.

World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on March 22 that highlights the importance of fresh water.

António Guterres
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres

The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The 2026 World Water Day with the theme: “Water and Gender Equality – Where water flows, equality grows,” is a call for a transformative, rights-based approach that places women’s leadership at the centre of water solutions.

The UN chief said too often, water has been a source of conflict but noted it could also unite people and be a contributor to peace.

“This year’s UN Water Conference will bring the world together to accelerate progress on water and sanitation for all.

“Together, let’s make water a force for gender equality, and let the benefits flow to every community in the world,’’ he said.

According to him, this year’s World Water Day reminds us that safe water and sanitation play a critical role in supporting the rights and health of women and girls.

“When access is lacking, it’s women and girls who pay the highest toll, relying on unsafe toilets; caring for family members made sick from contaminated water; and spending hours each day retrieving water from crowded communal sources – a chore that keeps many girls home from school.

“This year’s theme points to the solution: ‘Where water flows, equality grows.’

“It’s time for governments to scale up investment and strengthen national water and sanitation systems, through improved delivery capacities, workforce training and reliable financing.”

The UN chief further said that developed countries must share the technologies, expertise and financing required to build safe, sustainable and resilient water and sanitation infrastructure.

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Climate ‘emergency’ threatens to deepen energy, humanitarian crisis

Michael Simire
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Climate ‘emergency’ threatens to deepen energy, humanitarian crisis

Environmental organisation, 350.org, responded to the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) latest report, which sounds the alarm on a global climate “state of emergency,” saying that the crisis will worsen the humanitarian toll of soaring oil and gas prices driven by the Iran war.

The group urged countries to protect their citizens from climate harm and rising costs, and to urgently start transitioning their economies away from fossil fuels.

The WMO’s ​​State of the ​Global Climate 2025 pronounced 2015-2025 as the hottest ​11 years on record, warning that weather has become more extreme on a day-to-day basis, impacting millions of people and causing billions in economic losses.

Malawi
Devastating floods in Malawi

The report also said that the increase in the annual carbon dioxide concentration in 2024 was the largest annual increase recorded, driven by continued fossil fuel emissions. Amid an energy crisis described by the International Energy Agency as the “worst” in decades, United Nations ​Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, points to “our addiction to fossil fuels” as destabilizing both the climate and global security.

The UN’s World Food Programme has warned that if the Iran conflict continues, 45 million more people could face acute hunger due to rising prices. Meanwhile, scientists warn of the possibility of El Niño pushing heat records to record highs and causing severe heatwaves, droughts and floods this year. 

Anne Jellema, 350.org executive director, said: “Soaring prices for fuel, fertilizer and food could be the last straw for millions of families in the global South already pushed into poverty by climate change.

“Governments must act now to stop oil and gas companies profiting from the war – by taxing their windfall profits to finance protections for ordinary people. Some of the revenues should be used to fund wider access to rooftop and balcony solar and other renewable solutions that will immediately reduce families’ bills while also strengthening national energy security.

“If governments care about their people, the time is now to end our addiction to crisis-ridden and planet-destroying fossil fuels.”

From April 24 to 29, the first conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels will be held in Santa Marta, co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands. 350.org urges all governments to join this momentous gathering of countries to plan a fossil fuel phaseout, pursuing a global commitment first made at the COP28 UN climate talks.

UN weather agency warns of record ‘climate imbalance’ as planetary warming accelerates

Michael Simire
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UN weather agency warns of record ‘climate imbalance’ as planetary warming accelerates

All-time high greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere continue to drive heat records on land and sea, with long-lasting consequences for humanity, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned on Monday, March 23, 2026.

Hot on the heels of a scorching decade, the UN’s weather agency has said that the planet’s climate is “more out of balance than at any time in observed history”.

“Between 2015 and 2025, we experienced the hottest 11 years on record,” WMO’s deputy executive secretary, Ko Barrett, said.

Global warming
Global warming

Last year was some 1.43°C above the 1850 to 1900 baseline in addition to breaking an ocean heat record, she explained.

Grim state of climate

Presenting a grim overview of the state of the climate in 2025, Ms. Barrett stressed that as glaciers continue to retreat and ice continues to melt, “the warming ocean and melting land-based ice are driving the long-term rise in global mean sea level rise.”

She said that the findings are an inspiration “to work harder to get lifesaving forecasts and early warnings into the hands of those who can protect lives and livelihoods” so that they can mitigate the devastating impacts of the ongoing climate turmoil on the most vulnerable.

For its part, WMO has been issuing annual climate updates for more than 30 years, and the record figures in the last decade have been an increasing cause for concern.

Record greenhouse gas levels

The agency’s scientific officer, John Kennedy, said that concentrations in the atmosphere of three key greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) reached record levels in 2024, the last year for which there are consolidated global numbers.

This marked the single-largest year-on-year increase.

“Data from individual sites around the world indicates that levels of these greenhouse gases continue to increase in 2025” and to modify “the energy balance of the planet,” he added.

Worrying energy imbalance

Mr. Kennedy explained that under a balanced system, incoming energy from the sun is about the same as the amount of outgoing energy, but this is not the case at present.

“There’s less outgoing energy due to the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases,” he said. “More energy coming in than going out means that energy is accumulating in the Earth’s system.”

The Earth’s energy imbalance is a new indicator WMO has started tracking, with results pointing to a notable acceleration in the rate at which warming has been progressing between 2001 and 2025.

“The largest fraction of that absorbed energy is going to the oceans, around 90 per cent of the excess energy in the climate system,” Mr. Kennedy said. “This matters because over three billion people depend on these marine and coastal resources for their livelihoods. They’re living off the ocean, and nearly 11 per cent of the global population live on low-lying coasts directly exposed to coastal hazards.”

20 eco-guards trained in Cross River to tackle forest exploitation

Michael Simire
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20 eco-guards trained in Cross River to tackle forest exploitation

A non-governmental organisation, Panacea for Developmental and Infrastructural Challenges for Africa Initiative (PADIC-Africa), has trained 20 eco-guards in New Ekuri community of Cross River State as part of efforts to curb illegal logging and other forms of forest exploitation in the Ekuri rainforest.

The five-day intensive training, organised by the group, targeted community-based forest defenders and aimed at strengthening grassroots capacity to protect one of Nigeria’s remaining tropical forests.

Executive Director of the organisation and community leader of New Ekuri, Dr. Martins Egot, said the initiative was in response to rising environmental threats, including illegal logging and unauthorised mining activities in the area.

New Ekuri community
Participants at the eco-guards in New Ekuri community of Cross River State

Egot noted that the training forms part of a broader programme to reinforce community-led forest protection systems across Cross River State, adding that over 100 eco-guards have so far been established in various forest communities by the organisation.

According to him, the programme was designed to enhance the operational capacity of the eco-guards through practical knowledge and field-based skills.

He said the training modules covered anti-poaching strategies, forest surveillance and patrol techniques, intelligence gathering, conflict management, and basic first aid.

“These skills are critical in equipping local forest defenders to effectively respond to the growing challenges facing the Ekuri forest and other forest reserves,” he said.

Egot emphasised the importance of community ownership in conservation efforts, stressing that local participation remains one of the most effective approaches to safeguarding natural ecosystems.

He reiterated the organisation’s commitment to preserving the rich biodiversity of Cross River State and ensuring that forest resources are sustainably managed for future generations.

The training, he added, represents a significant step towards strengthening grassroots environmental governance and empowering local communities as frontline defenders of the environment.

PADIC-Africa, however, called on government agencies, conservation partners, and the public to support ongoing efforts to protect the Ekuri forest and promote sustainable natural resource management across the state.

By Stina Ezin, Calabar 

Family receives death benefit from Ohanaeze Ndigbo North Carolina insurance programme   

Michael Simire
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Family receives death benefit from Ohanaeze Ndigbo North Carolina insurance programme   

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo of North Carolina Cultural Group Benefits (ONNCCGB) has paid out its first-ever insurance death benefit to the family of a deceased Nigerian woman as part of initiatives to enhance the provision of community services to Nigerians living in North Carolina.

The payment was made in July 2025 by the organisation through its insurer, the Hartford’s Group, one of the biggest insurance companies in the United States. This deliberate and intentional community service marked the characteristic of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Executive Committee, which led the organisation from 2017 to 2019, when the insurance scheme was introduced.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Members of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in North Carolina

In a press release issued by ONNCCGB and signed by Barrister Nwachukwu Okafor, the insurance claimant, Mrs. Onyinyechi Onuigbo, thanked the establishment for the wonderful and seamless claim experience.

Mrs. Onuigbo, who registered her mother in the scheme, said the claim procedure went smoothly.

“Hello. The insurance company paid us on time,” she said in a thank you message to the organisation, explaining that the entire process took about three weeks because she had to send her mother’s passport to immigration for cancellation.

“Though our mother died in Nigeria that did not stop or delay the payment. Excellent job, we were so happy,” she added.

Speaking about the historic accomplishment, former President of the group, Barrister Nwachukwu Okafor, revealed that in 2017, the Executive Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo of North Carolina, under his leadership, began the process of establishing an insurance programme to help immigrant Nigerian families in providing their deceased family members with a dignified funeral.

According to him, Nigerians celebrate their dead and, in most circumstances, prefer to bring their deceased relatives’ remains back to Nigeria for burial. This custom, he elaborated, has become a burden for many families.

He bemoaned the fact that the Nigerian community turned to taxing themselves every time someone passed away in an attempt to address the problem, a system that has remained onerous and unsustainable to this day.

Barrister Okafor noted that the above problem prompted the Executive Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to develop and establish a sustainable programme to ensure that participants receive death benefits when they die.

All Nigerian families residing in North Carolina are eligible to enroll in the Ohanaeze Ndigbo of North Carolina Insurance Programme, which offers term life insurance for a minimum monthly charge of $13 for adults and 60 cents for children.

On its third anniversary, the programme admitted members of Yoruba United, and it is today a living example of a collaborative effort among Nigerians in North Carolina. Enrollment will begin in September 2026, and Nigerian residents in North Carolina are invited to participate.

By Etta Michael Bisong, Abuja

Heirs Energies drives African entrepreneurship, invests $10m in 2,000 startups

Michael Simire
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Heirs Energies drives African entrepreneurship, invests $10m in 2,000 startups

Heirs Energies is supporting the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s (TEF) 2026 cohort of 3,200 African entrepreneurs, helping to drive enterprise growth and job creation across the continent.

The entrepreneurs, drawn from all 54 African countries, were selected from more than 265,000 applicants and unveiled in Abuja on Sunday, March 22, 2026, by TEF Founder and Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu. The scale of applications highlights both the depth of entrepreneurial activity across Africa and the growing demand for early-stage capital and business support.

“The future of Africa will be built by Africans who create businesses, generate jobs and solve the challenges of our continent,” Elumelu said. “Empowering entrepreneurs remains the most sustainable path to economic transformation.”

Heirs Energies
Heirs Energies is supporting the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s (TEF) 2026 cohort of 3,200 African entrepreneurs

Heirs Energies said its support forms part of a broader strategy to link energy development with economic expansion, particularly in regions where access to capital, infrastructure and opportunity remains uneven.

Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer, Osayande Igiehon, said the company is positioning its operations to deliver both energy supply and long-term economic value.

“Sustainable energy development must be matched by sustained investment in people and enterprise,” Igiehon said. “Our partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation reflects a deliberate effort to expand opportunity while strengthening the communities in which we operate.”

Operating in OML 17 in the Niger Delta, Heirs Energies continues to deliver targeted interventions across enterprise development, education, healthcare and infrastructure.

To date, the company has:

  • Empowered over 500 youths through skills acquisition and enterprise development programmes
  • Supported over 1,621 students through educational grants
  • Reached more than 18,000 people through medical outreach programmes
  • Delivered over 135 community infrastructure projects, with additional projects at advanced stages of completion

Beyond its host communities, Heirs Energies supplies gas into Nigeria’s domestic network, enabling over 350MW of electricity generation – powering homes, schools and industries, and supporting broader economic activity.

Through its partnership with TEF, Heirs Energies has committed over $10 million to support 2,000 African entrepreneurs across two programme cycles.

In 2025, the company supported 1,000 entrepreneurs, with 40% from the Niger Delta, including over 150 from Rivers State.

In 2026, Heirs Energies is supporting another 1,000 entrepreneurs, with 50% from the Niger Delta, deepening its focus on its host region.

Women account for 48% of beneficiaries, reflecting a strong commitment to inclusive growth.

Within Nigeria, impact is concentrated in the Niger Delta, particularly in Rivers State and surrounding communities, alongside broader participation across the country and other African markets.

Across Africa, youth unemployment and limited access to financing continue to constrain business growth, despite rising entrepreneurial activity. Programmes such as TEF play a critical role in bridging this gap, combining capital with mentorship and training.

Heirs Energies said its continued collaboration with TEF reflects a shared focus on enterprise development, job creation and broader economic participation across the continent.

Nigeria’s leadership at UN climate shipping talks is a solution to domestic challenges

Michael Simire
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Nigeria’s leadership at UN climate shipping talks is a solution to domestic challenges

In Africa we know all too well that decisions made far away can have a significant impact on us at home.

This certainly is the case when it comes to ongoing talks on global shipping climate action at the UN’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London.

While the discussion on decarbonising shipping may seem distant from everyday life in Nigeria, they will shape the future of an industry that carries nearly all the food, energy, and goods Nigeria and other African countries deeply depend on.

Olumide Idowu
Olumide Idowu, Executive Director, ICCDI Africa

The outcome at the IMO will inevitably influence our economic development, environmental sustainability, and food security.

As Africa’s largest economy and a leading voice for climate action, Nigeria has the responsibility to ensure an outcome at the IMO that helps advance Africa’s green development and economic transformation.

What’s on the table of the IMO’s meeting in April is IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, a carbon price mechanism designed to reduce shipping’s emissions while generating up to $15 billion of annual revenues by 2030. For Africa, this represents a major opportunity that we cannot miss.

The IMO’s multi-billion-dollar fund could power a new era of sustainable development: from expanding Nigeria’s solar energy infrastructure and modernizing the Port of Lagos, West Africa’s trade hub, to generating green jobs at scale. Far beyond Nigeria, the maritime transition could become a driver of investment, innovation, and sustainable growth across the whole continent.

That’s why Nigeria must seize this opportunity by showing up in April with clarity, purpose, and leadership and push for African countries to have equitable access to these critical resources.

But decarbonisation without safeguards comes with risks.

One of the pathways currently being explored to reduce shipping emissions is biofuels derived from food crops such as palm oil and soy. While their name might sound as if these fuels were “clean” and “green,” the reality is that they can be responsible for higher emissions than fossil fuels and their large-scale use could create terrible unintended consequences.

Nigeria already depends heavily on food imports, especially vegetable oils, essential to household consumption. If shipping begins competing with food markets for these same crops, global prices could significantly rise. For millions of Nigerian families already facing high food inflation, such price increases would be a heavy blow to their pockets.

Unfortunately, the risks are not limited to food markets alone. Expanding crop-based biofuel production can also intensify pressure on land, especially for small-scale farmers, potentially leading to deforestation and biodiversity loss. All across Africa, where agriculture remains central to livelihoods and food systems, these pressures could undermine both environmental sustainability and households’ income stability.

The next steps are clear and will require countries like Nigeria to engage early, speak clearly and act decisively. First, Nigeria must ensure that the Net-Zero Framework remains protective of vulnerable economies and untouched ahead of its adoption in November. Second, our country must champion safeguards against the use of food-based biofuels that could threaten food security and land sustainability.

Too often, African nations enter global negotiations divided or underrepresented. Nigeria has the diplomatic relations, economic weight and moral authority to help unify the continent behind ambitious climate action. Now it is time to bring African voices together.

By Olumide Idowu, Executive Director, ICCDI Africa

Dangote Refinery sells 12 PMS cargoes to Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire

Michael Simire
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Dangote Refinery sells 12 PMS cargoes to Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has strengthened Nigeria’s presence in the regional energy market with the successful sales of 12 cargoes, by traders, totaling 456,000 tonnes (456KT) of refined petroleum products.

The shipments by traders, destined for countries such as Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana and Togo represent the refinery’s export of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) since achieving 650,000 barrels a day capacity in February 2026.

The products were sold on a FOB (Free on Board) basis to the end international traders for deliveries to the above-identified countries of export.

Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals
Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals

This accomplishment underscores the Dangote Refinery’s capability to not only meet but exceed Nigeria’s domestic fuel demands.

It also demonstrates the refinery’s growing role in supplying high-quality Euro 5 gasoline and diesel to West Africa – a region long underserved and historically regarded as a dumping ground for lower-quality fuels, and other regions which have become destinations of exports.

By supplying neighbouring and other economies, the Dangote Refinery is expected to contribute to enhance energy security in West, East and Central Africa, reducing logistics and supply chain delays associated with long-distance fuel imports, lowering cost pressures on regional fuel markets through proximity sourcing and as well as building stronger trade relations between Nigeria and key African economies.

Minister wants regional energy hubs established to boost cross-border mining

Michael Simire
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Minister wants regional energy hubs established to boost cross-border mining

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has called for the establishment of regional energy hubs as a strategic pathway to accelerate cross-border mining industrialisation.

Alake made the call while speaking at a panel session themed “Critical Minerals in Africa: Meeting Global Demand” on the sidelines of the 11th Powering Africa Summit (PAS) in Washington, D.C., United States.

The Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, made this known in a statement on Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Abuja.

Dele Alake
From right: Landry Signe, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution and Executive Director, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, Guinean Minister of Energy, Sekou Camara; Senior Vice President, Global Head of Origination, U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), Sarah Whitten during a panel session themed ‘Critical Minerals In Africa: Meeting Global Demand’ on the sidelines of the Powering Africa Summit, Washington DC, USA

He charged the U.S. and African nations to prioritise the establishment of the hubs, which he described as crucial to strengthen the supply chain of critical minerals essential for the global energy transition.

He said that sustainable partnerships with Africa remained the fastest route to meeting rising global demand for critical minerals.

The minister called for the development of regional industrial corridors similar to the Lobito Corridor.

According to him, similar belts, such as the Lagos to Abidjan corridor, spanning Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the Walvis Bay Corridor linking Southern and Central Africa to global markets, could unlock vast mineral potential across the continent.

The minister said such corridors would serve as economic catalysts through driving infrastructure development, enhancing energy access and promoting regional integration.

“The development of nuclear power in one West African country, for instance, can service an entire corridor.

“With that in place, local beneficiation, technology transfer, manufacturing and cross-border industrialisation will naturally follow.

“If three to five such corridors are developed in Africa, we would significantly advance industrialisation across the continent, creating a win-win outcome for both Africa and the West,” he said.

Alake added that strengthened governance structures, improved regulatory frameworks, digitisation of licensing processes and enhanced ease of doing business had repositioned Nigeria’s mining sector as a key driver of economic diversification.

He said reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the past three years had guaranteed secure tenure for mineral title holders, thereby providing the long-term stability required for investment decisions.

He stressed that the government was scaling up the generation of scientific, internationally certified geological data to support informed decision-making by local and international investors.

The minister acknowledged the challenges in the sector, including insecurity, but said significant progress had been achieved in addressing the situation through the establishment of mining marshals.

According to him, more than 350 suspected illegal miners, including foreign nationals, have been arrested within a year, while over 150 are currently being prosecuted, signalling that Nigeria means business.

He said Nigeria was open to genuine investors who were required to strictly comply with local laws and regulations.

He listed key incentives for investors to include tax waivers on imported mining equipment and full repatriation of profits after due payment of royalties and taxes.

“We have successfully de-risked and sanitised the mining environment, making it conducive to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

“Within the last two and a half years, we have attracted over 2.6 billion dollars in FDI into the sector,” he said.

The PAS is an annual high-level international energy conference that focuses on strengthening the U.S. and Africa energy partnership.

The summit serves as a platform for dialogue on critical issues such as energy infrastructure development, investment strategies and the role of critical minerals in supporting the global energy transition.

The 11th edition of PAS focused on the theme “Powering the US-Africa Partnership: Energy Infrastructure, Critical Minerals and Investment Strategies”.

By Martha Agas

Elumelu Foundation commits $16m to empowering additional 3,200 young African entrepreneurs

Michael Simire
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Elumelu Foundation commits $16m to empowering additional 3,200 young African entrepreneurs

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) on Sunday, March 22, unveiled 3,200 new beneficiaries with 5,000 dollars empowerment grant for young African entrepreneurs in its 2026 cohort.

The Foundation said that the entrepreneurs would be funded via Heirs Holdings Group Companies, the European Commission, Seme City Development Agency, DEG, the German Development Agency, and the IKEA Foundation.

It listed other partners to include UNICEF, the Dutch Government, UNDP and the Rwandan Ministry of Youth and Arts.

Tony Elumelu Foundation
Tony Elumelu Foundation

The Founder of TEF, Mr. Tony Elumelu, said that the foundation’s work was vital in providing access to funding, mentorship, coaching, training, and resources, to catalyse entrepreneurial businesses.

Elumelu said that the idea was to further job creation, poverty alleviation and inclusive economic empowerment across the African continent.

“We are doing this because we want to live through our mantra and our mission of democratising love, democratising prosperity, and most importantly, being important and part of the communities where we operate.

“The more prosperity we spread and we share, the more young Africans we mobilise, realising that one person alone can not change Africa. It is not money we have in our bank account that matters at the end of the day.

“The better thing to do is to help, put in place a mechanism to continue to spread prosperity, to make sure that some do not have do not suffer,.

“The best we can do is to support young entrepreneurs. So, to our 3,200 beneficiaries, I say congratulations. But more importantly, we need you to please succeed. Your success will make a difference,” he said.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for creating the enabling environment for economic empowerment to thrive, and for his commitment to the young entrepreneurs, and the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Also speaking, Somachi Chris-Asoluka, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TEF, said that the foundation had disbursed over 100 million dollars to 24,000 young men and women, who started and scaled businesses across Africa, since its inception 2015.

Chris-Asoluka said that the entrepreneurs had collectively created 1.5 million jobs, and generated $4.2 billion in revenue, lifting 3.1 million Africans above the poverty line.

According to her, 4.1 million households have been positively impacted.

“We have seen entrepreneurs become employers; we have seen founders become leaders that are driving innovation and prosperity across the different communities.

“We all know that entrepreneurship is an uphill journey. We know that entrepreneurs will need mentors who have worn those shoes, who are able to counsel, nurture and guide them,” she said.

The TEF CEO thanked the Tokyo Web Foundation for providing mentors who used their knowledge, insight and wisdom to support the young entrepreneurs.

She said that TEF would disburse over $16 million to support, train, fund, coach and mentor the 3,200 selected young African entrepreneurs from across the continent.

She said that agriculture remained a huge sector the entrepreneurs invested in.

“Another huge sector is retail. There is also AI, ICT, and tech. So, entrepreneurs are already thinking around how to build massive businesses in artificial intelligence.

“We also see huge interest in green economy, waste recycling, and obviously education and healthcare keep coming up tops,” she said.

The high point of the event was the introduction of six highest-flying alumni of the programme from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Kenya, Algeria, Mali and Nigeria to the audience.

They were said to have transformed the funding, training, mentorship and coaching into leading businesses across the continent.

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

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