Endeavour Magazine July 2022

MININGORFORD PHOTOVOLTAICMALAYSIAN A bright future DAVIS SHIRTLIFF& Healthy pipelines CB GROUP That Caribbeantaste three charmedtimes Inspired by YOUR SUCCESS UK £4.95 CAN $7.95 USA $7.95 EUR €5.95 SA ZAR 69.00 JULY 2022 www.littlegatepublishing.com

Willie’s Trucking Company Limited 22 First Street, Newport West, Kingston 13, Jamaica Specializing In Container Haulage From Port Bustamante (876) 937- 3553, (876) 901-3667, (876) williestruckingcompanylimited@gmail.com276-7920 “Haulage At Its Best” Driven Integritywith W T C A valued partner of Pepsi Cola Jamaica Limited since 1993 Committed to superior quality service in container haulage, heavy equipment and equipment rental. “Equipment you can count on. People you can trust.”

Saleseditor@littlegatepublishing.comManager

Editor-in-Chief

Emlyn Freeman

In some ways, recent news events have us looking to the past with less positivity. Yet, when it comes to our line-up for this month, the passing of time feels positive indeed. We hope you enjoy this issue as we are enjoying the new offices we put it together in!

Editor’s Note W

by Alice Instone-Brewer Heads of Departments Alice Instone-Brewer

Salesemlynfreeman@littlegatepublishing.comManager Andrew Williams Projectandrew@littlegatepublishing.comDirector James Lapping Corporatejames@littlegatepublishing.comDirector Anthony Letchumaman Leadanthonyl@littlegatepublishing.comDesigner Alina Sandu Founderstudio@littlegatepublishing.comandCEO Stephen Warman Forstevewarman@littlegatepublishing.comenquiriesorsubscriptionscontact +44info@littlegatepublishing.com1603296100 ENDEAVOUR MAGAZINE is published by Littlegate Publishing LTD which is a Registered Company in the United CompanyKingdom.Registration: 07657236 VAT registration number: 116 776007 343 City Road Suite 10, Thorpe House London 79 Thorpe Road EC1 V1LR Norwich, NR1 1UA Littlegate Publishing Ltd does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by at tributing writers and/or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessar ily represent those of the publisher. Any re semblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the infor mation contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of in formation published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or trans mitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. LittlegateCopyright©Publishing Ltd 2022 Endeavour Magazine | 3

e’ve moved offices here at Endeavour HQ, and settling into our new location has got us thinking about the future whilst also feeling nostalgic for the past. Speaking with Orford Mining, a Canadian exploration company, we again saw these two elements playing off of each other: the future promise of discoveries and profit on the close horizon, supported by a foundation of past healthy choices and a balanced portfolio. We’ve had some companies mark a major anniversary, and others looking to the future in the form of green energy solutions. MPIA is working towards the future of solar energy in Malaysia, whilst Davis & Shirtliff and Keppel are both contributing to sustainability in ways that involve water - for David & Shirtliff, clean water supply, and for Keppel, offshore renewable energySpeakingsolutions.personally, two of our pieces had the Editor feeling nostalgic herself; firstly, a shout-out to a traditional Rwandan drink that I experienced something similar in Mongolia, and secondly, a piece from our Amazing World team on Przewalski’s horse! Or, as it is otherwise known, the Mongolian wild horse. These two reminders of that incredible country brought a smile to my face, and the piece on the Mongolian horse brought some surprising facts to light about those dinky, hardy creatures. Meanwhile, it is no doubt with a degree of nostalgia, as well as reveling in the present, that RHA and the CB Group carry out their celebrations of their local cultures - in the case of the Rwanda Hospitality Association, through promoting tourism to their beloved country, and for CB Group, through promoting the Caribbean’s food!

13 Orford Mining Three times charmed 21 Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association A bright future 27 Davis & Shirtliff Healthy pipelines 35 Rwanda AssociationHospitality More than welcome 45 Kenya Ports Authority Safe harbours 51 Malaysian Iron and Steel Industry Federation (MISIF) Nerves of steel 57 CB Group That Caribbean taste 65 NamWater Holding water 71 Keppel Corporation Urban, green, marine 77 Trinidad & Tobago National Petroleum Marketing Company Half a century 83 Saudi Electricity Company Powering a kingdomMPIA Features 4 | Endeavour Magazine

6 Business Headlines 6 Asia 7 Africa 8 Americas 10 Middle East 11 Europe Amazing World 40 Przewalski’s Horse – The Last Wild Horse Rwanda Hospitality Association Davis & Shirtliff Articles Endeavour Magazine | 5

In the 10 months since they took power, the Taliban have sent ambassadors to only four countries: Russia, Pakistan, China and Turkmenistan. Even these countries haven’t accorded formal diplomatic recognition to Afghanistan’s new rulers.

Business Headlines Asia North Korea accuses US of building an ‘Asian Nato’ ahead of security talks

These talks, in turn, were in relation to escalating missile tests by Pyongyang.

Police said the protesters were “violent” and “erratic” while marching through the city and blocking streets with barricades and bins. New South Wales Police said more than 10 people had been arrested so far. They included a woman who used a car to block the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

Pyongyang has reacted angrily to plans by the US, Japan and South Korea to conduct a combined missile detection and missile tracking exercise near Hawaii in August.

The Taliban is trying to establish its control over Afghanistan’s institutions, but most of the country’s 70 + diplomatic missions are continuing independently of the hardline regime and without any direct funding from Kabul.

Biden was due to meet the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, and the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Madrid to discuss the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Sydney climate protests block streets and harbour tunnel Climate protesters brought parts of Sydney to a standstill, blocking key roads and a tunnel during rushThehour.Blockade Australia activists began disruptions in protest of “Australia’s ecological destruction”. The aim was to bring Sydney to a standstill to draw attention to the group’s message.

Many Afghanistan embassies not taking orders from Taliban

North Korea has accused the US and its allies of launching an attempt to form an “Asian Nato” to contain the regime, in response to Biden meeting with Japanese PM Kishida and South Korean leader Yoon for security talks.

The woman who blocked the tunnel livestreamed her protest, explaining that she had witnessed “terrifying” climate change first hand. She identified herself as from Lismore - a town devastated by two major floods earlier this year. Police raided campsites of suspected protest organisers and arrested several others.

North Korea has conducted a record 31 ballistic missile tests this year, including one involving its largest intercontinental ballistic missile yet. Speculation is growing that the regime is preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017.

“The US is hellbent on the military cooperation with its stooges in disregard of the primary security demand and concern by Asia-Pacific countries,” North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA said.

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The Taliban regime is not recognised by other countries, which allows Afghanistan’s ambassadors to continue on their presence in Afghan embassies around the world as they were before the regime took hold. For example, the Indian government has allowed the embassy in Delhi to function as an extension of the previous government, like it did during the Taliban’s last periodin power between 1996 and 2001.

Senegal: Authorities ban planned protest amid tensions

Tear gas deployed in “Arise Ghana” protest: 12 Policemen injured, 29 protesters arrested

The Senegalese authorities banned an antigovernment demonstration announced for Wednesday, June 29, in Dakar, risking further anger from the opposition in a climate of growing preelection tensions.

On June 17, a previous demonstration, which was banned, had caused clashes resulting in the death of three people and more than 200 people were arrested, including two MPs, according to the opposition.Tojustify this new ban, an order from the prefect of Dakar cited “real threats to public order”, “real risks of infiltration by ill-intentioned individuals”, “serious threats of attacks on public buildings” and “real risks of hindering the free movement of people andHegoods”.alsospoke of a violation of the electoral code and its article L.61, which prohibits any “disguised” propaganda in the 30 days preceding the opening of the electoral campaign.

Tensions are rising after the Constitutional Council invalidated a national list of candidates from the opposition coalition Yewwi Askan Wi. This invalidation eliminates from the race the leader of the opposition Ousmane Sonko and a number of opponents of President Macky Sall.

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There have been bomb blasts in four separate places in Ethiopia’s northern city of Bahir Dar, police have said, indicating a further deterioration of security in Amhara, the country’s second largest region.The explosions occurred in selected places in the city, which is the regional capital, and were aimed at ‘terrorising the public”, according to a police spokeswoman. She did not disclose whether there were any casualties, but confirmed that six suspects were apprehended in relation to the incidents.

The legislative elections aim to renew the 165 deputies of the National Assembly, which is largely dominated by the presidential coalition.

The Ghanaian police arrested 29 people after dispersing a violent anti-expense protest in Accra with tear gas, according to a new report. Hundreds of demonstrators had been marching in the streets of the capital since the morning, holding up placards reading “Mr President, where did we go wrong? and “The high cost of living will kill Inus”.the middle of the afternoon, about 100 demonstrators tried to deviate from the official route of the demonstration. They were stopped by a blockade of dozens of police officers, on whom threw projectiles. The police responded by using tear gas to disperse the crowd. One protestor threw a projectile, which resulted in police deploying tear gas on the crowd.

Bomb blasts detonate in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Tensions have escalated in the region after the authorities launched what they called a “law enforcement operation” that has seen the arrest of thousands of individuals in the region. There have been a number of anti-government protests in recent days following a massacre of ethnic Amharas in neighbouring Oromia region. More than 250 village farmers were killed in the incident.

Africa

Americas

On June 24th, the USA’s Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling that had stood for nearly 50 years, stating abortion as a constitutional human right. The Supreme Court has now ruled this not a constitutional issue, which thus leaves laws regarding abortion to individual states, rather than having one federal ruling.

Jeffrey Epstein’s former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, has finally been sentenced in a longawaited verdict. Maxwell has been charged with aiding Epstein in procuring underage girls to abuse. Maxwell was found guilty of five counts of sex trafficking. Prosecution claim that she and Epstein were guilty of abusing up to 160 girls together.

Prosecution had sought a sentence of 30 years, but many have still expressed relief at the result.

The result of this is that states can, and some already have, put abortion bans in place, with the perimeters they decide.

Many are angered and afraid in the wake of this ruling. Protests have broken out across America as people say that women’s rights have been stripped back 50 years. Jewish Americans have also said that the ruling conflicts with their religious beliefs, which many are arguing makes this a constitutional issue after all.

The number of migrants found dead inside trucks on the Texas/Mexico border has risen to 50. Some 22 Mexicans, seven Guatemalans and two Hondurans were identified among the dead.

The first state to put a ban in place was Missouri, using ‘trigger laws’ to make the change quickly. Essentially, ‘trigger laws’ refer to laws (in this case, on abortion) that had already been drafted and prepared to go active as and when Roe v Wade was overturned.Itisnowillegal

The bodies were discovered in a truck that appeared to have no air conditioning or water, with outdoor temperatures approaching 38C, according to San Antonio fire chief Charles Hood. Hood described the bodies as “hot to the touch.”

to have an abortion for any reason except medical emergency, which no exceptions for pregnancies caused by abuse.

Maxwell gave an apology to the survivors of hers and Epstein’s abuse, but several have expressed doubt that she had truly taken responsibility for her crimes. Maxwell blamed Epstein’s influence for her actions.Epstein was found dead in a Manhattan prison while awaiting trial in 2019.

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Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; states can ban abortion

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison

Officials said “stacks of bodies” were found inside the vehicle. A railway worker heard a cry for help from the truck shortly before the bodies wereSixteenfound.other people found inside the trailer have been hospitalised, including four minors. A criminal investigation is being conducted by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division, along with local police.

Number of migrants found dead inside truck on Texas/Mexico border rises

Ahead of the vote to dissolve the Knesset, Mr Bennett told members of his right-wing Yamina party that he would not be standing in the upcoming election. He will serve as alternate prime minister under Mr Lapid until then.

Yemeni currency devaluation persists, despite new leadership President Rashad al-Alimi has toured the Gulf looking for more funds for the country’s wardamaged economy. A truce between Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebels has helped bring stability to the country since it began at the start of April, considerably reducing hostilities on the country’s front lines, and making many Yemenis hopeful that an end to the war could be in Butsight.Yemen’s economy and currency continues to struggle, leaving millions of Yemenis in poverty and casting doubt on the capability of the government’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which was sworn in on April 19.

Israel set to get new PM and hold fifth election in less than four years Yair Lapid is poised to become Israel’s new prime minister, with parliament preparing to dissolve itself and trigger the country’s fifth election in less than fourMryears.Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party and foreign minister, will take over from Naftali Bennett under an existing power-sharing deal. They formed an unlikely eight-party coalition after last year’s election. However, this party collapsed in late June, clearing the way for fresh polls. It also creates an opening for Israel’s longestserving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to return to office despite being on trial on corruption charges, which he denies.

In government-held parts of the country, $1 is exchanged for 1,100 Yemeni rials, an unofficial rate that is used by all money exchangers, and is similar to the level before the PLC bounce.

A leak of toxic chlorine gas at Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba has killed 13 people and injured more than 260 others, state media report.

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Toxic gas leak at Jordan’s Aqaba port kills 13, injures hundreds

Authorities said a chemical storage container fell while being transported as a result of a crane malfunction.CCTVfootage showed the container being hoisted into the air and then suddenly dropping on to a ship and exploding. A large cloud of bright yellow gas is seen spreading across the ground, sending people running for safety. State media stated that 123 of the injured were still being treated at local hospitals for chemical exposure. Some were reportedly in a critical condition.Whenchlorine is inhaled, swallowed or comes into contact with skin, it reacts with water to produce acids that damage cells in the body. Inhaling high levels of chlorine causes fluid to build up in the lungs - a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary oedema.

Mr Netanyahu, whose right-wing Likud party is predicted to remain the largest in the Knesset, was ousted by Mr Bennett and Mr Lapid last June, breaking two years of political stalemate.

At the time, the Yemeni rial experienced a welcome boost in its value, but the sudden rebound of the riyal has been short-lived, and its value has dropped once again.

Middle East

However, the head of the pro-Russia selfproclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine Denis Pushilin said it had also secured the release of 144 soldiers, including its fighters and those of the Russian army.

More than 140 Ukrainians released in biggest prisoner swap of war Ukraine has carried out its biggest exchange of prisoners of war since Russia invaded, securing the release of 144 of its soldiers, including 95 who had taken part in the defense of the besieged Mariupol steelworkers, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said.The majority of the Ukrainian prisoners were badly wounded, suffering from gunshot and shrapnel wounds, blast traumas, burns, fractured bones and amputated limbs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to capture most of Ukraine, US intelligence agencies believe.Moscow’s troops have been so weakened by combat, however, that US officials assess they are only capable of making slow territorial gains. It means the war could last for a long time, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines says. In March Moscow refocused its efforts on seizing Ukraine’s Donbas area after failing to take Kyiv and other cities.

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Europe Russia’s attempted invasion: Putin’s intentions for Ukraine

Hundreds more Ukrainians are still thought to be held by Russia and its pro-Moscow separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine, but their precise whereabouts are not known.

Russia’s attack on Mariupol theatre a clear war crime, Amnesty says A Russian air strike on a theatre in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol where hundreds of civilians had been sheltering in March was a “clear war crime” that killed at least a dozen people, human rights group Amnesty International said. In a report, Amnesty said Russian forces “most likely intentionally targeted” the building knowing it was a civilian site, “most likely” using two 500kg bombs that struck close to one another and detonatedAmnestysimultaneously.alsosaidits

The theatre had become a refuge for residents fleeing other parts of Mariupol which had been surrounded by Russian forces and left with no electricity, running water or communication.

investigation found no convincing evidence to support other possible explanations, including a claim by the Russian defence ministry that the attack had been carried out from within the building, as part of a “false flag” operation.“Weconcluded that the strike was a clear war crime committed by Russian forces,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said. “Many people were injured and killed in this merciless attack. Their deaths were likely caused by Russian forces deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians.”

“We perceive a disconnect between Putin’s nearterm military objectives in this area and his military’s capacity,” she told a US Commerce Department conference.Sincefailing to achieve its initial goal of capturing Kyiv, Russia has focused on seizing territory in the eastern Donbas region - a large, industrial area where Mr Putin falsely claims Ukraine has carried out a genocide against Russian speakers. Russian forces have made gains there, recently taking control of the city of Severodonetsk, but progress has been slow and Ukrainian forces have put up strong resistance.

Mr Putin still has the same goals as the ones he held at the start of the conflict, the US’s top intelligence officer Ms Haines said - to take most of Ukraine.But,she says, Russia is unlikely to achieve that goal any time soon.

THREECHARMEDTIMESOrfordMining chevron-square-right orfordmining.com phone-square 647 255 8037 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

Orford

The infrastructure in place from this history, as well as from neighbouring mining towns, is a great saver of both time and funds. “We felt it was underexplored, and an area worth investigating. It’s at the heart of the Abitibi district in Quebec: the Abitibi

We spoke with David Christie, the man at the helm of a strong team, including CFO Cindy Davis, Chief Geoscientist Alger St-Jean and Vice President of Exploration Michelle Sciortino. “It takes a village to do anything, and we have a very good team,” David told us, keen to talk about the people he works with.

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Mining

Openly describing itself as a small exploration company, Orford Mining’s projects are surprisingly vast: whilst this mining company might be no giant, its properties, prospects and pipeline are all rich with potential. Not only this, but Orford Mining is handling each property well, managing its efforts between three major exploration operations with expertise, and making fast headway whilst doing so. We spoke with David Christie, company President and CEO, to discuss the latest from these projects and what investors and backers can expect from Orford in the near future.

As for Orford itself, David guided us through the company’s three distinct projects: “The Joutel regional project is a newer acquisition - we started picking up ground around there in 2020, added to it in 2021, and we drilled our first diamond drill hole this past winter. We got some really thick near-surface gold mineralisation – 28 meters of 1.24 grams per tonne, pretty close to the surface.” The full results for these tests are hot off the press, having only just been released in mid-June this year. “So, we’ve hopefully identifying a near-surface mineralized body that we can put a resource on at some point in time. We’re excited about the potential there.” One of the joys of working in Joutel is its pre-established history with mining: the Joutel Eagle property, which Orford has an option to earn 100% ownership of along with the 100% owned Joutel South, McClure East and Joutel Omega, is a known mining camp that stood “basically ignored”, as David told us, since 1993.

“Our board is spectacular. They’re a huge support and have been very good at giving us ideas and moving us along.”

Focused in Northern Quebec, Canada, Orford Mining went public in 2017, but in those 5 years, its findings have been notable. Currently, the company is exploring three projects: one in the Joutel Region, another in West Raglan and a third in Qiqavik. Both the Qiqavik and Joutel properties are gold focused, whereas West Raglan is primarily a nickel exploration project. All three have their unique challenges, their causes for excitement, and all three are an active focus for Orford, with no one favoured measurably over the other. Success in mining exploration calls for multi-tasking and always looking one step ahead, and when blessed with three properties as rich and strong as these, all three deserve active input and investment. They’re getting both in buckets – this year, notably so.

With timeliness a high priority, Orford does what it can to help itself. This includes paying a little bit more to analytical labs in order for initial results to be rushed through, as well as the use of XRF guns (Xray fluorescence) in the field. For gold, these guns give a good general indication of whether gold is present or not, but cannot be used for more detailed results, but when it comes to nickel, they are far more exact, able to give reliable percentages both for nickel and copper. Both of these methods are utilised as a part of a tightly planned operation: “We cram a lot of work into 2 ½ months at Qiqavikwe get a lot done in a short period of time.”

“It’s a challenge, but then, if you look 90 kms to our east, you see two world class nickel mines. The Raglan mine that Glencore operates is probably one of the most profitable nickel mines in the world, and there is also a Nunavik nickel mine, again just 90km to our east. We’re in a belt with proven mining, as well as a pre-existing port facility that we could hook into if we go to production.”

Orford originally started out as a nickel exploration company, and David originally started out as an equity analyst. “For a long time, I covered equities as an analyst for large banks in Canada. So, I’m always looking at the commodity cycle and where we’re going, and I could see that nickel was going

Orford Mining 16 | Endeavour Magazine

With these successful neighbours, it makes sense that Orford’s third project, this one nickelfocused, is also in the area. In West Raglan, the site is close enough to Qiqavik that the company saves funds by operating out of the same camp for both. At 707 km2, West Raglan is no small property, but it has no small backing, either. Wyloo Metals Pty Ltd, backed by one of Australia’s wealthiest men, Andrew Forest, is an active investor in this property, currently in the earn-in stage. Wyloo can earn up to 80% of the project by spending CAD$25 million in exploration. A full $5 million will be spent there this year alone: Orford and Wyloo are excited for this project’s potential, and it is full steam ahead to reach a stage where they can start bringing in its treasures. Orford remains the operator of the West Raglan programs. Why such an investment in this property? Wyloo knew, as did Orford, that the fate of nickel (at one point a metal in low demand) would change, and with the push towards green energy, this prediction has come true. “Nickel right now is a hot commodity because it is used in EV batteries. With oil prices rising, it’s become quite a target.”

belt is probably one of the most prolific mineral belts in the world.” This is the first of Orford’s two gold projects. The second, Qiqavik, is in some ways far less conveniently placed, yet David is certain that it’s worth the extra hoops! “It’s in the arctic, so the summers are fairly short. We picked it up in 2016, and we’ve probably only spent 29 weeks on the ground so far.” Unlike Joutel, Qiqavik was virtually unexplored when Orford picked it up, so the company is throwing all it can into its exploration, during those small windows of time when it can. “Qiqavik is a pretty large project - 390 sq km – and we’ve got high-grade gold at the surface across the entire project. We have good drill targets with high grade gold near the surface –up to 648 grams per tonne. We’ll spend another $4.0 million on exploration there this summer.” Orford’s team mobilized its crews out to the arctic site at the end of June, meaning its people are fresh on the ground at the time of this publishing. “We can stay until the middle of September at the latest. If we don’t need to see the ground, we can drill all year long, but when we need to see the ground and the rock, we need to wait on the snow.”

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“It’s a good deal for our shareholders, and for us, we get to share in that nickel optionality without spending any money right now, so it’s huge.”

“We’ve already made discoveries there that are high-grade. High grade means less environmental impact. There’s not a lot of places where you can get high-grade nickel in a good jurisdiction like Canada. The Raglan nickel mine that Glencore operates next to us is probably one of the lowest cash-cost producers of nickel in the world, so it’s quite a target we have at West Raglan.”

Three times charmed to be in short supply, and there was going to be a niche in the market.” Before working in equity, David was a geologist for a number of mining companies: all in all, between these two areas of knowledge, he was well set up to gauge what Orford’s next moves should be, and his judgement was correct. In 2021, nickel was only $6 a pound; now, that figure has more than doubled, landing between $13 and $14. In part, this figure has been driven up by nickel scarcity caused by the Ukraine/Russia war, and also, as David said, by the rise in EVs and other green solutions. As we keep pointing out here at Endeavour, even green energy is not without its demand on mining: the only way forwards, then, in clean and responsible mining itself.

“We look to diversify the risk a bit, because little Orford Mining can’t do all of these projects if there is too much money going out the door. So, bringing in Wyloo, who are very technically smart and have deep pockets, was the way for us to go.” For now, Orford opererates while Wyloo earns in. Orford is carried at 20% until Wyloo have spent CAD$25 million and has completed a feasibility study on the property as well as make a cash payment to Orford.

Wisely aligning itself with the sturdy support of Wyloo, Orford is able to tackle this important property with speed and efficiency the $15 million junior mining company could not tackle on its own. Given the potential beneath its feet, this ability to run rather than walk is exciting for all.

“We carried out a program that identified about 435 conductors. About 72 of those were highpriority conductors, and we’ve narrowed it down to the top 10-15 to drill this summer. We’ve modeled those against the mass of sulphides that we hit at other properties, so we’re quite excited to hit massive nickel sulphides on the project this

When working at this pace in not only one area, but three, communication with the local communities is key. Orford works actively to make sure that it fosters and keeps good relations with the local people around all of its sites. With a history of mining in Quebec, and careful governmental processes in place to create a culture of smooth and open dialogue between its people and its mining industry, this process is a positive one.

2020 was slow for Orford Mining, as it was globally. Early into the Covid pandemic, Quebec closed its borders, but after they re-opened, Orford was able to continue working as normally – if with spacing and safety measures in place. Any small time it did lose, however, seems to have been well and truly made up for: the company has brilliant results coming in from all directions, with others pending on the near horizon. Always searching for further backers who are interested in seizing these opportunities as they unfold, as well as currently searching for talented individuals to join their team, the one thing Orford isn’t searching for too actively is a new project!

summer. By December we’ll have over 6000 meters of drilling completed on the Qiqavik and West Raglan Projects combined, lots of geophysics completed, lots of sampling and hopefully lots of discoveries.”

Whilst an exploration company always keeps its eyes open, lest it miss something too good to pass up, this junior finds itself with three rich projects that are all moving in the right direction. This is a fantastic position to be in, and worth focusing on and pouring resources towards. It is also a fantastic time to look deeper into their fresh results and get involved whilst the getting is good!

Orford Mining 18 | Endeavour Magazine

“I would say our relationships are very good. They understand development. They were involved in the nickel mines that are already there, so they earn from those. The local communities were also involved in the hydro dams that were put in, so they collect the royalties from that as well. They understand what development can do for them, and we continue to coordinate and communicate. It’s all about communication.”

A MalaysianFUTUREBRIGHTPhotovoltaicIndustryAssociation chevron-square-right mpia.org.my phone-square 03-6151 7227 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

For Malaysia, solar power is an extremely potential-filled avenue for renewable energy, due in part to the extremely sunny weather that the country often enjoys. This potential was highlighted in a Renewable Energy Roadmap that was published for the country by its Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, December 2021.

The science of photovoltaics was first observed in 1839 by Edmund Bequerel, a French physicist, who noticed that some materials absorbed light on an atomic level and released electrons. These, when captured, could make electricity: a process better and more thoroughly described by Albert Einstein in 1905. This understanding, then, has existed in some form since electricity’s early days, and yet the first photovoltaic module was not built until much late in 1954. This invention was known as a solar battery, and yet, despite how long a form as this technology has existed, it was decades again before solar energy and its potential was being seriously invested in and considered.Itisinteresting to view the solar power industry with this long history behind it – a reminder that it is nowhere near the new concept we sometimes take it for. However, it has taken many years to get where it is today, and this is partly due to a lack of education, lack of normalisation and a lack of investment. Critically, all of this comes down to support by governments, as well as interest from the private sectors. All of these areas are exactly what associations exist to protect and interact with: their goal is to further an industry’s interests, and when it comes to solar power, this is something extremely needed and worthwhile. After all, imagine where we would be if solar had reached its current point ten years ago? The best thing we can do for this sector is to keep driving it forwards, which is why work like that of the MPIA is so important.

Currently, the amount of solar power produced by Malaysia is relatively low, but the future looks bright, and the country intends to make this potential into a reality. MPIA is here to make it happen. The country’s current capacity is less than two gigawatts (GW), but the roadmap predicts its potential as being as great as 269 GW solar PV capacity. This is because the country receives approximately 1,575 – 1,812 kWh

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Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association

The Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association (or MPIA, as it’s better known) looks out for the interests for Photovoltaic companies and operations within Malaysia. What does ‘photovoltaic’ mean? The conversation of light in energy. In other words, this association looks out for all things regarding Solar Power – the largest renewable energy source available within the country.

Chong pointed out that many businesses were moving towards a partially solar energy system, in order to cut down on costs, but were not moving fully over, as the technology is not yet at the point where it could comfortably fully support these companies’ total power needs.

The association also provides training in all matters solar, which is another essential offering in a young but growing industry.

Malaysian Photovoltaic Industry Association 24 | Endeavour Magazine

“SEDA revealed that there were close to 4,000 completed NEM installations towards the end of year 2020. In fact, the entire 500 MW NEM quota was fully taken prior to the deadline, and a further 500 MW quota under NEM 3.0 was subsequently announced,” Chong explained.

The development of these ideas and incentives all relies on the input the MPIA, which is currently the only trade association representing the solar PV industry in Malaysia: governments rely on such expert input from the relevant industries to put through rulings and measures, and now is clearly a crucial period for MPIA’s continued lobbying, input, advice and involvement to keep Malaysia’s government and its solar industry moving towards the same goal in the same way. This input goes in both directions – it is also able to work with solar and solar-associated companies to make sure that they understand the views of the government, what support and incentives exist for them etc.

Chong also explained that the Large-Scale Solar program that had begun in Malaysia in 2016 had reached more than 850 MW operational capacity by the end of 2020. 2,400 MW of projects were also awarded to successful bidders. All in all, this line of development is moving along at a very promising rate. As Chong put it, “All this will translate into a significant milestone for Malaysia in terms of sustainability and renewable energy accomplishment.”

per square metre of solar irradiance, which is close to the average solar irradiance for Southeast Asia. This is even higher than India, which is currently a leader in solar power capacity.

As the only association promoting the solar industry in Malaysia, it is down to the MPIA to raise public awareness and make opportunities for those involved in the sector to come together. This occurs through the MPIA’s Solar Roadshow, which takes awareness around the country through a travelling event. These offer b2b level opportunities, but also serve as a major piece of public outreach, with the main aim being to educate home and business owners who do not yet use solar power on their buildings. According to the MPIA’s statistics, there are over four million buildings in Malaysia that could install solar paneling on their rooftops, and yet have not done so yet. If every one of these buildings joined the movement, they could generate

The roadmap proposes various ways to promote the development of solar technology, including the acceleration of the country’s Net Energy Metering program and the introduction of new, incentivising business models that will implement peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, and as well as corporate power purchase agreements.

Progress is going well. According to MPIA President Davis Chong, the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) approved more than 350 MW solar photovoltaic projects under the Net Energy Metering program in 2020; the highest in a year since the program was introduced in 2016. This suggests a strong and rising interest in the sector.

Endeavour Magazine | 25

Optimal Electricity Cost & Active Safety

J-LAPP Malaysia is a value added partner of Huawei Smart PV Solutions JJ-LAPP.COM a collective estimated 34,194 MW of electricity, which would be enough to meet the country’s entire collective need! Malaysia’s current aim is to increase its renewable energy generation from the 2% it was at in 2018 to 20% in 2025 - it is no wonder, then, that effort is being poured towards reaching these property owners and attempting to interest them in the benefits that solar paneling would offer. In fact, the association is meeting with people at all levels, and even with those abroad. In November 2021, MPIA President Davis Chong and Vice President Dato’ Ir. Guntor Tobeng met with H.E. Bulat Sugurbayev, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Malaysia, as well as Counsellor Samat Zhanabay, also from the Embassy of Kazakhstan. During the discussions, the possibility of MPIA members participating in Kazakhstan’s solar projects was discussed: the country has also begun its green transition, with an ambitious target to have half of its power generated by renewable sources by 2050. These are fantastic opportunities to get involved with, and are an example in action of how MPIA can benefit its members.

A bright future

One-Stop-Solutions Provider for renewable energy towards a greener Malaysia JJ-LAPP together with business partners in the solar industry, Huawei, Clenergy and Trina Solar, is well positioned as a one-stop solutions provider for solar systems with a complete range of products and high-quality standards. Our range of solutions which include ÖLFLEX® Solar Cables and Accessories, PV-ezRACK® Mounting Panels, Huawei Smart PV Inverters and Smart Energy Storage and Trina Solar Panel Module, enable us to support a wide range of solar projects for residential, commercial and industrial and utilities. JJ-LAPP’s extensive network and presence across the ASEAN countries combined with a regional partnership with Huawei also allows quick and seamless support for our customers not just in Malaysia, but throughout ASEAN. Connect with JJ-LAPP at sales_jjlm@jjsea.com or 03-50306322 to get the one-stop solutions for your solar project.

PIPELINESHEALTHYDavis&Shirtliff chevron-square-right www.davisandshirtliff.com phone-square 254 020 6968 000 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

ollowing the end of World War II, in a hopeful new era of rebuilding stability, army veteran Eddie Davis purchased a small, independent local plumbing and water engineering firm in Nairobi. With this, in partnership with his friend Dick Shirtliff, the pair founded their company. Originally called RH Paige & Co, it isn’t hard to see where the company got its eventual name from! From this small start, a wide-ranging Group developed, expanding outwards as the world gradually recovered from the impact of the years that had passed. Today, far from this small, grassroots firm, the Davis & Shirtliff Group owns a network of 70 branches in eight countries within the East Africa region: naturally, it still holds its presence in Kenya, but has expanded to also have a presence in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the DRC. On top of this, the Group also exports to many other regional countries including Malawi, Somalia, Somaliland, Zimbabwe and even several countries in West Africa. This growth has not been through acquisition. Instead, it has been gradual and organic, though

Davis & Shirtliff 28 | Endeavour Magazine

F

In a region as hot as East Africa, water related equipment is a key sector. From piping to drinking water to pools, Davis & Shirtliff has you covered through the provision of its pumps, tanks, and just about anything else water related. After 70+ years in the industry, the company has shown an ability to be tenacious, proving that it has the adaptability to have sticking power. From a small company to a large-reaching Group, we took a look at Davis & Shirtliff’s history, and what has brought the Group to the point it’s at today.

Professional Power Manufacturer

this gradual’ process leapt forwards significantly in the late 1970s, by which time the number of pumps the company sold had increased 100-fold. This continuous growth has been a combination of the Group’s own successes, and also the growing economy within this region and the countries Davis & Shirtliff serves. But what do they supply? This Group covers the gear you need for water and energy solutions – particularly the water solutions. This includes water pumps, boreholes, water treatment products and services, swimming pools, generators, solar equipment and irrigation – quite the list! Not only is this an impressive range, but it is a range that addresses any important needs within East Africa. Cleaner power, more readily available water and strong farming are all important elements for the hot region. The Group serves a wide customer base of private sector, NGO and government institutions across all industries and sectors, all of whom

Email:www.zhicheng-champion.comchampion-aliao@hotmail.com

Healthy pipelines Endeavour Magazine | 29

Some of these pumps are the Group’s own, sold under the ‘Dayliff’ brand, whilst others are supplied by one of two major names, both of whom the Group has a long-standing relationship with. The first is Grundfos, one of the world’s largest pump industry players, and who Davis & Shirtliff have been supplied by for over 50 years. The second is Pedrollo, an Italian manufacturer of quality domestic and commercial pumps, with whom the Group has delt for 25 years.

depend on the company for their essential water supplies. It is no surprise then, that early operations for the company largely involved work with the agricultural sector and local water supplies. These areas had a growing demand at the time and are still key elements now. From here, the company moved on to expand into water pump supply, and this has remained a key area of the Group’s operations ever since. To this day, the company and Group offers a wide range of pumps for all applications, including those suitable for drinking water through to swimming pools.

Davis & Shirtliff 30 | Endeavour Magazine

Another, in fact possibly one of the most important technological advances for Davis & Shirtliff, has been its move into solar

However, these products are not the entirety of the Group’s activities. As a part of its journey of growth, the Group further expanded their business by branching out into water treatment. This is now a major activity that continues to be a focus for the team, with a move taking place to look into hightech water treatment techniques such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis.

One of their earliest and still most important activities is the supply of a wide range of borehole equipment. In this area, the Group is the leading supplier in the region, boreholes being one of East Africa’s most important sources of water, explained, “there isn’t much surface water and there isn’t much rain, but there is ground water, and our equipment is used in many thousands of sites that capitalizes on this important resource”.

a business of Cassava Technologies

Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies, is a pan-African technology group that has established itself as the continent’s leading digital infrastructure provider. Through our partnerships with leading global players, we are redefining Network, Cloud, and Cyber Security offering in Africa. Liquid is a full one-stop shop providing tailor-made digital solutions to businesses in the public and private sectors across the continent.

www liquid.tech AFRICA’S DIGITAL FUTURE

Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies, is a pan-African technology group that has established itself as the continent’s leading digital infrastructure provider. Through our partnerships with leading global players, we are redefining Network, Cloud, and Cyber Security offering in Africa. Liquid is a full one-stop shop providing tailor-made digital solutions to businesses in the public and private sectors across the continent.

Africa’s digital future

Welcome to Liquid Intelligent Technologies

BUSINESS | CLOUD | CYBER SECURITY | HOME | LABS | NETWORKS | SATELLITE | SEA

Africa’s digital future

BUSINESS | CLOUD | CYBER SECURITY | HOME | LABS | NETWORKS | SATELLITE | SEA www liquid.tech AFRICA’S DIGITAL FUTURE

Another innovation has been the in-house development of a series of Apps, including the free to download D&S FLO, which details all Davis & Shirtliff products with their specifications and performance. Adding to this line-up, the Group is frequently approached by various suppliers with new products and ideas. These products are rigorously reviewed by a Product Committee that selects and introduces those with potential and keeps a regular flow of new product initiatives.

tested products with extensive warranties. To find out more about our company and products visit our website at www.globalwatersolutions.com Global Water Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd www.globalwatersolutions.com +27 011 918-9501 Find us on Facebook @globalwatersolutionsafrica Pressure tanks and water treatment solutionsQuatreauTouch™ • Delivers instant boiling, sparkling and chilled water • Easy-to-use, illuminated buttons with built-in safety feature • Stylish, compact design dispenses high volumes of water with low energy consumption • Stand alone system, ideal for drink or food prep areas in the kitchen, restaurant, lounge or o ce Purefer™ Jumbo Housing Water Filtration System • Rust-free aluminium bracket • High flow and low pressure drop • Large capacity filters for longer filter change-out intervals • Whole house filtration system suitable for well water, rainwater harvesting and municipal backup • Other sizes and configurations available Pressure Vessels Range Steel Tanks: • Diaphragm type – 2 litres to 450 litres: • Available in 10 bar Limited sizes to handle larger pressure ratings: • 2 to 100 litres available in 16 bar • 8, 24 and 100 litres available in 25 bar Conventional Bladder Type – 500 to 10,000 litres: • Available in 10, 16 and 25 bar Composite: • Diaphragm tank - 60 to 450 litres • Available in 8.6 bar Benefits of a GWS Diaphragm tank: • Maintenance-free • 5-year warranty 32 | Endeavour Magazine

Global Water Solutions’ broad product offering and innovative product development has secured a place in the market as the most comprehensive supplier of pressure tanks and water treatment products.

the movement and processing of water. Manufactured from

Davis &

Water and energy are two essential resources in any country or area, and this is certainly true for East Africa. Therefore, the field this Group works in will always be an important one, and one it contributes to with excellence, experience and expertise. Shirtliff

It has been over 70 years since Davis & Shirtliff went into operation, and in that time, a simple one-location operation in Kenya has ground into something vast. Not only this, but the Group has grown from being simply ‘one of the crowd’ to a known go-to for technology knowledge, standing out from its peers in its understanding of the equipment it supplies, both traditional and more cutting-edge.

Our core values include providing long-term benefits and taking care of the environment while remaining socially conscious when partnering with all communities we serve. The creation of adaptable, affordable solutions which meet the increasing need for safe and abundant drinking water enables us to focus on providing cutting-edge technologies for high-quality all rigorously

technology, specifically to power solutions in water heating, power generation and solar pumping. These technologies have been widely applied, including hundreds of solar pump installations in remote arid sites performed for organisations such as UNICEF, World Vision, Kenya Red Cross and the Ministries of Water, in countries including Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia and the DRC. As one can imagine, technology like this both transforms and saves lives. This new technology provides reliable water supplies in areas that were previously unable to access the power to support such infrastructure, and it is this sort of innovation that continues to place Davis & Shirtliff at the front of the industry in their region.

materials, we bring you value, and reliability on

our

Global Water Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd www.globalwatersolutions.com +27 011 918-9501 Find us on Facebook @globalwatersolutionsafrica Pressure tanks and water treatment solutions • Delivers instant boiling, sparkling and chilled water • Easy-to-use, illuminated buttons with built-in safety feature • Stylish, compact design dispenses high volumes of water with low energy consumption • Stand alone system, ideal for drink or food prep areas in the kitchen, restaurant, lounge or o ce Purefer™ Jumbo Housing Water Filtration System • Rust-free aluminium bracket • High flow and low pressure drop • Large capacity filters for longer filter change-out intervals • Whole house filtration system suitable for well water, rainwater harvesting and municipal backup • Other sizes and configurations available Pressure Vessels Range Steel Tanks: • Diaphragm type – 2 litres to 450 litres: • Available in 10 bar Limited sizes to handle larger pressure ratings: • 2 to 100 litres available in 16 bar • 8, 24 and 100 litres available in 25 bar Conventional Bladder Type – 500 to 10,000 litres: • Available in 10, 16 and 25 bar Composite: • Diaphragm tank - 60 to 450 litres • Available in 8.6 bar Benefits of a GWS Diaphragm tank: • Maintenance-free • 5-year warranty Global Water Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd www.globalwatersolutions.com +27 011 918-9501 Find us on Facebook @globalwatersolutionsafrica Pressure tanks and water treatment solutionsQuatreauTouch • Delivers instant boiling, sparkling and chilled water • Easy-to-use, illuminated buttons with built-in safety feature • Stylish, compact design dispenses high volumes of water with low energy consumption • Stand alone system, ideal for drink or food prep areas in the kitchen, restaurant, lounge or o ce Purefer™ Jumbo Housing Water Filtration System • Rust-free aluminium bracket • High flow and low pressure drop • Large capacity filters for longer filter change-out intervals • Whole house filtration system suitable for well water, rainwater harvesting and municipal backup • Other sizes and configurations available Pressure Vessels Range Steel Tanks: • Diaphragm type – 2 litres to 450 litres: • Available in 10 bar Limited sizes to handle larger pressure ratings: • 2 to 100 litres available in 16 bar • 8, 24 and 100 litres available in 25 bar Conventional Bladder Type – 500 to 10,000 litres: • Available in 10, 16 and 25 bar Composite: • Diaphragm tank - 60 to 450 litres • Available in 8.6 bar Benefits of a GWS Diaphragm tank: • Maintenance-free • 5-year warranty Global Water Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd www.globalwatersolutions.com +27 011 918-9501 Find us on Facebook @globalwatersolutionsafrica Pressure tanks and water treatment solutionsQuatreauTouch™ • Delivers instant boiling, sparkling and chilled water • Easy-to-use, illuminated buttons with built-in safety feature • Stylish, compact design dispenses high volumes of water with low energy consumption • Stand alone system, ideal for drink or food prep areas in the kitchen, restaurant, lounge or o ce Purefer™ Jumbo Housing Water Filtration System • Rust-free aluminium bracket • High flow and low pressure drop • Large capacity filters for longer filter change-out intervals • Whole house filtration system suitable for well water, rainwater harvesting and municipal backup • Other sizes and configurations available Pressure Vessels Range Steel Tanks: • Diaphragm type – 2 litres to 450 litres: • Available in 10 bar Limited sizes to handle larger pressure ratings: • 2 to 100 litres available in 16 bar • 8, 24 and 100 litres available in 25 bar Conventional Bladder Type – 500 to 10,000 litres: • Available in 10, 16 and 25 bar Composite: • Diaphragm tank - 60 to 450 litres • Available in 8.6 bar Benefits of a GWS Diaphragm tank: • Maintenance-free • 5-year warranty

MORE RwandaWELCOMETHANHospitalityAssociation chevron-square-right rha.rw phone-square +250 788304524 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

Rwanda is still regarded as a developing economy. Whilst the country has much to recommend itself, it has not been without its troubles, and both its economy and global image, not to mention its people, have suffered some major setbacks – particularly following the tragic events of 1994. However, refusing to let this tragedy in its history define it, the country has since grown and thrived, and its recovery and now rising tourism industry is a part of this turn-around. This sector shares the weight of Rwanda’s economic success along with its agriculture, which mostly consists of subsistence farming rather than overseas trade (with some exceptions, such as coffee and tea). This keeps the wheels turning internally, but it is tourism that brings in the external. It has also been pegged as an emerging tech hub within the continent of Africa, but for now, it is the growth to tourism that is snowballing and bringing in that overseas trade.

The Republic of Rwanda is a nation with a rich culture, beautiful land and a growing tourism trade. The sector started out small but is growing at an impressive rate, and is now the country’s biggest earner of outside capital. This makes it a sector of extreme importance to Rwanda, and thus, the efforts of the Rwanda Hospitality Association are critical. We took a look at this association to see how it is supporting its members and, through them, boosting the country and its growing economy.

Rwanda is well-connected with its global neighbours: it is a member of the United Nations, as well as the African Union, COMESA and the East African Community.

In addition to this, there is the stunning wildlife and its views, a vibrant culture of music and dance – particularly percussive – and there is also a strong tradition of arts and crafts, with the vibrant and striking imigongo art the most recognizable and iconic. The country has a young population, which has its downs as well as its ups, but one understandable ‘up’ is that sports are extremely popular throughout the country. Most popular are football, volleyball, basketball, cricket, cycling and athletics. As for food, the local cuisine includes a range of delicious meals using bananas, sweet potatoes, pulses, cassava and fish. The local drinks

It also has much in the way of culture and incredible local sights to make it an appealing tourism location: for one thing, and possibly its most exciting, it is possible to view mountain gorillas in the wild. Whilst many countries in Africa offer different safari possibilities, Rwanda is notably one of only two countries that allow travelers the chance to view these incredible creatures. Gorilla tracking permits are available at a high cost, to make sure that these animals are not over-visited, but with such a rare opportunity on the cards, holidaymakers are willing to pay the price.

Rwanda

Hospitality Association

More than welcome

include ikivuguto, a fermented milk or yoghurt that is commonly drunk, and particularly fortifying when at work or on the move. Whilst ‘fermented milk’ might sound odd to some ears, this writer was able to try an extremely similar drink in Mongolia and can verify that it is surprisingly tasty and undoubtedly more-ish. There is also a traditional local banana beer called ikigage.

Other related associations include the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association, the Rwanda Safari Guides Association, the Rwanda Association of Travel Agencies and the Rwanda Hospitality & Tourism Educators Association. All this puts RHA in context. Its story began in 2001: this was the year that the Chamber of Commerce (as it was known then) came together to form the general framework through which Rwanda’s private sector could have a back and forth with the government, particularly with a view to aligning with the government’s 2020 vision for the country.

Overall, there are many reasons to visit Rwanda, and it is the job of the country’s Chamber of Tourism both to promote this fact to the world, and to assist and guide the companies seeking to participate in and further this industry sector. The Rwanda Hospitality Association (RHA) is one of the six associations that make up this Chamber, which itself is one of the ten chambers that currently make up the Rwanda Private Sector Federation (previously the Rwanda Chamber of Commerce).

In response to this, members of the tourism industry came together to for the RHA, and by the following year, it had a modest membership of 10-20 members. From there, it grew. By 2012, it was granted the ability to represent members as a full national trade association: originally, it could only represent hotels, restaurants and bars, but not, this list was added to by resorts, holiday apartments, guest houses, eco lodges, game lodges, nightclubs and even coffee shops, and this is what it continues to do today. Many categories on that list are of great importance to Rwandan tourism – especially resorts and game lodges. Now, it can cover them all.

Currently chaired by Mr Nsengiyumva Barakabuye, the RHA describes its vision as being “to position as the advocate of all operators in Hospitality related

Rwanda Hospitality Association

These criteria change from category type to type: for example, for coffee shops, the pricing is instead determined by location and capacity. This is a fair way to make the RHA’s services available to all, from all levels of the industry: after all, it is the industry as a whole that needs support, and moving their interests forward together will help to better every element of the sector.

The only luxury hotel in Akagera National Park

www.mantiscollection.com/hotel/akagera-national-park-mantis-eco-lodge

This networking aspect can prove to be extremely beneficial in terms of building bonds and opening up new opportunities, as well as making companies more aware of the general market that they are a part of. Entry fees are staggered, so that businesses that offering higher-star services are charged more than those who offer cheaper services, to take their earnings and level of activity into account.

It is exciting to see the tourism industry on the rise for Rwanda. A stunning country with a vibrant and brilliant culture, a growing tourism trade will both bring more money into the country from overseas, which is always a great boon to an economy, and will also improve global awareness of this country and its unique qualities. Come for the gorillas, stay for the surprisingly tasty alcoholic milk!

businesses by being a key resource for reliable information and capacity building for the Hospitality & Tourism Industry in Rwanda.” Its mission, as it describes it, is to “represent the common interest of members in the Hospitality Industry through lobby for industry friendly legislation, promotion of quality products and services, offering value added member services, and to be the resource for industry information and education to our members, their employees, government, media, and all other interested parties.”

So what do members actually receive? As described, the RHA provides support for its members in the form of advocacy, and they can have their voice heard when it is being decided how and when the association will lobby for industry friendly legislation. It also boosts its members’ visibility by providing marketing for their business, both locally and internationally, and it provides platforms through which their members can interact with each other and other associated companies and groups.

PRZEWALSKI’S HORSE –THE LAST HORSEWILDI

The P-horse is notably shorter than a common horse, growing up to 1.5 meters in height and 2.4 meters in length. Though they are small and stocky, they still weigh in at approximately 300 kilograms. Their significant features include a thick neck and a disproportionately large head compared to their short legs. Their coat usually resembles a milky tea, and their short, upright mane similar to a zebra’s, resembles a 1970’s punk haircut.

40 | Endeavour Magazine

n Mongolia, a nation synonymous with the horse, a wild breed unrelated to the domestic horses we know and love runs wild across the central steppe and elsewhere throughout Asia and Eastern Europe. But it was not always this way.

For the last 30,000 years, humans have formed intricate relationships with the animals that cross our paths. For example, feeding scraps of food to wolves helped early humans avoid attack, and this soon led us to domesticating the dog. Farm animals such as cows, pigs and sheep all seem so timid to us now, but all of these once had wild ancestors roaming free across the planet. Another domesticated animal crucial to the progress of human society was the horse. Initially reared for meat by paleolithic ancestors, the horse was a crucial tool in logistics, war, and even entertainment such as racing. However, some horses were never tamed, and remain wild to this day.

The Przewalski horse, pronounced ‘shuh-val-skee’, also known at the ‘P-horse’ and by locals in Mongolia as ‘takhi’ (meaning worthy of worship), is a rare equine species that possesses many unique traits and is indeed worthy of praise.

Amazing World

Written by James Lapping

Nikolai Mikhailovich Przewalski was a member of the Russian army in the 19th Century and also an avid explorer and naturalist. In 1878, during an expedition across the central steppes of Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, Nikolai was presented with a skull and rawhide of the mysterious horse. Soon after this, he was able to spot the creature in the wild. When he returned home to St Petersburg, scientists named this previously uncategorized species has the Przewalski horse. The P-horse is significant for a variety of reasons. It remains the only truly wild horse. Though there are horses that run free across the Americas and the Australasian continents, these are in fact horses that were once domesticated and kept for a variety of reasons, but simply escaped from ranches and other forms of captivity. The P-horse has never been truly domesticated: attempts were made by the Botai culture 5000 years ago, but DNA shows that they were unsuccessful, and the P-horse remains truly wild. The P-horse also holds an incredibly unique trait of having 33 pairs of chromosomes. This evidence shows us that the P-horse a biologically different species and is not a descendant of domestic horses, nor are domestic horses the descendants of the P-horse. The domesticated horse only has 32 pairs of chromosomes, yet in defiance to biology, the P-horse and domestic horse can breed, and create healthy fertile offspring. This still baffles scientists to this day, and the discovery has completely changed scientists’ outlook on how breeding works.

They are majestic creatures, and this mystique has only been increased by how illusive they are. Throughout history, only sporadic accounts starting in the 1st Century have described witnessing or briefly encountering the P-horse in the wild. It was a whole 700 years after the first recorded evidence of P-horses that they were officially ‘discovered’, examined, and categorized by zoologists.

Endeavour Magazine | 41

Sadly, it was less than 100 years after their introduction in the scientific realm that P-horses were last seen in the wild. The last wild sighting of a P-horse was in 1969 and after that they became officially extinct in the wild. Breeding them out with domesticated horses is one of the reasons

Finally, in the 1990’s, Mongolia made successful attempts to reintroduce the P-horse into the wild throughout several national parks across the country. Gradually, the P-horse was also introduced back into the wild elsewhere in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

for their extinction, as well has a loss of habitat, harsh winter weather, and wars in the regions that they flourished. Though capture for zoos across the globe was also a factor of their decline, the P-horse was not fully extinct remained in captivity throughout the 70’s and 80’s.

Horses are a major part of Mongolian culture: children as young as three are taught to ride domestic varieties, and they don’t even start formal education until six! A mythical wind horse, a symbol for the soul, is also emblazoned on the national emblem of Mongolia, and horse symbols appear frequently in Mongolian art and carved into traditional instruments. They were a crucial part of building Genghis Khan’s empire that, to this day, is still the largest land mass empire in human history, and they legacy and value has remained in local cultures ever since. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the Mongolian name for the P-horse, takhi, means worthy of worship, and much of their traditional music and dance exists to honour the horse. Hopefully, now that they have been released back into the wild, they can be worshipped in a way that they truly deserve.

With the ongoing destruction of the planet through deforestation, fossil fuels and other means, the concept of re-wilding has never been more relevant. Despite being the indirect after-effect of a tragic disaster, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has now become a vibrant nature reserve. In 1998, 30 P-horses were introduced into this habitat, and as of 2022, this population has increased fivefold to 150 free-roaming horses. It is now believed that across the whole range of habitat they roam, there are now several hundred P-horses in the wild, and in the near future they will no longer be classified as an endangered species. There are still 2000 in captivity across numerous zoos and with time, more of these may be introduced back into other National Parks and free-roaming regions on the central steppes.

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The collection of animals for display purposes in zoos remains a double-edged sword. Whilst this is has driven some animals to extinction, it also plays a crucial role in the conservation of these species too. Other critically endangered and extinct animals have similar stories to the P-horse. European bison, Eurasian beavers, and North Carolina red wolves are all species that are recently facing the prospect of reemergence back into their natural habitats.

SAFEKenyaHARBOURSPortsAuthority chevron-square-right kpa.co.ke phone-square 254-41-2112999 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

What is now known as the New Port began coming into life in 1890, whilst Kenya was still under Imperial Britain (with independence gained much likes, in 1963). The transformation began not with the port itself, but with railways: between 1895 –1902, the Kenya-Uganda Railway was constructed, and to create enough space for this work, Kenya’s main port was moved from its current location to Kilindini Harbour in 1896. The first jetty built was used in aiding the railway construction work, and from there, the port grew and flourished into the trading hub it is today, boosted greatly by its strategic location between South Africa and the Gulf of Aden, and its use as an access point for many landlocked countries, thanks to this railway and road system that efficiently connects them.

Today, the Port of Mombasa is one of the largest and oldest surviving ports on the continent.

Located near Fort Jesus at Mombasa Old Town, this port was busy with dhows - traditional sailing boats common to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean regioncarrying trade between the East Coast of Africa and the Far East, including India and the Arabian Gulf.

Kenya Ports Authority

If you want to reach Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan, Somalia or Ethiopia, you will be docking at the Port of Mombasa. Its history began in the 18th century, in the early days of the Old Port, when Portuguese and Arabic traders came to the East African shores to exploit the spice and slave trades. Look ahead to 1890, after the emancipation of slaves, and Mombasa had earned a name in its own right as ‘the city of merchants’.

Whilst many countries in Africa hug the coast, many others are landlocked, and it is because of these landlocked neighbours that every major port for the continent carries a burden to responsibility to more than its own country. For this same reason, Port Authorities carry just as broad a burden: we took a look at the Kenya Port Authority (KPA) to see how it oversees its responsibilities to Kenya’s ports, both for the sake of Kenya and many of the trade routes that run through and beyond it, as well as connecting to 80 ports worldwide.

Kenya’s Port of Mombasa provides a gateway to East and Central Africa, and is one of the busiest ports along the East African coastline.

Established in January 1978 under an Act of Parliament, the Kenya Ports Authority was created and tasked with managing and operating the Port of Mombasa and all inland waterways, inland container deports, and of course, the scheduled seaports

46 | Endeavour Magazine

As KPA states; “The Port of Mombasa is the biggest asset in Mombasa County and is of great historical importance. It offers essential international maritime linkage for Kenya and the landlocked East and Central African countries, so it is important that we implement the right development programmes with the ultimate aim of making the Port of Mombasa among the best ports in the world.”

along Kenya’s coastline, including Lamu, Malindi, Kilifi, Mtwapa, Kiunga, Shimoni, Funzi and Vanga. Its tasks include keeping these ports modernised, running smoothly, invested in, and making sure that the teams operating them are both well-trained and fully supported.

The past decade and a half saw Kenya experience incredible annual GDP growth rates: in fact, by 2020, the country was the third largest economy in SubSaharan Africa, only coming in behind Nigeria and South Africa. As you can imagine, whilst fantastic for the nation, this led to a significant increase in traffic volumes and thus, an increasing strain on the facilities and infrastructure of Port of Mombasa, which were not originally designed to handle such heavy cargo traffic. Responding to this, KPA has overseen vast investments being continually made into the port: after all, this growth may provide challenges, but it is in itself a victory and opportunity, and KPA has done its part to make sure that Kenya can make the most of this opportunity. One of the many ways in which KPA has invested in its ports is through their IT. When one thinks of modernising ports, one might think of vast infrastructure projects, and these are certainly an element of it, but just as important is the far less visible digital sector, without which, the ports would not run as smoothly as they do: “KPA’s IT strategy is driven by its vision to achieve the Port of Mombasa a rating among the top 20 ports in the world in terms of reputation and performance. To achieve this, we have adopted a fullyintegrated IT strategy that encompasses enterprise resource planning systems, a water front system and community-based system, all available online.”

However, probably the KPA’s biggest undertaking at this time is the development of a whole new port. Intended to rival and even dwarf the Port of

In the name of efficiency, response time and customer satisfaction, the Port of Mombasa also offers a 24-hour service, thanks KPA. The Authority explains that this decision it “in order to ensure superior levels of service, and help ensure that KPA can keep handling more traffic, maintain better longstanding relationships with customers, and keep abreast of global shipping trends and.”

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KENYA EXPERTISE FOR SUSTAINABILITY Through our green line of services & solutions, we objectives.theirmeasure-privateorganizationsempower-bothandpublictoimplement,andachievesustainability � RESOURCES & PRODUCTION � CONSUMPTION & TRACEABILITY � BUILDINGS & INFRASTRUCTURE cars NEW MOBILITY � SOCIAL, ETHICS & GOVERNANCE � SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Nairobi Office: Delta Corner, Tower A, 5TH Floor, Along Waiyaki Way, Westlands P.O. Box 34378 – 00100, Nairobi Tel: +254 20 366 9000 Fax: +254 20 445 0565 Mombasa Office: 4th Floor Habour House, Moi Avenue Mombasa P.O. Box 41622 – 80100, Mombasa Tel: +254 41 231 4463 / +254 41 231 4022 contact.ken@bureauveritas.comwww.bureauveritas.ke Safe harbours Mombasa. The Port of Lamu’s first phase includes three deep water berths, all 18m deep, and the ability to handle ships with a deadweight capacity of up to 100,000 tonnes. This is only phase one, and the growth will continue onwards from there. The construction of this new port is planned in order to further boost Kenya’s status as one of East Africa’s transport and logistics hubs, as well as being the same for the Horn of Africa. These ambitions all fall in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030 – the government’s plans for the country’s economic growth, which fall under three main pillars: economic, social and political. The economic pillar’s main target areas are tourism, agriculture, wholesale/ retail trade, manufacturing, IT and financial services. This is the pillar under which the new port falls. The port is currently being built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), following the signing of an agreement with KPA back in August 2014 to complete the multi-billion-dollar project. The new seaport was originally expected to enter operation in 2020, but as with many projects, recent global events have seen the project slow. Once complete, this proposed port will form a key part of the country’s larger ‘Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor’ (LAPSSET) project.

Whilst the past couple of years have been difficult for everyone economically, Kenya still has a strong presence within East Africa, and only set to get stronger. With two major ports instead of one, in conjunction with a broader, country-strengthening 2030 Vision, the future is an exciting one for Kenya, full of trade opportunity and promise. For the KPA, the process of completing and opening this port will be an intensive one, vastly expanding its duties and further demonstrating the essential role it plays for Kenya as a whole.

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NERVESSTEELOF Malaysian Iron and Steel Industry Federation (MISIF) chevron-square-right misif.org.my phone-square 603-5513-3970 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

MISIF’s members also cast and die cast iron and steel. This range of represented companies means a degree of flexibility from MISIF, as well as a great amount of detail, sector knowledge and inclusivity in what information and services it provides. It must approach the industry not only from one angle, but as a whole entity, with an understanding of its supply-chain eco-system.

Every industry, in every country, needs an association to protect its aims and interests. Just as unions protect employees, associations guide, advocate for and aid the companies within the industries themselves, going between government bodies and the companies within the sector. They also go between the companies themselves, to assist in networking, cooperation and information sharing. This month, we took a look at MISIF, the association for the iron and steel industry in Malaysia.

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ith 136 member companies, MISIF is the national industry association for Malaysia’s manufacturers of iron and steel products, as well as companies that provide related products and services. Anyone involved in the process chain is welcome and provided for, from the providers of materials, machinery and equipment through to steel service centres.

As for manufacture itself, what is included under MISIF’s bracket? The manufacture of a base material leads to a broad umbrella, and MISIF does indeed cover it: its members can produce anything from raw and semi-finished products such as billets and slabs, or they can product fully engineered and fabricated products, with much room in between. Wire, pipes, sheets, cladding – the list goes on.

Malaysian Iron and Steel Industry Federation (MISIF)

According to the association’s own words, “MISIF’s primary mission is to assist and support members in carrying out their business efficiently and successfully. To achieve this, we undertake various strategic activities to ensure a progressive and conducive industry for the betterment of Malaysian iron and steel players.” Many of these activities were mandated by Malaysia’s government – some specifically, and some more generally, in that they were devised to answer MISIF’s overall mandates aim of providing industry support.

Perhaps the first that springs to mind when thinking about trade associations, MISIF of course acts as an advisory to the government on the industry’s behalf. When it comes to issues of policy, elected officials cannot be expected to be experts in every industry they will impact: instead, it falls to associations like MISIF to provide advice that is both accurate and yet also in its members’, and the country’s industry more broadly, interests. Critically, MISIF also safeguards its industry of interest by assisting in promoting and enforcing fair and lawful trade practices. Another area that is equally key is its role as mediator in trade disputes, and its efforts

Lastly, as well as its active training events or networking connections, MISIF helps its members by providing access to a wealth of data that they can use to inform their business decisions. This involvement seems passive, in that the information sits readily available for as and when its members may wish to view it. However, behind the scenes, this is an extremely active ongoing operation, requiring the collection and compilation of fresh, accurate data and its relevant analysis. What data do they cover? Again, it is a broad net, with data reporting on the steel industry as a whole, as well as the country’s economy (that’s a lot of data!) It also provides population statistics:

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YOURwww.accessworld.comRENEWABLEENERGYLOGISTICSPARTNER Premium brand in the mining and energy sector END-TO-END SOLUTIONS RELIABLE, STRATEGICALLY LOCATED WAREHOUSING SERVICES Equipped to handle large volumes WE ARE MORE THAN CAPABLE LEADING SERVICE PROVIDER FOR ALL MAJOR COMMODITY MARKETS We handle a diverse range of commodities COMMODITY SPECIALISTS to work towards resolutions in such situations that are best for all. Related to this, its provision of networking events is a key draw: with a mixture of physical and online events, MISIF brings members together with key industry stakeholders from both Malaysia and overseas, creating opportunities and connections that these companies may not have otherwise had access to. After all, whilst it does matter what you know, it does also matter who you know: MISIF looks to supporting both. These events can also double as educational: the association runs a number of training courses, both in person and online. Last year, for example, it ran an e-course on “Steel Metallurgy: Microstructure, Process & Properties”, and later this month, it will run a very important webinar to assist its members in understanding how to apply for a new tariff code that has been introduced. This sort of practical support can make all the difference, and in the day-to-day moments, this is probably the face of MISIF that its members see most keenly and clearly. That said, its work on their behalf continues in many other ways. As well as reaching inwards, it reaches outwards, promoting the Malaysian iron and steel industry both through global outreach, marketing and education, and also through the organization of trade expos and conferences.

Malaysian Iron and Steel Industry Federation (MISIF)

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between these three sets, companies can run predictions and make careful, well-informed decisions regarding their business practices. Then, there are other resources, such as press releases, policies and guidelines, and further affiliate links that have been tried and tested by MISIF and found to be both reliable and of use. These are groups that MISIF works and communicates with to further the needs of its members through negotiation, advocacy and cooperation, as well as information resources that it has deemed both essential and trustworthy.Unsurprisingly, these links include the World Steel Association, the international trade body for the iron and steel industry, with over 160 steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations and steel research institutes represented. Additionally, they include the South East Asia Iron & Steel Institute, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia, Malaysia’s Department of Statistics, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and, unsurprisingly, the Malaysia Steel Institute.

Like MISIF, many of these groups focus on the interests of this industry in their capacities. For example, the Malaysia Steel Institute describes itself as “promoting and developing the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the Malaysian iron and steel industry; providing advisory services and carrying out, commissioning or promoting the study of scientific, technological and economic aspects of iron and steel industry development in Malaysia”, as well as “promoting iron and steel product standardization and utilization within Malaysia.” This makes it a likely bedfellow for MISIF.

In fact, it is remarkable just how many groups feed into the provision for this industry. That said, it is an industry that is on the rise in the country, growing at a healthy rate and creating many jobs in the process, as well as contributing to notable GDP growth (6.5% in 2020). No wonder, then, that MISIF and its allies are working as hard as they can. As we see time and again, supporting an industry supports the country as a whole, and this is certainly proving true for the lives touched by roles within this growing sector.

THAT TASTECARIBBEANCBGroup chevron-square-right www.mycbgroup.com phone-square 1 876.924.6000 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

CB Group 58 | Endeavour Magazine

What speaks about a country and its people more clearly than its food? Its ingrediants, its flavours – food not only feeds people and an economy, but captures something of a culture. It’s an important part of people’s memories of home – it is nostalgic, quintessential, familiar. CB Group – Caribbean Broilers - know this well, and approach food with respect not only as a commodity, but for a part of the Caribbean itself.

CB Group was founded by Chairman Karl Hendrickson. Hendrickson loved food: he approached the company both as a fan of baking and a fan of farming - he knew how to produce the best products, and he loved to use them! Like most ventures, he started small, purchasing a poultry processing operation called Caribbean Broilers in the early 1980s. Over the next ten years, he worked to improve the business, streamlining the supply chain and modernising production through automation. With a Caribbean hatchery already in business to supply baby chicks, he opened Newport Mills to supply himself with better feed. Vertically integrated and running smoothly, a successful future was a sure thing. However, history had other plans, both for Hendrickson and for Jamaica at large. What happened in 1988 could have been the end of many businesses, but Caribbean Broilers not only rose from the ashes, but raised Jamaica up with them.

In September 1988, Jamaica was hit by Hurricane Gilbert – one of the most powerful storms recorded to date. In terms of wind speed, it even surpassed 2017’s Hurricane Maria, and with it came catastrophe for Jamaica. Once the storm had passed, not one farm was left standing. Between flood damage and sheer force, the crops were not only destroyed, but livestock was wiped out: the country’s agricultural sector was crippled, along with most other areas of island life. However, the country was resilient, and this included Hendrickson’s business. Rebuilding themselves better than they had been, the company saved no expense in choosing the best farming technology available. Such a costly investment would have seemed like a risk after such devastating loss, but they knew that to come back strong, they needed to come back swinging. This restoration resulted in the Caribbean’s first-ever tunnel ventilated, climate-controlled broiler house, proving a turning point not just for the company, but the local industry as a Fromwhole.that point onwards, the company has continued to innovate, invest, grow and diversify. In doing so, its affluence and influence has grown, and the CB Group have been able to involve themselves in more and more of Jamaica’s industries, supporting their regrowth. In particular, they made major investments in the pork, egg and

The Group also produces two ranges of eggs (Smart Eggs and Chippenham Eggs), and the “lean, clean and tender” Copperwood Pork. The Group even has a company dedicated solely to producing flavoursome Jamaican beef burgers, and they’re not doing things by halves. Using Jamaican pimento and real Jamaican Scotch Bonnet peppers, Bonafide Burgers’ patties are full of local taste. They can also boast that their products use no fill, no paste and no preservatives, promising a better quality, meatier burger.

50 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BREEDING, HATCHING AND GROWING • Producers of ISA Brown egg layer day old chicks and hatching eggs • Suppliers of White layer chicks and hatching eggs • Resellers of broiler chicks and hatching eggs PROUD SUPPLIERS OF ISA BROWN HATCHING EGGS TO CARIBBEAN BROILERS 18370 SW 232nd Street, Miami Florida 33170-5399, USA � 305.247.1070 / 305.248.5589 � info@morrishatchery.com � morrishatchery.com animal feed industries, with suppliers receiving steady business as well as hands-on assistance from CB’s resources. Today, the CB Group stands as a diversified agribusiness, covering three main markets: consumer foods, livestock & animal feeds, and crops.

CB see Bonafide Burgers as an important arm in their support of local agriculture, using beef

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It all began with chicken, and CB Chicken is still a local favourite that is offered in retail chains and wholesales island-wide. A staple meat in Jamaican cooking, CB Chicken has become the go-to brand for pan vendors across the island, so much so that it annually holds a PAN Competition attended by hundreds of vendors a year, and is spectated by thousands! These festivals are as popular and energetic as they are in touch with the soul of Jamaica. This sums up CB Foods, and the entirety of the CB Group, with their country’s enjoyment and wellbeing behind every decision as they develop their delicious and sustainable foods. Local flavour and high product quality is found in every aspect of CB’s companies and brands, as is their dedication to supporting and raising up local farmers. The brand Caribbean Passion produces ready-toeat deli products that use and celebrate local ingredients, their selection including extremely popular Christmas hams, sausages, and smoked and cured meats.

exclusively from local cattle farms, and only ever from grass-fed cows.

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However, for many, the Group’s real gamechanger is Bad Dawg Sausages. The “Bigga, Betta, Badda tasting sausage” is marketed as a meatier, more genuine-tasting alternative to the frankfurter, filled with richly flavoured ingredients and, like CB’s Bonafide Burgers, using no filler or paste. In the early days of the brand, Bad Dawgs were sold from independent cart operators. Each vendor ran their own business, empowered by CB and benefiting from the Group’s vast marketing resources. Like CB’s support of local farmers, this business model allowed many Jamaicans to work on their own terms.

As the company themselves have said: “At CB Group, we care about our people and that’s why, in everything that we do, we always put them first. Our

“Through everything we do, we want Jamaicans to live better by making not just safe and quality foods, but by making more healthy and convenient foods, by being more eco-friendly and by continuing to support our local farmers.” Another brand of CB’s supporting this campaign is Happy Foods, a range that currently only carries soups, but aims to eventually carry a whole range of healthy, wholesome meals hand-made from “homegrown” ingredients.Allofthese brands claim to teach and encourage top-quality, sustainable practises in their fields, as well as empowering local suppliers of these meats.

As the brand grew over its five years, its popularity soured to the extent that it has now worked its way into retail stores, although its cart vendors are still going strong!

“Without our contract growers, there simply is no CB Group. Quality foods start on the farm and it is the hard work, dedication and excellent farm management skills of these special people that make it possible for us to provide safe and quality foods for our country each and every day.” Almost all of CB Group’s contract farmers have completed their ISO, HACCP and GMP certification, and new growers are encouraged and enabled to do so when they start supplying the Group. This is important for upholding not only safety, but quality taste, and also empowers more and more farmers to develop their practises for the good of the country.

Bonafide Burgers only hit the shelves in summer 2017, as one of the many results of CB Foods’ ‘Live Better’ movement launched in February that year.

Much like CB’s meat brands, the Group’s feeds benefit from locally grown, fresh ingredients. Encouraging local crops is essential for Jamaica’s farmers. It’s shocking to know that, despite the country’s agricultural potential, Jamaica’s iconic scotch bonnet peppers are not all locally grown. In fact, in 2016, the country imported two million kg of these peppers. The country also imports the majority of its sweetcorn every year, as well as 85% of its onions.

(The only agricultural animal Nutramix don’t feed are horses, but CB has them covered as well with the Front Runner feed produced by Newport Mills Ltd!)

CB want to tackle this; much like their intervention to revive agriculture following Hurricane Gilbert, the Group are getting involved again, by creating the new brand ‘Homegrown’. This brand focuses on freshly picked Jamaican produce, including scotch bonnet peppers, sweet corn and onions!

Of course, it isn’t only people that CB want to see eating well. As true supporters of agriculture, they not only purchase local livestock – they help farmers to care for them, too. Nutramix, another of the Group’s many companies, are producers of healthy, natural feed for almost any kind of animal a farmer might keep. From livestock such as pigs, cows, rabbits, goats, sheep, poultry and fowl, they even provide feed for healthier, happier dogs. Farmers can rest easy knowing that Nutramix has taken all their animals’ needs into consideration, right down to their fourlegged helper.

For example, their sheep and goat feeds “are enriched with ammonium chloride, which helps to prevent urinary tract stones known as ‘stoppage of water’, a health concern for small ruminants,” whilst their poultry feeds will have birds “ready for market faster without compromising health.” Despite the latter’s promises, all of Nutramix’s feeds claim to be hormone-free, offering instead a healthier, more natural feed that has been carefully designed species by species to provide the greatest benefit.

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culture of hard work, passion and love for both our country and her people has been the cornerstone of the company’s success.”

Unsurprisingly at this point, the Group aren’t stopping there. As well as working to make Jamaican farming what it should be, CB are asking what it could be. “We have a passion for building Jamaica and we recognize the importance of the agricultural industry as a driver of the Jamaican economy. Imagination is the seed of success, and so we started Imagination Farms. At our agri-campus in St. Catherine, we’re investing in agricultural research and development. Here, we grow a variety of crops, exploring the ‘What If’ whilst developing sustainable best practices that can be applied by all local farmers.”

As if all of this involvement wasn’t enough, CB have found yet more ways to feed into Jamaica’s agriculture. On top of everything we’ve covered so far, they also provide extremely practical, hands-on help in the form of veterinary services: “Our expertise is honed by operating one of the largest and most sophisticated poultry and pig livestock grow-out operations in Jamaica, and our veterinarians also provide field support for our extensive network of contract farmers, feed and animal genetics

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From surviving disaster to developing a vertically integrated, mutually supportive industry chain, CB Group’s success is the clear result of wise investments and genuine hard work. In everything they do, they both benefit themselves, and their industry at large, and pull this off in an impressive number of fields! With so much agricultural expertise under one name, with every company able to assist and inform each other, Jamaica’s farmers can know that they are in safe hands when they turn to the CB Group – whether they are buying, selling or both.

That Caribbean taste customers.” These support services are available across the island, assisting not only with health concerns and site visits, but also by providing workshops and training to better inform and equip farmers for everything from general healthcare, to specific practises such as artificial insemination. they also facilitate the importation and distribution of veterinary medicines and supplies.

HOLDINGNamWaterWATER chevron-square-right www.namwater.com.na phone-square 264 61 71 0000 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

As NamWater explains: “Excess rain can cause floods that are difficult to manage and during droughts surface water is insufficient, resulting in water restrictions. Groundwater resources, a ‘hidden treasure’ underground, are more reliable, widespread and naturally protected against evaporation.” Not only is this resource of water there to supply a need, but extracting water in this way has a sustainable cycle of its own, as it is able to be turned to during dry periods, and then replenishes when it is unneeded during heavy rains. Finding this groundwater is not a simple case of tapping into the ground and finding a plentiful pool: whilst near the surface, it is stored in the pore spaces between sand grains and in voids of rocks.

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Of the rain that falls, around 83% evaporates, with a further 14% lost through transpiration, 2% joins rivers and 1% makes it underground. Water is scarce, and the handling and distribution of it must be done carefully and well. We took a look at the Namibia Water Corporation Ltd (NamWater), whose task it is to do just that.

It is this last group, and not NamWater itself, that supplies water to rural communities. That said, the water must first be produced.

NamWater was founded in December 1997 as a commercial entity (though one for whom the Government is the sole shareholder, and that aims to operate at cost recovery tariffs only) that supplies water in bulk to industries, municipalities and the Directorate of Water Supply and Sanitation coordination in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry.

Namibia’s relationship with water is a delicate and important one.

The country’s annual rainfall figures ranges from 550mm to 600mm in the far North to between 250mm to 300mm in the South. In the Kalahari Desert in the east, only between 50-250mm falls, and in the large coastal stretch from Oranjemund in the South to Kunene in the North-West, less than 50mm.

The country’s sources of water are border rivers, dams on ephemeral rivers, seawater desalination, recycled water, bore holding and ground water. Of these, ground water is a major source for Namibia, for whilst most sources rely on the inconsistent rainfall, this digs deep enough to find water that is not reliant on this. It is this resource collection that is one of NamWater’s points of focus.

Understandably, from those statistics, Namibia is the driest country south of the Sahara.

Over the past 100 years, more than 100,000 ground water boreholes have been drilled in Namibia, providing drinking water for communities and livestock as well as irrigation for crops, and even a resource to be used by industries and mines. This method of accessing water does not require

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Between the months of October to December, Namibia’s dams can lose anything between 20%-85% of their water held. Sea Desalination and water recycling, therefore, are two other important sources of water – or, they could be, given the right time and investment. When it comes to desalination plants – plants that will process sea-water and turn it from salt water to potable water, plans have been in place to construction these along Namibia’s Central Coast since 1996. As of yet, however, these plans have not come to fruition. Feasibility studies have been carried out to confirm the need for this project: the amount of potable water supplied by ground water resources is no longer enough to meet demand – and yet still, NamWater has not yet been able to carry out these plans it is eager to bring to life. In the meantime, however, NamWater still received potable water from a desalination plant owned by another entity - Arano Resources Namibia - and operated by another - Aveng Water Treatment Namibia. This source provides NamWater with 12 million cubic meters of water a year, which it in turn sells and distributes to mines and industrial companies. In-house, it has the short-term handling capacity of 20 million cubic meters a year, which over a longer-term capacity can be risen to 45 million cubic meters a year. This would be enough

an elaborate grid, meaning it can be utilised in remote areas, making a world of difference both to agriculture and the ease of survival. However, this water source relies on local conditions – namely, geological factors. This means such sources are not evenly distributed: in fact, there are only a few places with the favourable conditions needed for high volumes of groundwater – certainly for groundwater that can be sustainably extracted. However, it is fortunately uncommon for areas to have no groundwater at all. The country does of course have rivers, and also have a total of 18 dams constructed across the region. In total, Namibia holds five perennial rivers (rivers that come and go with the season) and about 20 well-defined, ephemeral rivers. These were built to collect rainfall, but with such high evaporation rates, there is only so far these can be relied on.

NamWater is involved in some groundbreaking work

When handling a precious resource and battling scarcity, recycle is essential. Currently, the progress in this area (at least when it comes to the re-use of dirtied ‘waste water) lags behind sea desalination, and certainly behind ground water use. That said, whilst it is small in scale, it is ahead in being forward-thinking!

The idea is still in the stage of being floated and explored, having taken off in 2013 following a talk on Water Reuse in Windhoek at the 9th International Water Association’s (IWA) conference. This event stressed and highlighted the point that ‘waste water’ was not a ‘waste product’, but rather reframed it as a reusable resource.

NamWater quotes Piet du Pisani, the strategic executive for Infrastructure Water Technical Services at the City of Windhoek, as having described the situation thusly: “Windhoek is a living example that even the top mode of reuse, potable reuse, is feasible, practical and safe.” Today, Windhoek is now one of the only places in the world where sewage effluent is directly treated into potable water!

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All this is not to say that Namibia had never explored water recycling before – whilst it is has only recently begun this remarkable charge into re-using waste water, it has been reusing potable water for the past 45 years! This in fact makes the country an early innovator in this area, as testified to by the existence of the Goreangab Reclamation Plant, which supplies drinking water to the country’s busy capital city.

It is said that the government intends to make substantial investments in the long-term development of in water infrastructure of Namibia, and has also commissioned a study to conduct an Engineering and Environmental assessment of all options for the augmentation of water supply for Central Areas of Namibia and for the four Northern Regions. All in all, it is an exciting period for Namibia’s water solutions – solutions that it very much needs, and that it as a country is committed to finding.

to meet the Erongo regions’ water demands, but currently, exceeds the amount NamWater receives to distribute.

³ specifications and high quality demands. Our product portfolio includes not Only Solar PV Systems, Grid-tied and Island Solutions. But also Solar Water heating, Supercapacitor and LIthum Iron Battery solutions, UPS solutions, Water Pumping And water bulk Storage Solutions, as well as Backup Generators as part of Solar off-grid solutions. For more information on our Wide Product range and Solutions, please visit our Website: www.nec-namibia.com or Contact us on NECpp@nec-namibia.com ³ Endeavour Magazine | 69

URBAN,KeppelMARINEGREEN,Corporation chevron-square-right www.kepcorp.com phone-square 65 6270 6666 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

Keppel Corporation

It was not long after its foundation that Keppel Corporation began grow. In the early 1970s, it expanded into offshoring rigging and acquiring Far East Shipbuilding Industries Limited (FESL), followed by Singmarine Shipyard, and in 1975, it first spread its reach beyond Singapore by establishing the Keppel Philippines Shipyard in Batangas. In 1980, it was listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, and through that decade, it continued to expand despite challenges that occurred in the shipping industries at the time. Then, in the 1990s, the company made the extremely ‘1990s’ move of entering the banking and finance services, and later that decade, in telecommunications. By the time we entered the new millennium, its operations were wide-spread, for better and for worse. Responding to such, the corporation re-organised itself, streamlining its

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“We provide solutions for sustainable urbanisation,” Keppel claims, “focusing on four key areas: energy & environment, urban development, connectivity and asset management. With sustainability at the core of our strategy, we harness the strengths and expertise of our business units to develop, operate and maintain real assets, which provide diverse solutions that are good for the planet, for people and for the Company.” These are commendable aims, but how does Keppel tackle achieving them? These four areas are all key, but we focused on the energy itself. After all, as Keppel said, it is a critical part, and where all the rest begins. First, though, we took a look backwards, and where Keppel’s story began. “At Keppel,” the company shares, “We are shaping a brighter better future, driven by a common purpose to provide solutions for sustainable urbanisation as one integrated business.” These are fantastic ideals and an ambitious mission, but when it all began, Keppel’s dreams were nowhere near this scale. Rather, created by the Port of Singapore Authority in 1968, it was simply a small ship repair yard, with no call to purpose besides precisely that. Whilst the company itself has changed greatly, it has kept the same name since this time – a name derived not from a founder, but from Captain Henry Keppel (1809 - 1904), a British ship captain who discovered the natural ater harbour at Tanjong Pagar – today known as Keppel Bay.

As Keppel states, and no-one is likely to argue against, “energy is critical for urban development and growth.” Without reliable access to power, an area can only develop so far, and yet, addressing this need in a sustainable manner is equally critical, if we’re to look after our planet at the same time as developing in an urban direction. The two have been seen as at odds with each other, yet the industrial sectors are finally focusing on creating a harmony between them: we took a look at Keppel Corporation, the Singaporean energy company, to see how it is addressing these dual needs.

PaxOcean Pertama Batam Yard PaxOcean Graha Batam Yard PaxOcean Tuas Singapore YardPaxOcean Zhoushan China Yard PaxOcean Nanindah Batam Yard BUILDING SUSTAINABLE MARITIME SOLUTIONS No. 1, Kim Seng Promenade #06-02, Singapore 237994 marketing@paxocean.com www.paxocean.com Urban, green, marine activities into four main divisions: Offshore & Marine, Property, Infrastructure and Investments. It wasn’t until more recently that its current mission came into focus. It was 2015 when Keppel’s first moves on the sustainability warpath were taken, embarking on what it now calls its “bold mission”. With a multi-business strategy in place, it would need a multi-pronged approach to bring these various areas into a sustainable space. In part, then the early steps included the simplifying of the Group’s structure, allowing for easier communication and collaboration across business verticals, in doing so reducing both wasted time and effort, and also reducing waste. This process continued through 2015-2019, with some subsidiaries privatised and others reformed and incorporated into other entities in the Group. But with all this in place, what of its energy activities? Make no mistake – whilst it is pushing forwards on the green front, oil and gas is still a part of its portfolio. In fact, Pelle is one of the world’s leading providers of offshore services for the oil and gas sector. Through repair shipyards, construction PaxOcean owns and operates 5 shipyards located in Singapore, China and Indonesia.

Leveraging our core competencies and technical know-how, we offer an integrated suite of services covering newbuilding, module fabrication, green recycling, repairs and conversion of conventional and renewable energy assets.Endeavour

The Group provides end-to-end engineering services supporting the complete life cycle of maritime and offshore assets.

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Keppel is not just ambling in the green energy direction, but pushing itself that way. By the end of 2025, Keppel aims to have 3GW of renewable energy installed, as a part of its longer-term aim of 7GW by 2030. To achieve this, it is looking primary at utilityscale wind projects, as well as commercial and industrial solar, with installed capacities of above 50 megawatts. Sensibly, as a company well-versed in all things aqua, it is also looking into the possibility of becoming involved with run-of-river hydroelectric projects.

It is, however, their renewable energy efforts that the company is most proud of. “At Keppel, we support the safe and efficient harvesting of energy sources to power ships and cities alike.” The world is shifting in this direction, and Keppel is moving eagerly with it. “With growing global focus on energy security and climate change mitigation, we are pursuing opportunities in renewables to augment our range of competitive energy solutions.”

Many of its skills in offshore and ship work were transferable from fossil fuel energy to renewable, but in other regards, Keppel’s KRE division has needed to learn all-new expertise, such as photovoltaic plant design or wind farm micro siting. When it comes to project management, material procurement and heavy marine construction, however, it has a long history of certainty behind it.

Keppel Offshore & Marine has also designed and developed a series of drilling rigs to cope with harsher, deeper and higher-pressure environments, such as the DSSTM semisubmersible, which it has delivered 25 of since the new millennium.

A division of Keppel Offshore & Marine, this push is headed by Keppel Renewable Energy. With much transferable knowledge from its oil and gas and shipyard repair origins, the Group is involved in the infrastructure that supports renewable energy efforts, both solar and wind power. Certain designs in this area of expertise have put the company well and truly on the sector’s map: the KFELS B Class jackup rig design, for example, earned Keppel the statue of being the world’s largest builder of such rigs. Since its launch in 2000, the company have delivered 60 such rigs, including for the renewable sector.

“Developed in-house, this popular rig design is known in the industry for its reliability and superior performance. Through R&D, innovation and technology, we are developing rigs of the future utilising ‘digital twins’ to optimise performance; building smarter rigs using sensing technology; and leveraging drones to provide mission-critical aftermarket services and preventive maintenance.”

Fascinatingly, the company is also turning its offshore knowledge towards new purposes, such as floating data centres, floating desalination plants and offshore substations for wind farms.

“We will do our part to combat climate change,” says Keppel, “And are committed to resource efficiency and reducing our environmental impact. We will avoid highly pollutive businesses such as coal-fired plants, and will emphasize renewables and cleaner energy such as gas, and channel our engineering capabilities as a solutions provider to contribute to the fight against climate change. We have set targets to reduce waste, water and carbon emissions intensity, and to invest in renewable energyThey’regeneration.”powerful aims, and it’s heartening to see companies rooted in the energy sectors taking this view and forming these targets. Let’s hope that Keppel continues as it is setting out, and that many other-such companies are inspired to follow in its footsteps.

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capabilities and design services, the company may not be drilling oil and gas, but it is actively involved in fortifying this industry. However, inefficient ships make for dirtier operations – efficiently, cleanly repaired vessels are far better to have out there than the alternative, and Keppel are working to make sure that’s the case.

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HALF A CENTURY Trinidad & Tobago National Petroleum Marketing Company chevron-square-right www.np.co.tt phone-square (868) 625-1364-8 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

Trinidad & Tobago National Petroleum Marketing Company

hat said, these companies – those who do focus solely on the diverse uses of petroleum, oil and gas, and those with even more diverse portfolios that seek to engage with the green energy shift – all still need representation. That’s where the Trinidad and Tobago National Petroleum Marketing Company (NP) comes in: we took a closer look at it as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Incorporated back in 1972, NP was formed by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago back when the face of heavy industries was very different. Created using assets bought from what was then BP Caribbean Ltd, the incorporation was the beginning of a program of serious investment and development, and after buying 50% of the inland assets of ESSO and enveloping them in 1973, growth really started to happen.

“In 1976, NP became the sole distributor of petroleum fuels in T&T, having acquired the marketing assets of Trinidad and Tobago Oil Company (formerly Shell Trinidad Ltd), and the following year the local marketing assets of Texaco Trinidad Ltd,” the company, which is fully owned by the Trinidadian government, told us. NP was and is snapping up as many assets as possible, but in a display of respect for the brands being incorporated, blanket marketing hasn’t been adopted. For example, under license, NP continued to produce a range of lubricants after acquiring Shell Trinidad Ltd, right up to the point where the National Petroleum Brand of lubricants was launched in 1981. Even so, the word ‘monopoly’ springs to mind.

Celebrating 50 years in business brings to mind ideas of longevity – interesting ideas in an industry that is showing such stubborn sticking power, and yet which still finds itself in a shifting world of change. Happily, not even all companies with ‘petroleum’ in the name focus exclusively on this commodity any more: the world is moving towards clean energy, slowly but surely, and the petroleum industry is moving with it, diversifying to prepare for the future whilst continuing its traditional activities to maintain the present.

The question is, how have all of these asset acquisitions impacted on the range of products available to consumers? “NP continues to improve its product rating, keeping abreast of every significant technological advancement in the lubricants industry. Today, thanks to our rigorous pursuit of quality standards such as the service classification of American Petroleum Institute (API), the Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean markets are among the most advanced regions of the world.”

T

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So, monopoly of the market was never the driving force; it was a case of learning, improving and being able to diversify, safe in the knowledge that no standards were being negated in the pursuit of commercial success. This leads us neatly on to exactly what NP offers consumers on a day-to-day basis. Before we look at the array of products on

“Our mission is to provide a safe and reliable supply of quality petroleum products to customers in domestic and regional markets. Our vision is to be the preferred petroleum marketing company, leading in customer service, innovation, efficiency and profitability; emerging from domestic leader to competitive regional player.”

This is a local operation, run with the region, residents and quality in mind. Yes, if an opportunity to diversify into more international interests presented itself, NP would be ready and able to rise to the challenge, but there is no sense that the team is looking past the people that have made the company what it is today. It feels like a very natural and symbiotic arrangement; people need petroleum products, NP provides them, and everyone enjoys the relationship – but there’s more to NP than simple supply and demand.

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offer from NP, we need to reiterate the fact that it is the most diversified petroleum company within the English-speaking Caribbean, as it is such a key USP. After all, any company with enough investment could look to sell petroleum fuels, but it takes a deeper level of industry expertise to expand into other arenas:

“NP markets petroleum fuels, lubricating oils and greases, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and automotive specialty products. NP possesses the largest service station network in Trinidad and Tobago. From our blending plants come lubricating oils, greases, brake fluid and radiator coolants. We also deliver marine bunkering and aviation re-fueling at our facilities in both Trinidad and Tobago and in Dominica.”

NP really is a one-stop consumer satisfaction shop. Not only are the products developed and created to a staggering standard, there is also an extensive distribution network in place, ready to fulfil the needs of local people and businesses. This ties in beautifully with the company mission and vision statements:

Even the most simplistic of operations can identify what consumers want and need, but it takes

a

distributor for Chevron Process Oils

Half century a more innovative company to look for ways to meet commercial demand, whilst never compromising on the original core values. After all, trust, integrity and passion will never go out of style and can be the values that set companies apart, making the difference between a disappointment or a successful tender. Something else that certainly helps NP to stand out from competitors is the commitment to social responsibility:

“Over the years, NP has had an on-going commitment to the development of the people and culture of this country. However, among the many endeavours in which the company has been involved, we are particularly proud of the NP Music Literacy Programme, the goal of which is to provide an avenue where the youth in the Port of Spain area could focus on music literacy and personal development. We have been able to achieve these goals through the introduction of Level 1 music exams and formal life skills training by an external facilitator for these students.”

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With solid industry expertise and product understanding forming the foundation of the whole company, coupled with the extensive distribution channels in place, NP is certainly in an enviable position. Whatever your view on the industry, it seems unlikely that NP is going to veer from its core activities too far in the near future, given the leading position they have established for it.

Authorized

POWERING A SaudiKINGDOMElectricityCompany chevron-square-right www.se.com.sa phone-square 920 000 222 Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

Why does an already centralised national monopoly need a separate entity to oversee power transmission? As you may already be thinking, a monopoly over an essential resource or service often, if not always, comes with its hiccups and issues, not least because a lack of competition can lead to a lack of innovation. Saudi Arabia considered the same risk: therefore, in 2009, only 9 years after SEC was formed, the government floated the idea of splitting the company into four competing parts. The last time progress was made towards this plan, however, was back in 2014, when advisors were supposedly hired to assist in consulting over the breaking up of the company. Since then, SEC has continued on as it was formed, as a single entity, though still benefitting from the National Grid subsidiary to shoulder the task of power transmission.

Saudi Electricity Company

The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has enjoyed the privilege of having a monopoly over the country’s electricity sector for the past 22 years. Founded in May 2000 by an order from the Council of Ministers, it was pulled together through a merger of existing regional electricity companies from across Saudi Arabia, turning them into one joint-stock company in order to centralise the Kingdom’s electricity supply. In total, this entity now holds 45 power generation plants across the country, and is responsible not only for their power generation, but also for its transmission and distribution thereafter. Today, this essential element within the process chain falls to the company’s subsidiary, the SA National Grid, which was established in 2012.2.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the second-largest producer of oil in the world. As such, it is no wonder that its state-sanctioned, single electrical company goes by the mission slogan: “We power the Kingdom that energizes the world”. We took a look at the Saudi Electricity Company to see how this power company operates in a highdemand sector, and what exactly its operations cover and entail.

Government-founded, SEC is not 100% government-owned, though 81.24% is still a high proportion. This ownership is mostly direct (74.31%), but also involves indirect ownership via Saudi Aramco (6.93%). With a revenue of $18.3 billion in 2020, who holds this ownership is of definite significance, as these are no insignificant sums of money. With figures like that, it is no surprise that the previous year, in 2019, Forbes ranked SEC as the fifth-largest company in KSA (as well as the 578th worldwide).

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For example, in 2015, Taqnia Energy and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) agreed with to collaborate with SEC to build and operate the first standalone solar power station in the country – an incredible step forwards towards green investment from a country well-known for its reliance on nongreen solutions.

As we all know, electricity will always be a profitable business, as the demand is always high, and our ways of life have made seem far more essential that it would be with different lifestyles. This rising demand in many ways places SEC in a highly comfortable position, but the flip-side of this is that it comes with a rising need to deliver results. To this end, the SEC plans to expand its power generation capacity from 60 GW to 91 GW soon, including a divergence into renewable energy solutions to add to capacity.

SEC is headquartered in Al Aridh, Riyadh, and currently chaired by H.E Dr Khaled bin Saleh Al Sultan; Vice Chaired by H.E Dr Najm bin Abdullah Al-Zaid. As for the National Grid SA Company, this subsidiary’s acting CEO is currently Waleed Abdullah A Alsaadi. Besides the National Grid, the company’s other two main subsidiaries at the Dawiyat Integrated Telecommunications and Information Technology Company and the Saudi Electricity for Projects Development Company. Established in 2015, the Projects Development Company focuses on managing construction projects within the power sector, including the design and procurement stages. As for Dawiyat, this telecoms company is 100% owned by SEC, and has the aim in the near future to invest in and install 71,000km worth of optic fibre systems, which would allow it to reach homes in 13,000 villages, hamlets and borders that do not currently enjoy this service. This aim is in response both to the Kingdom Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020.

“The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) is the biggest Power Utility in Middle East and Asia: its cables and accessories consumptions are surpassing all GCC Power Utilities requirements combined!

Even moving away from these subsidiary company, within SEC itself, the company’s operations are still varied. In 2017, it formed a Localization Department to focus on the support of locally made products that support the electricity industry. This, again, was a decision made by the Council of Ministers, and again is in response to both the Kingdom Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020. Its role involves short-term goals such as job creation, technology transfer, capacity enhancement and an increase of local content, with longer-term goals of strengthening local manufacture and production. Meanwhile, it also has many other sectors, all with their points of focus. The Contracting Sector is dedicated to providing SEC’s business partners clear and risk-free contracts on time and at competitive costs, and by applying fair procurement practices. This leads on to SEC’s procurement department, which focuses on building strong relationships with these suppliers – particularly as the Localization Department is working to aid in their local Development and growth.

In 2015, in Saudi Arabia, the main technology used for joints was the Heat-Shrink along with the premoulded type. Since then, the Nexans team has managed to get approval and introduced state-of-the-art accessories, like shear bolt ferrules and lugs and hybrid joints, to contribute in enhancing the Saudi Grid.

Nexans’ business with SEC will continue to grow, as well as our commitment to support all stakeholders of SEC.”

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We could go on, but the point is that SEC is a manyfacetted and (forgive the pun) well-oiled machine, and one with a great weight of responsibility on its shoulders. When a company is the only one providing an essential service, it must make sure to do so flawlessly well, and it is to this end that SEC seems set both on capacity expansion and also on making sure that it is built of so many self-driving divisions and compartments. Founded with the new millennium, SEC is still only 20 years old, but this has been plenty of time to see the face of electricity shift. With some small forays into renewable energy taking place, one can hope that this trend will continue, and that there will be an ever-greener source of energy to power one of the nations that ‘energise the world’.

Saudi Electricity Company

Ehab ClusterASHRAFSalesManager

Middle-East & Asia Nexans

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For over a century, Nexans has played a crucial role in the electrification of the planet. With around 25,000 people in 42 countries, the Group generated €6.1 billion in 2021 and pledged to contribute to carbon neutrality by Nexans’2030.

Power Accessories activity is the leading European innovator, manufacturer and distributor of low, medium and high voltage accessories, as well as connection technology for energy transmission and distribution networks. You can find Nexans wherever electricity is conducted through cables and wires. Wherever cables are connected, or energy transmission and distribution is required. Wherever safety and quality have priority. Nexans. Electrify the future.

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