Category: Business

The 150,000 sqm facility will establish operations for storage and distribution of heavy machinery and industrial equipment in KEZAD – Abu Dhabi

 

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Feb 26: Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi – KEZAD Group, one of the largest operators of integrated and purpose-built economic zones in the region and Galadari Brothers’ Heavy Equipment Division have signed a 50-year land lease agreement for the establishment of a state-of-the-art facility in KEZAD A (KEZAD Al Ma’mourah).

 

Galadari is investing AED 75 million in the proposed 150,000 sqm facility that will establish operations for storage and distribution of heavy machinery and industrial equipment in the region. The group’s Heavy Equipment Division is a leading dealer and distributor of commercial vehicles and specialised construction machinery from international brands in the UAE. Headquartered in Dubai, Galadari Brothers is a diversified conglomerate with a legacy spanning more than 60 years and a presence across multiple sectors and international markets.

 

Since its inception more than four decades ago, the Heavy Equipment Division of Galadari has grown from being a single-product distributor to steadily build an expansive product portfolio constituting a wide range of construction equipment. The move to KEZAD comes as part of Galadari’s strategic plans to expand its business in the region, and its commitment to delivering excellence in services by joining a thriving economic zone with dedicated industrial clusters and practices.

 

Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, CEO, Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi – KEZAD Group said: “We welcome Galadari Brothers to KEZAD, and look forward to a fruitful partnership, as we support them in expanding their foothold in the region with our tailored services. By being in KEZAD, Galadari organically becomes an integral part of a cohesive industrial structure, designed for innovation, collaboration and delivery of outstanding services.

 

“As we continue on our growth path, we are hopeful that this association will be mutually beneficial for business – contributing to the growth of Galadari as well as the economic development of Abu Dhabi.”

 

Mohammed Galadari, Co-Chairman and Group CEO of Galadari Brothers said: “The establishment of this facility marks a significant step in advancing Galadari Brothers’ Heavy Equipment capabilities and scaling our operational infrastructure in the UAE. Located within KEZAD’s integrated industrial ecosystem, the facility enhances our ability to support large-scale projects while strengthening the logistics and supply chain networks that underpin regional growth. This investment reflects our long-term confidence in the UAE’s vision for economic diversification and industrial advancement while reinforcing our commitment to delivering the capacity, reliability, and expertise required to serve a rapidly evolving industrial landscape.”

All 558 townhouse plots snapped up in six months, underscoring strong demand for luxury residential land in Dubai

 

Dubai, UAE, Feb 26: The first phase of Keturah Ardh, Dubai’s first heritage-wellness integrated luxury community, has sold out, with all 558 luxury townhouse plots acquired in just six months for AED1 billion. 

fäm Properties, the exclusive master agency for master developer MAG Group, today confirmed the milestone, which reflects solid demand for premium residential land in Dubai, particularly freehold townhouse plots, one of the most limited and sought-after asset classes in the city’s luxury market. 

“The sellout speaks for itself,” said Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties. “Residential plots with approvals for luxury townhouses are among the scarcest product types in Dubai, and buyers and investors responded accordingly.” 

“True heritage-wellness communities are rare, and over the past four years, this segment has consistently led the market in both performance and investor interest.” 

Located in the Al Rowaiyah First District, Keturah Ardh brings together traditional Arabic architectural principles with a fully integrated modern wellness approach. The 558 luxury townhouse plots are spread across 93 meticulously planned clusters, and phase one was brought to market with attractive payment plans. 

The broader master plan blends Arabic heritage with advanced wellness concepts to create a self-contained lifestyle community. The name ‘Ardh,’ meaning ‘earth’ or ‘land’ in Arabic, reflects its ties to culture and nature. 

The project reflects MAG Group’s 45-year dedication to quality and innovation, with amenities including spa and sauna facilities, yoga and pilates areas, running and cycling tracks, and extensive green spaces. Mature landscaping includes trees sourced from Italy, Spain, Thailand, and Africa. 

Infrastructure is being delivered in Q1 2026, with construction starting in Q4 2026, and full completion expected by 2030. 

Keturah Ardh is the fourth major project in the Keturah luxury portfolio, following Keturah Reserve, Keturah Resort: The Ritz-Carlton Residences at Al Jaddaf, and Keturah Bahar.

Zomato and Blinkit Host Third Edition of ‘Powering Inclusive Growth’ Conference in Collaboration with Startup India and DPIIT – Puts Gig Economy’s Wellbeing and Inclusion at Centre Stage

New Delhi, Feb 26: Eternal companies, Zomato and Blinkit, in collaboration with Startup India, DPIIT, hosted the third edition of ‘Powering Inclusive Growth: Role of Platforms’ Conference in New Delhi. The conference brought together senior policymakers, leading platforms, civil society organizations, academic institutions and innovators who engaged in panel discussions around co-developing actionable pathways for strengthening the wellbeing of India’s platform workforce.

Notable dignitaries who attended the conference included Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, as Chief Guest, who delivered the keynote address. Dr. Shamika Ravi, Member, Economic Advisory Council to The Prime Minister, Ms. Manmeet Kaur Nanda, Additional Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, and Shri Randip Singh Jagpal, Whole Time Member (Law), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, joined as Guests of Honor and also addressed the gathering.

The Chief Guest for the Conference, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister, Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, commented,

“It is encouraging to see industry leaders, innovators and platforms come together to advance delivery worker wellbeing. Platform-based work has opened new avenues of opportunity for millions across the country. The responsibility now is to ensure that this growth is accompanied by robust safeguards and access to social security. While platforms continue to proactively invest in delivery worker wellbeing, such efforts will be strengthened further through constructive engagement and policy support. We encourage platforms to register themselves and their platform workers on the E-Shram portal and to proactively invest in the wellbeing of delivery workers.”

Guest of Honor, Ms. Manmeet Kaur Nanda, Additional Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities added,

“True inclusion is measured by economic empowerment, and accessibility must be its foundation, a universal design principle, never an afterthought. We are calling on all corporate organisations to commit to meaningful PwD hiring within the next one to two years and ensure real representation within their diversity goals. The inclusion gap must be closed across entire platforms and workplaces, and the department stands ready to support this effort. We commend Zomato and Blinkit for setting a strong benchmark, from rigorous skill assessments and accessible interfaces to onboarding single mothers, demonstrating what genuine commitment to worker wellbeing and inclusive growth looks like. Together, we can build a more equitable economy.”

The conference also witnessed an opening address by Aditya Mangla, CEO, Zomato and an address by Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Eternal.

Commenting on the Conference, Aditya Mangla, Chief Executive Officer, Zomato, said,

“Delivery partners are the backbone of the platform economy and of our businesses. Investing in their wellbeing is fundamental to our growth. The gig economy has created flexible, meaningful livelihood opportunities at scale. Ensuring financial security, healthcare access and long-term opportunity is essential to strengthening this model. That is the standard we are building toward.”

Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Eternal, said,

 “With every edition of this Conference, the dialogue has become more focused and action-oriented. In our third year, we chose to center the conversation on health, safety and financial inclusion, areas that directly shape the everyday realities of delivery partners. Sustained progress requires both innovation and collaboration and that’s what this platform aims to spark.”

The first panel, Advancing Diversity, Safety and Inclusion in Platform Work, dove into how elements like strengthened safety measures, improved urban mobility conditions, expanding skilling opportunities and tech-enabled safeguards will help further inclusion and wellbeing of platform workers.

The speakers included Rameesh Kailasam, Chief Executive Officer, IndiaTech.Org, Sooraj Nair, Head – Safety Operations (India and South Asia), Uber, Indrajit Chaudhuri, CEO and Country Director, Project Concern International India, Mitali Nikore, Founder & Chief Economist, Nikore Associates and Aruna Shankari, Chief Operating Officer, IRF.

The second panel, Increasing Access to Financial Inclusion and Social Security Benefits for Platform Workers, explored how tech-led solutions and simplified access can help deepen the reach of existing initiatives like access to insurance, pension instruments and government welfare programs for delivery workers.

The speakers included Mayank Dias, Advocate, Michael Dias & Associates and Moderator, FICCI Taskforce for Platform Aggregators, Sriram Iyer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, HDFC Pension Fund Management Limited, Bhavya Sharma, Senior Director – Corporate Communications and ESG, Urban Company, Aniket Doegar, Founder, Haqdarshak and Akshar Shah, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fixerra.

The Conference also saw the release of a White Paper on Enhancing Women’s Participation in Urban Last-Mile Logistics. It was developed by a consortium comprising Nikore Associates, the Udaiti Foundation and the Confederation of Indian Industry – Centre for Women’s Leadership (CII-CWL), with inputs from Zomato and Blinkit. The paper highlights the significant opportunity that the urban last-mile logistics sector presents in contributing to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, particularly the goal of increasing women’s workforce participation to 70 percent.

The third edition of the Conference hosted two Platform Worker Wellbeing Challenges, inviting startups to pitch innovations across:

1. Health and Safety Solutions and Financial Inclusion Challenge, covering safety, mobility, health and wellness and gender-sensitive design for delivery workers
2. Financial Inclusion and Upskilling Solutions Challenge, covering access to welfare schemes, insurance and pension coverage, affordable credit and financial literacy for delivery workers

Out of 47 applications received from across the country, six startups were shortlisted from each category and presented their solutions to a jury featuring Aditya Shrivastav, Head of Logistics, Zomato, Yogindra Samant, Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, International Labour Organization, Snovi Khanna, Social Impact, India, Krishna Thacker, Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Vikram Jain, Managing Director, FSG, Anish Mehendiratta, Director of Operations, Blinkit and Jyoti Prakash, Zomato Delivery Partner and Abhishek Kumar, Blinkit Delivery Partner.

Zomato and Blinkit have a number of initiatives in place to facilitate delivery partners’ access to benefits like OPD treatments of up to INR 5,000, medical insurance of up to INR 1 lakh and accidental insurance up to INR 10 lakhs. Women delivery partners have access to maternity insurance and two days of paid period rest days every month, with visibility on order locations between 7 PM and 5 AM.

Through Blinkit’s Doctor@Store program, delivery partners, in-store staff and their families can avail free consultations and prescribed medicines on-site, with close to 1 lakh consultations recorded since its launch in January 2026. On the financial side, partners have access to tools for creating fixed and recurring deposits, tax return filing support and the option to create pension retirement accounts under the gig-variant National Pension Scheme, all accessible through their respective delivery partner apps.

Eternal Limited:

Founded in 2008, Eternal is India’s largest new-age tech organization by market capitalization and the first tech company to join the prestigious BSE Sensex 30-share index. Driven by its mission of powering India’s changing lifestyles, Eternal’s line of businesses are spread across diverse verticals, including food delivery (Zomato), quick commerce (Blinkit), going-out offerings (District), and B2B supplies (Hyperpure).

Built in India for India, Eternal generates millions of direct and indirect earning opportunities, fueling growth and innovation across the nation.

Gurgaon, Feb 26: HomeEssentials, India’s fastest-growing D2C brands for home and kitchen essentials, has raised a 70Cr in Pre-Series B funding round. The round was led by 360 ONE Asset, with participation from their existing investor – India Quotient. The capital infusion will primarily be directed towards expanding the company’s omnichannel presence and deepening its product portfolio in kitchen and home improvement.

Founded in 2024 by brothers Tanishq Jain and Divyam Jain in Gwalior, HomeEssentials has rapidly disrupted the unorganized home products market. The brand was born from a simple insight: Indian homes deserve functional, aesthetic, and affordable solutions that go beyond basic utility. With a “design-first” approach to everyday items—from airtight storage to ergonomic loose furniture Home Essentials is bridging the gap between expensive luxury brands and unbranded utility items and aspires to become a destination for all things home and kitchen.

In just under two years since inception, the company has grown from a small-town operation to a nationwide brand, serving over a million customers. Alongside the rapid growth, the brand has maintained strong unit economics with a focus on profitability. The company is also rapidly increasing its offline presence and plans to have 20 stores by this year spread across the country.

Mr. Sumit Jain, Senior Fund Manager, 360 ONE Asset

“HomeEssentials is redefining a large fragmented category with aesthetic and functional products, and are creating a leading home and kitchen destination-play in India. Tanishq and Divyam have demonstrated exceptional execution skills, building a capital-efficient business that resonates deeply with the aspirational Indian consumer. We are excited to become partners in their scaling journey, as they build India’s most loved Home & Kitchen brand.”

Madhukar Sinha , Partner , India Quotient

We backed HomeEssentials early on as Tanishq and Divyam identified a clear gap in the Indian market for home utilities that seamlessly blend smart functionality with premium aesthetics at affordable price. Their rapid growth speaks for itself. We are excited to see them leverage this new round to expand their catalogue and reach millions more customers across the country

Tanishq Jain, Co-Founder & CEO of Home Essentials, shared his excitement, 

“At HomeEssentials, our vision is to become the ultimate destination for thoughtfully designed home and kitchen essentials. The strong response to our experiential stores validates our belief that customers seek products that are both highly functional and beautifully crafted. With the continued support of India Quotient and the backing of 360 ONE Asset in this phase of growth, this capital enables us to expand from a strong online presence into thoughtfully designed physical stores across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, accelerating our journey to build a nationwide retail footprint.”

Divyam Jain, Co-Founder & CMO, added 

“Winning D2C plays in India are ones that not only have a deep understanding of the young consumer’s aspirational needs but also strong control over supply chain backend, omnichannel presence and razor sharp product experience. We want to be not only India’s most loved Home and Kitchen brand, but also an operating organization at the cutting edge of performance and efficiency – 360 One Asset and India Quotient are great partners in our journey of excellence.”

Feb, 26: BIG FM, largest single brand radio network in India hosted the 4th edition of BIG Impact Awards Mumbai. Celebrating most inspiring entrepreneurs, business leaders and changemakers under one roof, the event was held at Sahara Star, Mumbai. The event was graced by Chief Guests Ashish Shelar, Minister of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra and Ritu Rajesh Tawde, Mayor of Mumbai who felicitated the winners with the prestigious BIG Impact Trophy.

In line with its philosophy of recognizing conventional excellence while celebrating progressive impact, BIG Impact Awards 2026 have redefined traditional benchmarks of achievement. Curated by BIG FM, the awards honor the indomitable spirit of Mumbai, felicitating leaders who have not only built successful enterprises but have also contributed meaningfully to the city’s growth and community development. Spanning across multiple categories including Auto, Real Estate & Allied, Hospitality, Health & Wellness, Education, Fashion, Lifestyle and more, the BIG Impact Awards highlighted stories of determination and excellence across sectors.

Adding to the glamour and energy of the evening, the ceremony also saw the presence of noted personalities from the Indian entertainment industry including Boman Irani, Esha Deol, Chitrangada Singh, Rajat Bedi, Shehnaaz Gill, Medha Rana, Ashnoor Kaur, Rithvik Dhanjani, Nandish Kumar Sandhu, Harman Baweja, Vishal Jethwa, Shiv Thakare and many more. The show was hosted by BIG FM RJs- RJ Dilip, RJ Vrajesh, RJ Rani and RJ Sahil, who set the tone of the event.

Marking the occasion, BIG FM also launched Season 5 of its flagship IP, Main Bhi Finance Minister, with a compelling panel discussion featuring distinguished voices from across industries. The panel included Nidarshana Gowani, Anupama Agrawal, Vanita Keswani, Soumini Sridhara and Heli Daruwala who shared their insights on financial empowerment and wealth creation.

Speaking of the occasion, Ashit Kukian, CEO, BIG FM, shared,

“BIG Impact Awards reflects what drives cities like Mumbai, the power to create meaningful change. It is truly inspiring to witness the spirit of entrepreneurship and impact that this platform celebrates. We are proud to honour the businesses and changemakers who continue to push boundaries, create opportunities and contribute to the city’s growth. I congratulate all the winners and look forward to strengthening this platform across more cities in the coming year.”

The event was co-powered by LIC Housing Finance, Mahindra and Mahindra, joining as a Drive-in Partner, along with other sponsors. With Mumbai setting the tone for the year, the BIG Impact Awards will soon expand their footprint internationally to Malaysia. In the coming months, the awards will also travel to key Indian cities, including Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Kolhapur, further strengthening BIG FM’s commitment to celebrating impact-driven entrepreneurship across the country.

The gathering is built on a singular premise, that Africa’s environmental challenges are, in fact, its greatest economic opportunities

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Feb 26– The Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES) 2026 opened its doors in Cape Town today, marking a pivotal moment in the continent’s economic trajectory. Convening a powerful coalition of policymakers, financiers and innovators, the summit signals a decisive shift from conceptual ambition to concrete, bankable action in the pursuit of a sustainable African future.

Under the banner of “From Ambition to Action: Scaling Opportunities in Africa’s Green and Blue Solutions,” AGES 2026, proudly sponsored by Sanlam Investments, is not merely a forum for discussion but a catalyst for deal-making and partnership. The gathering is built on a singular premise, that Africa’s environmental challenges are, in fact, its greatest economic opportunities.

“Ambition lights the path, but it does not pave it. To transform our economies and uplift our communities, we must move beyond rhetoric to robust execution,” said Lerato Mbele, Summit Moderator. “This summit is a marketplace of ideas where we connect visionaries with investors, ensuring that Africa’s green transition is not just sustainable, but also scalable and profitable.”

The strategic focus of this year’s agenda is underpinned by compelling data. The summit is shining a spotlight on the blue economy, a colossal yet often under-leveraged asset that already injects nearly $300 billion annually into the continent’s GDP and sustains 46 million livelihoods through fisheries, tourism and logistics. Simultaneously, the green economy, with agriculture and renewable energy at its core, is projected to unlock a staggering $10 trillion in global business value over the next decade, positioning Africa to generate an estimated 300 million new jobs for its burgeoning youth population.

These are not distant prospects, but immediate frontiers for investment and innovation.

Echoing this sentiment, the Honourable Naren Singh, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, addressed delegates with a call for holistic progress. “Our journey towards a low-carbon future must be defined by a fundamental truth: sustainability is a three-legged stool, balancing the health of our planet, the prosperity of our people and the creation of shared value,” he stated. “By investing in our natural capital, we are investing in the most resilient infrastructure of all our communities.”

Over the next two days, the summit floor will be a hive of activity. Attendees will engage in high-level interactive sessions, witness live project pitches from Africa’s most promising green entrepreneurs, and participate in curated networking forums designed to fast-track collaboration and knowledge transfer.

AGES 2026 is more than an event, it is a declaration that Africa is ready to build a future where economic resilience and environmental stewardship are the same.

Bengaluru, Feb 26: The Indian textile industry is witnessing a rapid shift toward digital printing as manufacturers seek shorter production cycles, greater design flexibility, consistent quality, and more sustainable processes.

Epson India today announced the installation of its 64-print head Monna Lisa 64000 digital textile printer at Priyadharshini Designs, Karur. This is the first installation of this printer in India with advanced pigment ink technology. This installation reinforces the growing adoption of high-capacity digital textile printing in the country.

Priyadharshini Designs, a renowned supplier to exporters in the home d?cor textile segment, is an existing Epson customer and has been successfully using the Monna Lisa 8000 for the past three years. Building on its experience with Epson’s print quality, consistency, operational efficiency and post-sales support, the company has now invested in the Monna Lisa 64000 to significantly enhance production capacity, improve turnaround times, and better serve growing demand.

Digital textile printing enables on-demand production, reduced water and chemical consumption, and faster response to global export markets, making it increasingly critical for home d?cor, fashion, and industrial textile segments. As a global innovator in digital textile printing, Epson is further strengthening this transformation with its Monna Lisa digital textile printers. The Epson Monna Lisa series is recognised for its exceptional colour precision, production reliability, and advanced pigment ink technology, enabling manufacturers to achieve industrial-scale productivity while advancing more sustainable, resource-efficient production.

“Our experience with the Monna Lisa 8000 gave us the confidence to invest in Monna Lisa 64000. The printer delivers consistent colour, reliable production, and the flexibility we need for export markets. With Epson’s strong product performance and post-sales support, we have enhanced efficiency and grown our business with confidence,” said Selvaraj Dhivakar, Owner, Priyadharshini Designs.

Epson Monna Lisa 64000 – Key Highlights

• Industrial-Scale Productivity: Designed for high-volume textile production
• PrecisionCore Printheads: High-speed printing with superior image clarity
• Advanced Pigment Ink Technology: Supports compliance with OEKO-TEX? Eco Passport, GOTS 7.0, and bluesign? standards
• Colour Consistency & Repeatability: Critical for export-oriented supply chains
• 10L Bag-in-Box Ink System: Hot-swap capability for uninterrupted production
• Automated Maintenance & Calibration: Built-in RGB camera and nozzle verification reduce downtime
• Remote Monitoring: Enabled via Epson Cloud Solution PORT
• Reduced Water & Chemical Usage: Supports more sustainable, resource-efficient textile production

“The installation of the Monna Lisa 64000 at Priyadharshini Designs further strengthens the structural shift toward digital textile printing that delivers both productivity and sustainability. At Epson, we are committed to supporting our customers with advanced technologies and end-to-end solutions that enable scalable, profitable growth for our customers,”

said Samba Moorthy, President, Epson India.

Epson further supports customers through process consultation, profiling expertise, and access to its Textile Solution Center in Bengaluru, helping manufacturers maximise performance and scale with confidence.

Cotonou, Feb 26 — Benin Tourism announces its participation in ITB Berlin, the leading trade show for the global travel and tourism industry, taking place March 3–5, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. Through this strategic presence, Benin aims to further strengthen its position as a forward-looking destination on the international stage by combining institutional visibility, industry engagement, market development of its tourism offering, and the promotion of its cultural identity. This participation builds on Benin’s recent presence at major international tourism events, following its participation in IFTM in Paris and FITUR in Madrid in recent months. It extends the country’s broader international outreach strategy to enhance Benin’s attractiveness, deepen relationships with travel industry stakeholders, and accelerate the commercialization of the destination across priority markets.

 ITB Berlin: A key international platform for promoting Destination Benin

ITB Berlin is a must-attend event for any destination seeking to build a lasting position on the global tourism stage. Since 1966, the show has established itself as the world’s leading platform for the travel industry, and the 2026 edition will be especially significant as it marks the event’s 60th anniversary, taking place March 3–5 in Berlin under the theme, “Discover the stories behind 60 years of legacy.” With its structure organized both geographically (by destination) and by market segment (including adventure tourism, business travel, luxury travel, medical tourism, travel technology, and more), ITB offers a unique environment for visibility, strategic intelligence, and business development. The scale of the event underscores its importance: the previous edition brought together more than 170 countries and territories, 5,800 exhibitors, and nearly 100,000 trade visitors. Benin’s participation in 2026 is the result of long-term planning: after attending last year as an observer, Benin Tourism returns this year with a fully structured pavilion, building on preparatory work launched in 2025.

 A delegation structured around experience and commercialization

 For the 2026 edition of ITB Berlin, Benin Tourism has chosen to work alongside partners that reflect the growing strength of Benin’s tourism ecosystem, bringing together complementary stakeholders from across the value chain. The Benin pavilion will feature Benin Tours S.A., which is being mobilized to support the commercialization of Destination Benin and the structuring of its tourism offering, with the goal of expanding distribution opportunities and partnerships with international travel professionals. Alongside it, Ouidah Golf Club will highlight Benin’s potential across leisure, experiential tourism, and hospitality segments, while Sofitel Cotonou Marina Hotel & Spa, a flagship property, will showcase the rising quality of the country’s hospitality infrastructure and its ambition in the high-end travel segment. Together, these partners reflect a clear objective: to present in Berlin a destination that is not only inspiring, but also market-ready, programmable, and well-positioned for integration into international tour operators’ catalogs and travel offerings.

A pavilion designed as a living showcase of Benin

 Beyond its institutional dimension and B2B engagement, the Benin pavilion will offer an immersive discovery experience designed to leave a lasting impression on visitors, spark the

interest of travel professionals, and embody the full richness of Beninese hospitality. A dedicated tasting area will be set up to introduce visitors to flavors and products from Benin as part of a sensory storytelling approach to the destination. This tasting experience will play a central role in telling Benin’s story, highlighting the quality of its products, the diversity of its culinary traditions, and the refinement of its culture of hospitality. The goal is to give visitors a tangible first encounter with Benin through an experience that engages the senses and creates lasting recall. Conceived as a space for exchange, discovery, and projection, the pavilion will bring together the cultural, tourism, and commercial dimensions of the destination within a scenographic concept aligned with Benin’s positioning.

 An artistic and cultural program at the heart of the pavilion’s identity

 Benin’s presence at ITB Berlin will be brought to life through an ambitious artistic and cultural program designed as a central driver of differentiation, visibility, and appeal. The program is intended to make the Benin pavilion a vibrant, recognizable space deeply rooted in the country’s cultural expressions.

 In this spirit, Pépit’Arts will play a major role in the pavilion’s artistic and musical programming through the presentation of FAADJI, a percussion-based creation presented in formats tailored to visitor flow and the trade show environment. This performance concept will establish a strong sonic and stage presence, creating an experience that is immediately distinctive and memorable.

The pavilion will also welcome Akonhoun Delidji, a cultural ensemble from Abomey renowned for its traditional dance performances, including Zinli and the Akonhoun dance. The sequences presented will highlight the expressive power, symbolic depth, and heritage significance of these dances, echoing the history of the Danxomè Kingdom and the imagery of strength, courage, and pride associated with the Amazons. Through this presence, Benin will deliver a powerful cultural performance that is identity-driven, visually striking, and fully aligned with the story it is bringing to the international stage.

 More broadly, these cultural performances will strengthen the identity of the Benin pavilion, showcase the country’s intangible cultural heritage, and affirm Beninese artistic creation as a core pillar of the national narrative presented in Berlin.

A clear objective: elevating and selling Destination Benin

 Through its participation in ITB Berlin, Benin Tourism is pursuing a clear ambition: to combine international visibility with the market development of the destination. The trade show will provide a strategic platform to engage with tour operators, travel agencies, key industry influencers, specialized media, and institutional partners, while presenting a tourism offer that is more clearly defined, more competitive, and more distinctive.

Benin’s participation in this major international event reflects a resolutely modern approach to destination promotion, one that goes beyond simply showcasing assets. It is an approach that builds connections, creates emotion, structures commercialization, and establishes a lasting brand image. By leveraging the complementarity between public and private stakeholders, and between hospitality, culture, and distribution, Benin is affirming its ambition to claim its full place in the global tourism conversation.

 Sindé CHEKETE, CEO of Benin Tourism, said: “Benin’s participation in ITB Berlin 2026 is part of a consistent strategy to strengthen our presence on the world’s leading tourism stages, following our participation in IFTM in Paris and FITUR in Madrid. It reflects our determination to steadily advance the visibility, credibility, and commercialization of Destination Benin. In

Berlin, we will present a structured tourism offering, supported by complementary stakeholders from across our ecosystem, and a pavilion designed as a space for engagement, experience, and forward-looking dialogue.”

NEW YORK, Feb 26 — Lightrun, a leader in software reliability, announced the industry’s first and only real-time AI SRE built on live, in-line runtime context. This allows AI agents and engineering teams to create missing evidence dynamically without redeployments, prove root causes with live execution data (“ground truth”), and validate fixes directly in live environments.

 The mass adoption of AI agents and coding assistants has accelerated code generation, outpacing reliability. This has shifted developer time from writing code to verifying and fixing issues, and moved the development bottleneck to runtime, where behavior is complex and often non-deterministic. As enterprises accelerate investment in AI-driven reliability and autonomous operations, this has created a market for AI SREs valued at billions of dollars.

 Despite this growth, most available ‘AI SRE’ tools are optimized for post-incident workflows and limited to relying on traditional, static telemetry that was already captured. When logs are missing, traces are incomplete, or execution context is unclear, teams are left to guess. Engineers are forced into long reactive cycles of redeploys, rollbacks, and manual validation.

 Lightrun’s AI SRE closes this gap by bringing live, code-level runtime context directly into the reliability loop. Lightrun has been recognized in the 2026 Gartner® Market Guide for AI Site Reliability Engineering Tooling.

 Instead of passively observing telemetry, the Lightrun AI SRE can safely interact with live systems via Lightrun’s patented Sandbox to create new evidence, test hypotheses, and validate outcomes against real execution behavior. This capability transforms AI SRE from a reactive post-incident advisor into a trusted, runtime-verified autonomous engineer that ensures reliability by design.

 Built on Lightrun’s Runtime Context engine, the AI SRE supports reliability across the entire SDLC, from proactive issue detection during development and testing (“peace time”) to autonomous investigation and remediation during live incidents (“war time”). It enables teams to understand how code truly behaves in runtime, close visibility gaps without redeploying, and resolve issues with confidence. Lightrun is designed for every team responsible for the behavior, reliability, or outcomes of running software.

 “Lightrun addresses a structural visibility gap in the emerging AI site reliability engineering workflows (SRE) market,” said Jim Mercer, Program Vice President, Software Development, DevOps, and DevSecOps at IDC. “By integrating dynamic instrumentation into SRE workflows, the company enables validation of root cause and remediation against live execution, reducing reliance on static, pre-instrumented telemetry and strengthening reliability across the software development lifecycle.”

 With Lightrun’s AI SRE, engineering and reliability teams benefit from:

●        Root cause analysis based on new evidence from live environments, without requiring prior instrumentation.

●        Runtime-validated code changes to eliminate guesswork and reduce rollback-and-redeploy cycles.

●        Live issue debugging in safe remote sessions with execution-level behavior inspections.

●        Dynamic telemetry to running systems to fill visibility gaps that traditional observability tools cannot address.

●        Reduced reliance on expensive war rooms, due to autonomous remediation and the ability to receive a code fix of incidents before escalating to a human.

●        Resilience to “unknown unknowns” introduced by multiple AI agents across the SDLC.

Zahi Kapeluto, AVP Engineering, AT&T, stated, “Modern, AI-driven software reliability depends on connecting telemetry to real execution context. Without understanding how code behaves in live environments, alerts and metrics alone don’t tell the full story. Lightrun helps our teams close that gap by exposing runtime behavior directly, enabling faster investigation and more confident remediation.”

 “AI cannot resolve what it cannot see. Lightrun’s runtime context engine allows AI to see application behavior at a single line level of granularity, which positions us to streamline remediation for any software issues in real-time,” added Ilan Peleg, CEO of Lightrun. “Trusted by Fortune 100 companies and the largest enterprises in the world, Lightrun is proud to lead the way in making self-healing software a reality.”

LONDON, United Kingdom, Feb 26 — Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies (www.CassavaTechnologies.com), has confirmed the full repayment of its ZAR term loan and USD revolving credit facility.

In tandem with this repayment, Liquid has agreed $410 million in new ZAR and USD credit facilities from a syndicate of commercial and development finance lenders. Cassava Technologies is further reinforcing Liquid’s financial position by injecting $195 million in fresh capital into the business.

Commenting on these developments, Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO stated: “These transactions, alongside the recent sale of a minority stake in a data centre subsidiary in South Africa, are part of a significant strengthening of our capital structure as we position the Group for accelerated growth. Through our One Cassava ecosystem, we are delivering innovative AI, cloud, data centre, payments, and low latency broadband connectivity solutions to enterprise customers across Africa.”

Africa Data Centre Holdings (“ADCH”) remains a wholly owned subsidiary of Cassava Technologies as the minority stake sale was in the ADCH South Africa business.

Looking ahead, Liquid intends to issue a new $300 million bond to replace its existing $620 million bond in advance of its maturity in September 2026. This move will reduce Liquid’s overall leverage and further strengthen the company’s balance sheet.