The high-profile event, which took place on Thursday, 7^th May 2026, at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economy, came as part of ongoing preparations for the upcoming IsDB Group Annual Meetings and Private Sector Forum (PSF 2026), scheduled to take place from 16 to 19 June 2026, under the high patronage of His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders, the Forum showcased IsDB Group services, activities, and initiatives across its 57 member countries, with particular emphasis on Azerbaijan. It highlighted the Group’s ongoing support for private sector development and its efforts to stimulate promising investment and trade opportunities in the Azerbaijani market.

The event also served as a unique opportunity, inviting the audience to participate actively in IsDB Group Annual Meetings and the Private Sector Forum (PSF 2026). The program included panel discussions and specialized workshops on ways to enhance economic partnerships and the role of IsDB Group’s institutions in supporting the needs of member countries. The spectra of services, solutions, and financial tools were also presented, including lines and modes of Islamic financing, trade finance, and trade development solutions, corporate private sector financing, as well as risk mitigation solutions, plus investment insurance and export credit insurance services.

Keynote speakers, in their speeches, underlined strong commitment to deepening engagement with the private sector and fostering meaningful partnerships that drive sustainable economic growth in light of the upcoming IsDB Group Annual Meetings in Baku, all to showcase integrated solutions especially in Islamic finance, trade, investment, and risk mitigation while working closely and collectively with private sector partners to unlock new opportunities, support innovation, and empower businesses contributing to inclusive and resilient development across IsDB Group member countries.

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The report captures insights from 115 government leaders, executives, and technology decision‑makers from around the world, offering a focused view of how public sector organisations are embracing artificial intelligence (AI), data, cybersecurity, and digital foundations while grappling with challenges around scale, skills, and governance.

As governments accelerate toward a more digital, data‑driven future, the research highlights a clear shift from tactical projects to enterprise‑wide transformation. While AI and cybersecurity remain high on the agenda, leaders are placing renewed emphasis on strengthening core digital foundations, including cloud platforms, enterprise systems, data management capabilities, workforce skills, and ecosystem partnerships, to build resilience and improve service delivery in an increasingly complex environment.

The findings underscore that ambition continues to outpace execution. Many public sector organisations are still constrained by fragmented data environments, organisational silos, legacy technology debt, and talent shortages, limiting their ability to scale pilots and convert innovation into sustained, measurable impact. In response, leading governments are sharpening their technology strategies, adopting citizen‑centric design principles, and forming trusted, outcome‑focused partnerships to accelerate execution, strengthen delivery confidence, and unlock long‑term public value and trust.

Nilachal Mishra – Partner and Head, Government and Public Services, KPMG in India, said, “India’s public sector stands at a critical juncture as it moves from digital implementation to intelligent, outcome-led transformation. While AI, data, and cloud provide the technological impetus, lasting impact will depend on three foundations: robust digital infrastructure, seamless institutional integration, and trusted cross-sector partnerships. By embedding citizen-centric design, responsible AI, and resilient operating models into the core of government, India can accelerate execution, enhance public trust, and deliver long-term value at scale“.

Key findings from the Global Tech Report 2026 – Government and Public Sector include:

• 89 per cent describe themselves as technology innovators or fast followers, signaling strong transformation intent
• 86 per cent believe managing AI agents will become an important workforce skill within the next five years, reinforcing the urgency of talent and capability transformation
• 64 per cent plan to increase investment in cybersecurity over the coming year, reflecting heightened risk and threat awareness
• 59 per cent expect to increase budgets for data and analytics, many by more than 10 per cent, to improve insight‑driven decision‑making
• 55 per cent say they are getting 40 per cent or more of their financial value from foundational and core tech
• 48 per cent of government respondents say they will be deploying AI use cases into production at scale within the next 12 months
• 43 per cent admit they are hitting roadblocks in scaling digital and AI initiatives across the enterprise
• 40 per cent anticipate spending more than 40 per cent of their technology budgets on maintaining legacy environments, highlighting the drag of technical debt

Taken together, the insights point to a government and public sector at a critical inflection point. Those organisations that invest in strong digital foundations, responsible and scalable AI, cyber resilience, and workforce capability—while maintaining a human‑centric, outcomes‑driven approach—will be best positioned to deliver trusted, resilient, and citizen‑focused services in the Intelligence Age.

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This milestone highlights a closely integrated development-to-submission model: Orbicular led the product development and technical program for this complex peptide, while OneSource supported the program as the CDMO partner, providing end-to-end manufacturing capabilities for the U.S. market filing. The collaboration is designed to ensure a reliable commercial supply from OneSource’s US-FDA-approved flagship site in Bangalore.

Neeraj Sharma, CEO & MD, OneSource Specialty Pharma Limited, speaking on the development, said: “We are pleased to announce that our partner Orbicular, along with its front-end partner (the ANDA holder), has received tentative approval for a generic version of Ozempic® (Semaglutide Injection). This milestone reflects Orbicular’s scientific expertise and OneSource’s COMO capabilities, supported by our US-FDA approved manufacturing site.”

OneSource continues to strengthen its position as a global CDMO partner for drug-device combinations, complex injectables, and specialty pharmaceutical products through strategic collaborations such as the one with Orbicular, where OneSource serves as the CDMO partner supporting manufacturing and commercial supply readiness.

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TOKYO: NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business, and technology services, announced an initiative to deliver NVIDIA-powered enterprise AI factories that drive innovation and operational excellence for organizations worldwide. NTT  DATA’s new enterprise AI factories provide full-stack, domain-specific solutions that integrate data, infrastructure, workflows, and governance to give organizations a repeatable and production-ready operating model for enterprise AI.

NTT DATA enterprise AI factories, powered by NVIDIA, are adaptive, intelligent, and automated ecosystems designed to help clients accelerate return on investment by scaling enterprise AI efficiently and managing the full AI lifecycle end to end. The company’s new enterprise AI factories integrate the NVIDIA AI infrastructure—combining GPU-accelerated computing and high-performance networking—with NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, including NVIDIA NIM microservices, to deliver high‑throughput, low‑latency AI that can be deployed consistently across cloud, data center, and edge environments. Through NTT DATA’s advanced solutions and services, this enables scalable model training, inference, and enterprise AI application development.

Building on NTT DATA’s end-to-end capabilities and deep industry expertise, the NVIDIA-powered enterprise AI factories are purpose-built to meet domain-specific requirements at industry scale. This enables organizations to drive faster innovation, optimize operations, enhance knowledge management, and support data-driven decision-making while reducing risk and time to value.

“Visionary enterprises are redesigning core workflows end to end with AI, and they need trusted partners working in unison to achieve transformative and measurable results,” saidAbhijit Dubey, CEO, NTT DATA, Inc. “By integrating NVIDIA technologies into our enterprise AI factories, we’re giving clients a powerful, standardized and secure environment to adopt agentic AI with measurable returns from the start.”

NTT DATA Real-World Deployments Demonstrate Measurable Impact

Early adopters are demonstrating how NTT DATA is deploying NVIDIA AI infrastructure to translate advanced AI capabilities into real-world, domain-specific impact. Examples include:

• Healthcare: A leading cancer-research hospital is working with NTT DATA and Dell to use NVIDIA HGX platforms for advanced radiology analysis and rapid model evaluation, supporting clinical research and diagnostic workflows.
• Automotive Manufacturing: A global automotive supplier partnered with NTT DATA to accelerate smart factory modernization using GPU as a Service powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure. This manufacturer reduced production setup time from months to days by validating workloads on bare metal and then scaling them via an AI-factory architecture.
• Technology Manufacturing: A U.S.-based advanced manufacturing company is working with NTT DATA to virtually validate a next-generation battery production line using NVIDIA-accelerated simulation and 3D visualization. Modeling material flow, automation logic, and production scenarios before physical deployment reduces commissioning risk, improves throughput, and establishes a scalable foundation for future digital factory expansion.

NTT DATA Integrates NVIDIA NeMo and NIM Microservices

NTT DATA has also expanded NTT DATA AI solutions by integrating NVIDIA NeMo, a modular software suite for building, customizing, and managing enterprise-scale agentic AI systems on GPU-accelerated infrastructure, and NVIDIA NIMmicroservices, which provide prebuilt, GPU‑optimized containers with industry‑standard APIs for fast, reliable deployment of AI applications at scale.

NTT DATA offers integrated, prequalified GenAI prototypes and solutions that standardize output, minimize complexity, reduce risk, speed adoption, and accelerate return. With the integration of NeMo and NIM, NTT DATA AI solutions provide a full-stack, production-ready, GPU-accelerated AI agent platform.

“Organizations worldwide are moving from isolated model adoption to intelligent AI solutions and platforms, often complementing GenAI with agents that reason, act, and adapt within enterprise systems,” said Yutaka Sasaki, President and CEO, NTT DATA Group. “Embedding NVIDIA technologies into our platforms accelerates innovation while giving clients the performance, control, and compliance they require.”

“Enterprises are now seeking robust, scalable platforms that can successfully transition their AI initiatives from pilot projects to full-scale production,” said John Fanelli, Vice President, Enterprise Software, NVIDIA. “NTT DATA’s AI factory offerings, built on the NVIDIA full-stack platform, provide clients with the domain-specific solutions needed to confidently achieve production-grade enterprise AI at scale.”

NTT DATA Builds on Longstanding Foundation of Innovation with NVIDIA Technology

NTT DATA is the only global IT services provider that is active across NVIDIA’s Solution Provider, Cloud Partner, and Global System Integrator Partner Network tracks. This broad and deep expertise enables NTT DATA to deliver unique full-stack services, from advisory to deployment and operations.

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JEDDAH: The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a framework for strategic cooperation across key areas of private sector development and economic capacity building.

The agreement was signed at ICD Headquarters by H.E. Dr. Abdellah Souleymane Cheikh-Sidia, Minister of Economic Affairs and Cooperation, IsDB Governor, and the Acting CEO of ICD, Dr. Khalid Khalafalla, in the presence of H.E. Mohamed Lemine Dhehby, Central Bank of Mauritania, IsDB Alternate Governor,  and senior officials from the IsDB Group and members of the Mauritanian delegation.

A central pillar of the MoU is ICD’s commitment, on a non-binding and best-effort basis, to arrange a Shariah-compliant syndicated or club financing facility of up to USD 900 million in favor of Mauritania Saudi Mining and Steel S.A. (Takamul). The facility will support the development of the Atomai iron ore project in the Tiris Zemmour mining region, encompassing an open-pit iron ore mine, beneficiation facilities, two pelletizing plants in Nouadhibou, and ancillary infrastructure, including power generation and water desalination, targeting an annual output of 10 million tonnes of High-Grade Direct Reduction Pellets.

Beyond this flagship initiative, the cooperation framework encompasses a range of activities aimed at strengthening Mauritania’s institutional foundations and broadening access to private sector financing. These include supporting Mauritania’s sovereign credit rating engagement, developing a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) ecosystem, and extending lines of financing to local financial institutions to enhance SME access to capital. ICD will also work to identify and finance bankable projects in priority sectors, including energy.

Commenting on the signing, Dr. Khalid Khalafalla, Acting Chief Executive Officer of ICD, said: “We are honored to formalize this cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. This MoU reflects our commitment to deploying Shariah-compliant finance as a catalyst for sustainable development. From supporting one of the region’s most significant mining and industrial projects to building institutional capacity in areas such as PPP and sovereign credit rating readiness, ICD is proud to play a role in Mauritania’s long-term economic transformation.”

H.E. Abdullah Suleiman Sheikh Sidiya, Minister of Economic Affairs and Development and IsDB Governor for Mauritania, stated:  “This partnership marks an important step in strengthening Mauritania’s efforts to accelerate sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Through this cooperation with ICD, we aim to mobilize innovative and Shariah-compliant financing solutions to support strategic investments, strengthen our institutional framework, and expand opportunities for private sector development. We particularly welcome ICD’s support in areas such as sovereign credit rating engagement, the development of a robust PPP ecosystem, and improving access to finance for SMEs. These initiatives will contribute to unlocking Mauritania’s economic potential and advancing our long-term development objectives.”

H.E. Mohamed Lemine Dhehby, Governor of the Central Bank of Mauritania and Alternate Governor of the IsDB Group, said: “Strengthening Mauritania’s sovereign credit profile is an important step toward deepening our integration into international financial markets and unlocking new sources of sustainable financing for our development priorities. We welcome ICD’s support in advancing our sovereign credit rating engagement and in reinforcing the financial ecosystem necessary to attract long-term investment. This collaboration will contribute to enhancing transparency, strengthening investor confidence, and supporting the continued development of Mauritania’s financial sector.”

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During this period, IsDBI’s full collection of Islamic economics and finance publications will be available for free for reading through the IsDBI eBook Reader. Once downloaded to the user’s personal library on the Reader, the ebooks will remain permanently accessible even after the promotional period.

IsDBI’s extensive catalogue includes more than four decades of cutting‑edge research and insights designed to support professionals, policymakers, academics, and students.

In his comments on this occasion, Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI, said, “We are delighted to invite professionals, researchers, and the public to take advantage of this opportunity to explore and benefit from a vast collection of knowledge and actionable insights. This initiative reflects IsDBI’s commitment to promoting knowledge sharing and intellectual dialogue.”

After the free‑access period ends on 3 April 2026, all ebooks that are paid publications on the online bookstore will revert to their original prices. Free titles will continue to remain free.

More information on the IsDBI eBook Reader is available here: https://isdbinstitute.org/ebook-reader-application/

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NEW DELHI: Anant Goenka, President, FICCI, said,

“We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump for the trade deal that marks a significant reset in India–US economic ties. The reduction of reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent — following months of negotiation by the Commerce and Industry Minister and his team — will materially improve the competitiveness of Indian exports in the world’s largest import market. With sectors such as apparel, leather, gems and jewellery, and marine products poised to benefit, this agreement has the potential to strengthen business confidence and deepen bilateral economic engagement. If implemented effectively, it can provide a meaningful boost to India’s export growth trajectory, broaden market access, and underscore the strategic importance of sustained cooperation between two of the world’s largest democracies.”

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The event follows the successful launch of “Chad Connection 2030” in Abu Dhabi a few months ago, which signaled IsDB’s commitment to support development projects aligned with Chad’s National Development Plan.

Chad’s Prime Minister Allamaye Halina attended the January 26 event in N’Djamena, organized in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, Budget, Economy, Planning, and International Cooperation.

Dr. Issa Faye led the IsDB Group delegation, representing IsDB President Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser. Cabinet ministers, senior officials, and representatives from regional financial institutions and private companies also participated.

The event aimed to deepen cooperation and align IsDB Group support with Chad’s National Development Plan.

H.E. Allamaye Halina, Prime Minister of the Republic of Chad, stated: “Chad is entering a phase where translating vision into concrete projects is essential. The Islamic Development Bank Group is a trusted partner in this effort, particularly in strengthening financial implementation, capacity building, and mobilising investment that delivers tangible impact for our population.“

H.E. Tahir Hamid Nguilin, Minister of Finance, Budget, Economy, Planning, and International Cooperation of the Republic of Chad, stressed the following: “Our priority is to boost trade through coherence between public policy, effective financing mechanisms,s and private sector mobilisation. The IsDB plays a key role in supporting this approach, notably through project structuring, risk mitigation instruments, and blended financing solutions”.

Dr. Issa Faye, IsDB Director General for Global Practices and Partnerships, and Group Head of Delegation, stated: “The IsDB Group’s commitment to Chad is focused on delivering integrated solutions that combine financing and technical assistance. During the country engagement dialogue, the IsDB team, in conjunction with relevant authorities, will explore all available solutions from both public and private sector sources to ensure that the co-created development solutions are holistic. Through closer coordination with national authorities and local stakeholders, we aim to accelerate project delivery, building resilience and supporting high-impact initiatives aligned with  Chad Connection 2030. particularly in agriculture, technology, and infrastructure.”

One of the main features of the program was a panel discussion on Chad’s development priorities and the role of IsDB Group, aimed at formulating practical avenues of cooperation and forging strategic partnerships to support Chad’s path towards sustainable and inclusive development.

A series of bilateral (B2B and B2G) meetings was held amongst representatives of the IsDB Group, business leaders, investors, and financial institutions to explore opportunities for cooperation and partnerships with the Islamic Development Bank Group. Inspiring success stories implemented in Chad in partnership with local entrepreneurs, as well as local and international institutions, were presented

The event also highlighted the activities, services, and initiatives of IsDB Group institutions, including the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), the Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI), and the Islamic Development Bank Group Business Forum (THIQAH).

The day concluded with a reaffirmation of the Islamic Development Bank Group’s commitment to continue working with the Chadian government and the country’s private sector to further build strategic partnerships, expand investment opportunities, and enhance the business environment, thereby contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in Chad.

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INDIA: Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has selected Honeywell to supply advanced technology, services, proprietary catalysts, and equipment to help enable the refinery to process a wider range of crude and double the production capacity at Africa’s largest refinery in Lekki, Nigeria by 2028.

Dangote will leverage Honeywell’s refining and petrochemical processing solutions, which help customers reduce production costs, improve efficiency, and increase throughput, to grow its refining capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day over the next three years. With this expansion, Dangote will become the world’s largest petroleum refinery, strengthening in-continent fuel production, reducing reliance on imports, and supporting local energy security needs.

“Our continued collaboration with Honeywell marks a significant milestone not only for Dangote’s refinery, but for Nigeria’s energy sector as a whole,” said Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE. “Through the use of Honeywell’s proven, advanced technologies, we can set new production standards for the industry while contributing to Nigeria’s energy independence and economic growth.”

For nearly a decade, Honeywell has been providing process technology to Dangote’s Lekki refinery. Going forward, this expansion project will enable it to maximize the existing equipment and infrastructure – providing the greatest return on investment and accelerating the project timeline and ultimately speed to market.

“Honeywell is committed to delivering groundbreaking technologies that empower customers, drive operational excellence, and support regional energy security efforts,” said Rajesh Gattupalli, President, Honeywell UOP. “Our work with Dangote demonstrates how innovation and collaboration can help enhance regional energy independence and support Africa’s growing energy needs.”

In addition, Dangote will also license Honeywell’s Oleflex technology, which converts propane to propylene through catalytic dehydrogenation, to produce 750,000 metric tons per year of propylene. With this agreement, Dangote will increase its total production of polypropylene – the primary component in a variety of plastic products, including packaging materials – to 2.4 million metric tons per year.

Dangote’s Lekki facility is the largest single-train refinery in the world, producing Euro-V quality gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel along with polypropylene, a primary component used in plastics and packaging.

With more than a century of experience in the energy sector, Honeywell’s process technologies and catalysts have been licensed to more than 6,000 refineries and industrial facilities globally.

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SYDNEY: Lion, a leading beverage brand headquartered in Sydney with operations across Australia and New Zealand, has selected Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, to manage and transform its information technology landscape. Through this collaboration, TCS will help enhance Lion’s operational resilience and productivity by adopting a scalable operating model and service delivery automation by infusing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for smarter outcomes.

As part of this strategic collaboration, TCS will facilitate Lion’s transition from legacy systems to a modern cloud infrastructure, while also spearheading application development and strengthening cybersecurity protocols. TCS’s extensive domain expertise and bouquet of AI offerings will support Lion’s ambitious transformation agenda and accelerate its growth trajectory. TCS will deliver outcome-focused transformation by prioritising and optimising operational costs and elevating the overall user experience for Lion’s customers. TCS will deploy TCS Cognix^TM, a transformational platform that focuses on providing service resiliency, business agility, and enhanced customer experience.

Ram Kalyanasundaram, Lion Technology & Digital Transformation Director, said, “This partnership marks a new chapter in Lion’s technology transformation. TCS brings deep global capability in CPG, proven execution, and a partnership mindset that aligns with our ambition to build a more modern, resilient, and scalable digital foundation. Together, we will simplify our landscape, accelerate innovation, and empower our people with the tools and insights to deliver great experiences for our customers and consumers.”

Krishnan Ramanujam, President, Consumer Business Group – TCS, said, “I am excited about our partnership with Lion amidst the sweeping transformation in the beverages industry. It is an honor to be Lions’ partner as they pivot to a new phase of growth and innovation. Our collaboration with Lion is built on a solid foundation of deep domain expertise and an unwavering digital mindset. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as AI and cloud, alongside TCS’s comprehensive CPG platforms, we will accelerate innovation and deliver exceptional experiences for customers and consumers alike.”

This partnership will foster continuous innovation across the enterprise, including advanced data and analytics powered by AI and revenue upliftment through strategic revenue growth management. Additionally, the partnership will work to introduce AI-driven personalized solutions and persona-centric enterprise health metrics. These initiatives will deliver tailored technology optimization strategies and function-specific insights, further strengthening the operational performance.

Vikram Singh, Country Head, Australia & New Zealand – TCS, said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Lion to strengthen and transform their IT landscape, leveraging our global expertise in CPG technology, cyber security, data, and AI. This strategic partnership with Lion Group in this pivotal phase of transformation will lead to streamlining their systems and enhancing capabilities through automation, AI adoption, and will lay the foundation for sustained long-term value creation. Furthermore, our commitment to driving continuous innovation with Lion underscores our dedication to supporting their ongoing growth and transformation.”

TCS has been strengthening its presence in Australia for over 35 years and serves as a digital partner to most of the top 10 listed companies in the region. The company has operations in five locations across the country and has also been recognised among LinkedIn’s Top 25 companies to work for and as a top employer in the region by the Top Employers Institute.

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