Social business is big in Africa
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Community responsibility is a long standing tradition in Africa. But
increasingly, social and environmental responsibility, are also forceful drivers
behind the development of clever, beneficial products and services. The lack of
accesses to communication or clean water etc, translates into a demand for life
enhancing products and services among the growing middle classes, as well as
those still standing on the base of the pyramid.
Flick through an African business paper and you are likely to encounter a
handful of commercial messages about social responsibility. The Kenyan telecom
operator Safaricom aims for "Digital Inclusion" and "Let's Go Green". Kenya
Airways claims they are "Proud to be Carbon Offset Neutral". Social
responsibility is somewhat a self-preservation in countries where the majority
lives in poverty. In the absence of public goods, companies have had to step in
and provide employees with basic needs like clean water or HIV/Aids-medicines.
At least the ones there to stay, and depend on a license to operate.
Community support is still a central part in "African Corporate Responsibility",
if one should generalize, but during the last years, responsibility has also
proven to be a forceful driver behind product development. Enabled through the
technological development and increased local purchasing power. One well known
example is Safaricom's pay-service M-PESA, which enables customers to transfer
money via the mobile, even if they don't have a bank account (which most poor
people don't). Britain's Vodafone, shareholders of Safaricom, has earned $15.6
million on the money transfer service alone.
Safaricom's corporate responsibility strategy used to be isolated to handing out
community funding, but now their ambition is to become global champions in five
years, according to Officer Lewis Aritho. The recent strategy, "Path to
Sustainability", signed by the new CEO Bob Collymore, integrates sustainability
in all business aspects; corporate governance, environmental footprint, support
to communities and not least in the development of products and services, where
"access for all" is the motto.
Another example, though international, is the telecom provider Ericsson.
Margaret Kositany, head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) Africa, claims
that their CSR-strategy is closely related to product/service development. In
Africa, Ericsson's global vision, "Access Networks", trickles down to services
that enables farmers or fishermen to access weather information or the provision
of surplus solar power, from Ericsson base-stations, to nearby schools and
households, to mention two examples. Obvious win-win services and products.
Safaricom and Ericsson are examples of pioneers driving the social and
environmental agenda in Kenya, and Africa. But there are many others like East
African Brewers and Equity Bank, to mention a few. Not to forget other MNL:s
like Coca-Cola, Unilever and Barclays. And the perception of corporate
responsibility as a driver for business is now also being picked up by local
media, which will encourage followers.
When responsibility, or the lack of it, is becoming increasingly important, so
is also the need to better understand environmental and social factors - for
companies and for investors. GTQ International will organize a conference in
London, 4-5th of October, on "enhanced Environmental, Social and Governance
investing". An opportunity for companies and investors to enhance their skills
in the area (NB that the focus is not particularly developing countries).
http://www.gtqinternational.com/.
Press contact
Kira Shevchenko, Production director, GTQ International
Phone: +44(0)1227 824632
Email: kshevchenko(at)gtqinternational.com
Mail: Kent Enterprise Hub, Canterbury, KENT CT2 7NJ
Web: www.gtqinternational.com
Åse Botha
ase.botha(at)gmail.com
+44(0)7730438822
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Source: GTQ International via Thomson Reuters ONE
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Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 21.09.2011 - 13:26 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 68244
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contact information:
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Kategorie:
Business News
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"Social business is big in Africa"
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