Strategy sets out the Company's commitments and
establishes medium and long-term goals
Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, today launched a comprehensive sustainability strategy (www.airtel.africa/investors) which sets out its detailed plans to improve the lives of millions of people across Africa through digital and financial inclusion and access to education. The strategy also includes specific goals around environmental protection and the ongoing development of a rewarding, diverse and inclusive workplace.
We have
worked hard to identify the technical programmes needed to respond to all our
material topics and to have a genuine and positive impact on people and
communities across Africa. Our strategy sets specific goals and commitments,
and for each of these, we have identified exactly how we will achieve them and
the milestones along the way. Our Board and Executive Committee have been
integral to developing this strategy which is fully aligned with the Company's
corporate strategy and plans. We have
engaged with our stakeholders throughout the development of the strategy and
undertook a detailed stakeholder consultation ahead of this launch.
Our
strategy is delivered through four sustainability pillars: 'Our business' which
reflects our operations and the expansion of our network, 'Our people' which
sets commitments around employee engagement, development, diversity and
inclusion, 'Our community’ which details our dedication to improving access to
education, and 'Our environment' which is focused on reducing the environmental
impact of our operations. We have identified six of the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals to which we believe our work will make a genuine
and tangible contribution- they are SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender
equality, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation
and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, and SDG 12: Responsible
consumption and production.
Segun Ogunsanya, CEO, Airtel Africa, said: "Today is a significant milestone in Airtel Africa's journey. Our new strategy provides a solid foundation for us to accelerate change for the communities we serve and the environment in which we operate. We have worked closely with our stakeholders to ensure that this strategy is ambitious, robust and credible. This partnership approach underpins all the work we will deliver through our strategy. We will look to collaborate across the industry, recognising that by working together, we will be able to drive a more significant impact for the people who need it most. We are more committed than ever to ensuring open and honest communication on our progress as Airtel Africa embarks on its long journey towards a more sustainable future.
Goals and commitments
The sustainability strategy
includes nine goals and commitments, with corresponding programmes that address
the business’ material topics (identified through an extensive consultation at
the beginning of the year) and enable the Group to continue delivering
sustainable growth and uphold the best governance standards:
• Data security goal: Establish
industry-leading data security for our customers through investments in
technology and expertise, updated processes and consumer awareness - with focus areas around confidentiality,
integrity and availability.
• Service quality goal: Provide
underserved communities with access to reliable networks and connectivity
through the rollout of new infrastructure and technology, improved fibre
connectivity and capacity - with focus
areas on service accessibility, delivery and reliability.
• Supply chain goal: Ensure all our
suppliers are aligned with our sustainability agenda through programmes to
increase supplier disclosure and audit ESG performance - with focus areas on
enhanced supplier due diligence and ongoing ESG compliance.
• Commitments to our people: with our
ongoing commitment to provide rewarding employment opportunities and to achieve
genuine diversity and inclusion at all levels across the business through:
o Delivering equality in our workforce through recruitment and
programmes to provide training and advancement for everyone regardless of
gender, nationality or disability;
o Providing best practice training and development through upskilling
and reskilling initiatives to ensure they can succeed in their future careers.
And through supporting female entrepreneurs through training and increasing
women’s
participation in the
technology and engineering sectors;
o Providing the highest standards of health and safety for our
employees and contractors through the introduction of a best practice social
and health and safety management system, improved policies and full compliance
with all legislation and regulation; and,
o Maintaining the highest levels of employee engagement through the
introduction of additional channels that provide every one of our people with a
voice.
• Digital inclusion goal: significantly
improve digital Inclusion across Africa by driving the penetration of mobile,
smartphones and home broadband in rural areas through the provision of retail
and support services.
• Financial inclusion goal: significantly
increase financial inclusion in Africa, with particular support for women
through the development of affordable financial products to meet the needs of
the un- and under-banked, a reliable service and financial confidence and
literacy.
• Access to education goal: helping transform the lives of over one
million children through improving access to education - with programmes around
connectivity, the provision of zero-rated education content under a five-year
UNICEF partnership, connecting 1,400 schools to the internet by 2027, and the
adoption and support of schools in all our markets.
• Greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal: Our ambition is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ahead of the 2050 deadline set out in the Paris Agreement. To do this we must fully identify, measure and reduce our GHG emissions which can only be achieved in partnership with our peers and the wider industry. We will establish and launch a sector leading and credible decarbonisation pathway in 2022, ahead of the publication of our first Sustainability Report.
• Environmental stewardship: Eliminate
hazardous waste from our operations, significantly reduce our non-hazardous
waste and minimise our water consumption with programmes to replace damaging
materials, expand recycling schemes and build employees’ awareness around the
protection of our natural resources.
0 comments:
Post a Comment