Airtel  Africa,  a  leading  provider  of  telecommunications  and  mobile money  services,  with  a  presence  in  14  countries  across  Africa,  has  launched  a  comprehensive sustainability strategy 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:

– Delivering equality in our workforce through recruitment and programmes to provide training and advancement for everyone regardless of gender, nationality or disability;

– 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;

– 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,

– 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.