Energy
Moving ESG from boardrooms to communities
Sanlam Group's Abel Sakhau argues that Environmental, Social and Governance practices must move beyond corporate boardrooms to deliver genuine impact.
Key points
- ESG practices need to be implemented on the ground to avoid greenwashing.
- Innovative funding mechanisms like impact investing and crowdfunding can drive sustainable development.
- Local solutions should focus on job creation, women empowerment, and poverty alleviation.
What happened
Speaking on the sidelines of Africa's Green Economy Summit, Abel Sakhau, Chief Sustainability Officer at South Africa's Sanlam Group, called for a fundamental shift in how Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices are approached across the continent. According to ESI Africa, Sakhau stated that ESG concepts are frequently confined to corporate boardrooms and used as branding tools rather than translating into visible physical projects within communities.
Why it matters
Sakhau cautioned that without tangible physical evidence of sustainability projects, ESG risks becoming merely a mechanism to popularise corporate strategies. To combat greenwashing, he emphasized the necessity of implementing sustainability measures directly where impact is required. Innovative funding mechanisms, including impact investing and crowdfunding, offer viable pathways to channel capital toward local solutions that address poverty, empower women, and create jobs.
What comes next
Scaling up investments originating from within the continent remains a critical requirement for sustainable development. Sakhau noted that increased local investment is essential to support community-level initiatives and ensure that sustainability frameworks deliver measurable results across Africa.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
CEII follows developments across the world’s energy system and connects them to the data behind them.
Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
