08/12/2025
AFRICA'S PROSPERITY: Corporate Sustainability, Artificial intelligence (AI) and Sustainable Finance
Our CEO, Sheida, recently spoke at the ESG & Climate Africa Summit in Nairobi organised by. Leadvent Group. The talk was a State of Corporate Africa address - in regards to Corporate Sustainability, AI and Sustainable Finance...and was broadly similarly titled.
Context: Corporate Africa is a key player in realising Africa's Prosperity. Businesses therefore, must thrive.
Key takeaways:
1. Compliance & Sustainability
Corporate Sustainability in Africa is largely driven by imported models. Africa based organisations must shift away from imported (and often forced) compliance...and move towards compliance frameworks built on Africentric Corporate Sustainability - grounded in Africa’s realities and ambitions.
2. Corporate Sustainability & Business Growth
Corporate Sustainability is not planting trees. Neither is it charity. Rather, it is a tool or concept for achieving exponential growth and performance - driven by social impact and environmental stewardship. To yield, Corporate Sustainability must be properly and effectively integrated.
3. ESG?
It is an outdated term. It reinforces the idea of sustainability as an add on, and not an in-built business model element. It reinforces separation of financial performance from social impact and environmental stewardship. It reinforces the ill-practice of ESG as a department. ESG origin and ethos served a different time, and responded to different business pressures. It has been outpaced by the ever-shifting business realities. If your organisation is touting ESG (or other) as sustainability...with marginal or no business performance to speak of, a whole re-education of corporate sustainability is much needed.
4. Contextual Intelligence Matters
Corporate Sustainability in Africa has been shaped by models designed for Europe or North America. These are not universal blueprints. Contextual intelligence must be applied. Corporate Sustainability will only yield for Africa-based organisations if designed from an Africentric platform.
5. AI Must Be Built From Africa’s Perspective
AI is a critical tool in enabling corporate sustainability. Today, many so-called Africa AI models are fragmented to serve niches and fine-tuned from Western LLMs. They speak Africa languages but reinforce global biases and whack assumptions about Africa. AI that speaks Swahili, Yoruba or Zulu is not Africa AI. Africa must construct AI from the ground up, designed with Africa’s economic, social and environmental realities at the centre.
6. Corporate Citizens of Africa (CCA)
CCA is an Africentric Corporate Sustainability program designed to guide business leaders to:
- Build world-class organisations right here in Africa
- Take charge of Africa’s Sustainability Agenda
- Become Architects of a Better World
CCA is built on a proprietary 6*29 Matrix, that Corporate Africa can effectively apply for positive business outcomes. Do reach out at [email protected] for professional guidance, and/or attend the Nairobi CCA Sustainability Townhall on 28th January 2026.
7. Sustainable Finance & ASIF
Africentric Corporate Sustainability and AI requires capital. Serious capital. Existing financial models are not designed for Africa's Prosperity. They have not delivered in the past 100 years, they will not deliver in the next century. These models are outdated and out of step with Africa's bold ambitions.
Woodside has developed the Africa Social Infrastructure Fund (ASIF) - a $35B facility for housing, healthcare, education, sports and apparel. Over $100M+ in pledges are already secured. Corporate members are invited to join ASIF as their social impact driver for business performance. ASIF will deliver 6.25M jobs, $280B GDP growth and 50 large-scale infrastructure projects across Africa. To be a serious player, and deliver long lasting value in Africa, develop or plug into Africentric finance. Do kick off an engagement at [email protected]
8. The Environment
As we work towards a Prosperous Africa, and create a thriving corporate space - needless to say, we must take care of the environment. Progress towards growth and prosperity does not mean environmental degradation. Rather, it means an intelligent approach to environmental issues. The dire need for Africa's Prosperity however, will and must always take precedent.
Bottom Line
So what would a Prosperous Africa look like? You define that. Because the engine for Africa’s Prosperity will be powered by:
Africentric Corporate Sustainability
Africentric Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Africentric Sustainable Finance.
