BUSINESS REPORTER
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has taken a major step in demonstrating its commitment to sustainable development by becoming a participant to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’ largest corporate sustainability initiative.
The UNGC brings together businesses from across the globe to implement principles of sustainable development and corporate responsibility. It currently has more than 13,000 companies in over 160 countries.
The initiative encourages organisations to align their strategies and operations with universally accepted principles of environment, social, governance and human rights, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Econet CEO Douglas Mboweni said becoming a member of the UNCG was part of the mobile telecommunications organisation’s commitment to sustainability.
“As a UNGC participant, we will be able to leverage the initiative’s vast global network of participants to embed sustainability into our core strategies and operations.
“We very much look forward to working with member organisations to advance sustainability through this initiative, drawing inspiration from others, and hoping that some organisations will learn from our own experiences,” Mboweni said.
Econet’s sustainability journey began more than 20 years ago when the company started supporting Higherlife Foundation to provide access to education for vulnerable and underprivileged children, as well as to fund educational opportunities for gifted and talented students through scholarships.
To date, the programme has impacted over 250,000 students. In the ensuing years the company, through its partner foundation, has gone on to support various public healthcare initiatives, disease prevention, leadership development and disaster management.
Under the new commitment, Econet will strengthen its existing Environmental, Social and Governance activities, while aligning them with the company’s vision and mission, and with the UN’s SDGs to ensure that the group scales its social and environmental impact in the markets it serves.
Mboweni said Econet was committed to ensure that it intentionally promotes sustainability in delivering its products and services.
“At the national level, we are also committed to supporting our country’s pledge to achieve energy emissions per capita that are 33% below the projected ‘business as usual’ level by the year 2030,” Mboweni said.
