Business Leaders and sector experts have called on the private sector especially in Africa to play their role in
building resilient systems that will enable the achievement of the Sustainable Development outcomes.

They said the aftermath of Climate Change Impacts and the COVID-19 Pandemic has left many countries affected
by risks and pressures which have a negative impact on the population’s ability to survive.

According to the industry experts who spoke at the at the annual LBS International Sustainability Conference organised by Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre (LBSSC) in partnership with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Africa), IHS Nigeria Limited and Shared Value Africa Initiative (SVAI), the Climate Change Impacts and the COVID-19 Pandemic have exposed the vulnerability of current systems and structures.

They observed that some of these risks include conflict and insecurity; economic shocks, extreme weather events, and climate change social impacts, which frequently cause food insecurity and mass displaced people; natural hazards, particularly The floods and droughts; and communicable disease outbreaks and pandemics. These problems pose a threat to the private sector as well as the larger society and economy thus highlight the need for urgent action and collaboration among business leaders.

Delivering the opening remarks at the conference, Vice-Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University, Prof. Enase
underlined the power of the private sector to innovate and move more quickly than the government.

In her words, “Our systems are failing us almost every day, and they are doing so faster than ever. We need to
create new solutions. We need to create ways to ensure that we maintain and improve standards.”

To promote long-term transformation, Prof. Enase emphasised the necessity for organisations to transcend a
compliance-based culture for incorporating sustainability in their key operations to one of strategy and
corporate purpose.

On the ways businesses can build resilient systems in Africa, Mr Simon O’Hara, Group Company Secretary,
Airtel Africa discussed some of Airtel’s strategic programs intertwined in the organisation’s vision and
sustainability strategy.

According to him, the vision of Airtel Africa is about transforming lives and the organisation’s corporate strategy reflects this vision. Understanding the key role digital inclusion, financial inclusion and service equality plays in its vision, Airtel Africa has developed interventions to reach disadvantaged children and women with digital education and access to bandwidth to aid financial inclusion as part of its corporate strategy.

The private sector is an important backbone of any economic system, therefore business leaders have a duty
to build in sustainability and resilience as a desired outcome in addition to traditional focus on profit within
their own operations first and for their stakeholders especially ‘people’.

Delivering the keynote address at the conference, Mr Rodney Irwin, Chief Operating Officer of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), reiterated the fact that climate change is no longer a risk but a full-fledged reality and needs urgent action across sectors in rethinking their business models and energy needs.

During the panel discussion on ‘Practical Solutions in Systems Building in Food and Energy’ Mr. Ashvin Dayal,
Senior Vice President Power and Climate, Rockefeller Foundation, Tendai Matika, Manager at Global Reporting Initiative and Agatha Nnaji, Managing Director, Geometric Power Group, emphasised the importance of addressing climate change and building resilient businesses, stating that it is critical for the private sector to recognise the enormous potential of renewable energy sources for sustainable development and develop solutions that are localised, decentralised, and tailored to suit and solve the issues of different economic and social settings.

IHS (Nigeria) Limited, said it plans to prioritise solar hybrids, gas generators, lithium-ion batteries, supercap hybrids, and grid connectivity in the short term and expand grid connectivity, indoor to outdoor conversion, solar farms, and wind farms in the midterm and long term.