Apply sustainability principles to protect humanity - Speakers at MTN Bright Conversations urge

Deputy Director and Advisor at the SDG Advisory Unit, Office of the President, Dr Felix Addo-Yobo, has called on individuals and organisations to integrate the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework into their operations to help protect both humanity and the planet.

He emphasised that adopting ESG principles would not only contribute to the preservation of the environment and society but also drive innovation and profitability for businesses.

Dr Addo-Yobo made the remarks as a panellist at the "MTN Bright Conversations" event held at the mobile telecom giant’s Ridge head office in Accra yesterday.

The event was part of the activities marking MTN's 2024 Sustainability Week celebration.

It was on the theme, "From Compliance to Opportunity: Embedding ESG in Business," and featured the Participant Engagement and Outreach Manager at UN Global Compact-Ghana, Mina Pokua Agyemang, and the Manager of Governance, Risk, and Compliance at KPMG, Bernard Owusu Ansah in a panel discussion moderated by Multimedia’s Emefa Apawu.

Also in attendance were the Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN, Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, along with other MTN staff and guests.

Theme

Addressing the theme, Dr Addo-Yobo stated that humanity was at the core of sustainability, stressing that if the planet failed, humanity would inevitably suffer.

"The principle of sustainability is meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Quite a mouthful, but it means that whatever we are doing, we are mindful that there are people to come after us, future generations, as children and grandchildren," he said.

"We should leave them ample resources, ample skills, ample technology so that they can also meet their needs.

These are the two underpinning principles of the sustainability concept, balancing the three pillars of sustainability, meeting our needs but not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs," Dr Addo-Yobo stated.

He said at the heart of it all was safeguarding humanity and other planets, adding that “If we don't fully apply the principle of sustainability, humanity is at risk in terms of the resources we need for our own development, which we derive from the planet”.

Dr Addo-Yobo again stressed that if humans continued with the bad practices, the planet would suffer which could be seen in the rise of temperatures and storms.

New trend

He pointed out that adopting sustainability had become a key trend in the business world, and any organisation that failed to embrace it risked being left behind.

"But importantly, it is also a niche that businesses can look at to give themselves a competitive advantage. So, you look at your industry, your opportunities, and what can you bring on board to enhance the value creation for your business and to make it good to society and humanity. That gives you an added advantage," Dr Addo-Yobo said. 

SDGs

For her part, Ms Agyemang emphasised that companies aiming for profitability and meaningful impact must integrate sustainability into their operations.

The UN Global Compact-Ghana Manager stressed that the ESG framework provided a structured approach that helped businesses to contribute effectively to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"If you are a company or you are an individual or a state that is seeking to develop, the Sustainable Development Goals is serving as a template for you to use, a guideline for you to use to see where to start from," she added.

"So what we are requiring from our companies is not just creating employment, but it is about the sustainability of the employment created," Ms Agyemang said.

MTN strategy

For Ms Wiafe, MTN had initiated several sustainable projects aimed at making a meaningful contribution to both sustainability and economic development.

"At MTN, our strategy says that ESG is at the heart of the work that we do because we believe in shared value meaning we have an interest in our contribution to our stakeholders, our environment and economic development. So, we are celebrating our sustainability week to create awareness around sustainability within our organisation and externally," MTN’s Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer said.

Ms Wiafe explained that the event was to shed light on what was being done nationally and globally that underlined MTN as environmentally responsible.
Other activities marking the MTN Sustainability Week include an ESG Quiz, the launch of E-Health and the unveiling of the Green Zone, MTN's first operational electric solar initiative.