At MTN Bright Conversations: Embed sustainability principles to drive growth — Speakers
An Assurance Partner at Deloitte Ghana, Dr Kwabena Situ, has called on businesses to deliberately apply sustainability principles in their operations to promote long-term growth, competitiveness and protect the environment.
He said sustainability should not be treated as a corporate social responsibility activity but as a central part of business strategy to drive innovation, efficiency and value creation across industries.
Dr Situ was speaking at the second edition of the "MTN Bright Conversations" event held at the mobile telecom giant’s Ridge head office in Accra.
The event was part of the activities marking MTN's 2025 Sustainability Week celebration.
It was on the theme: "Sustainability, a strategic imperative for business growth and national development," and featured Dr Situ and the Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN, Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, as panellists, along with other MTN staff and guests.
Sustainability
Speaking on sustainability in businesses, Dr Situ said sustainability had two critical sides, risk and opportunity, both of which businesses must understand and manage.
“Companies have always dealt with operational and financial risks, but sustainability risk is equally important because it can threaten business continuity,” he said.
He explained that firms that integrated environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices into their core strategies stood to benefit from improved resilience and competitiveness.
“ESG is not just about compliance; it is a key driver for growth and competitive advantage,” he added.
Dr Situ cautioned against greenwashing - the act of exaggerating sustainability achievements and urging companies to rely on recognised reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Ghana Stock Exchange’s ESG guidelines to ensure transparency and credibility.
He further encouraged firms to engage independent experts and conduct internal and external audits to validate their sustainability performance.
He said the country’s carbon market is projected to generate over $1 billion in investment by 2030; hence, businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, should take advantage of opportunities in that space.
MTN strategy
For Ms Wiafe, sustainability is a business imperative and a means of ensuring corporate longevity.
She said MTN had embedded sustainability into its operations through investments in renewable energy, digital inclusion and community development.
Ms Wiafe said the company’s solar projects and waste management initiatives had helped reduce its carbon footprint, while the MTN Ghana
Foundation continued to make an impact in education, health and economic empowerment through scholarships, ICT centres and microfinance support for small businesses.
She added that MTN’s sustainability initiatives were aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and national policies, as the company had already exceeded the gender representation targets of the Affirmative Action Act, with women occupying over 40 per cent of leadership positions.
Policy direction
Ms Wiafe also called for clearer national policy direction to harmonise the country’s sustainability and climate actions, stressing that better coordination among regulators and private sector players was needed.
