Airtel Africa has urged African business leaders and governments to join forces to tackle climate-related issues across the continent.
The group CEO of Airtel Africa plc, Segun Ogunsanya, who made the call, while addressing a distinguished audience at a COP28 side event co-hosted by Airtel Africa and the African Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC), reaffirmed the importance of an enabling policy environment for sustainable development and climate action in partnership with Africa’s private sector at COP28.
Ogunsanya urged African business leaders and governments to join forces to advance sustainable growth, development, and prosperity across the continent, adding that, “We stress the importance of an enabling policy environment for sustainable development and climate action in partnership with Africa’s private sector. Livelihood and living must go together”.
Earlier, Airtel Africa launched ‘Project Green,’ in 2022, which focused on circular economy practices, especially in the responsible replacement of end-of-life equipment to minimize potential adverse environmental impacts.
Furthermore, in March 2023, Airtel Africa joined the multi-stakeholder partnership to eliminate open waste burning from Africa. This collaborative effort with local authorities, private companies, community groups, civil society and development partners targets a 60 per cent reduction by 2030 and a complete elimination of open waste burning by 2040.
“Airtel Africa’s corporate purpose, our driving force, is to ‘transform lives.’ This is not simply a slogan but a genuine passion that informs every aspect of our operations and every decision we take”, Ogunsanya averred.
“It is our firm belief that African businesses, including Airtel Africa, stand ready to leverage global markets to accelerate the transition to a future-fit economy. We must deliver economic development, inclusive growth and GHG emissions reduction at the same time to enjoy the fruits of sustainability”, he posited.
