Founder’s Welcome

MN Capital recently hosted an ESG conference in Gaborone, Botswana on the 12th to 13th of April 2023, and with The Responsible Citizen Magazine participating as the event’s media sponsor, I had the opportunity to present and moderate the proceedings of the second day of the conference. This was a gathering of great minds which considered how Botswana could put her best foot forward regarding the integration of ESG into the normal day to day business of organisations.

The Botswana Stock Exchange and Business Botswana presented their cases as key stakeholders. The common message derived from this conference is that we still need to do more in guiding the implementation of ESG. This would call for it to be driven from the national agenda, regulators, stakeholders, the business community, and leaders. ESG is the undoubtedly new way of doing business, it is not a myth, it is a reality. It is a tool that is used by investors to determine where their money should go.

One of the key takeaways is that there is a need to build a culture of ESG right from the Small and Medium Enterprises because it is harder to assimilate once they have grown much bigger. Statistics showed that 85% of businesses in Botswana are SMME’s while only 15% are corporate. Therefore, more work needs to be done from the root. For this to be effective, ESG needs to be demystified and made simpler for the average person to understand. Data is also critical as it helps in proper and accurate ESG reporting for long term sustainability. Access to quality ESG data is important for responsible investment decisions. These decisions have seen companies with proficient integrated reporting perform better.

Looking ahead, we can all anticipate greater collaborative efforts in ushering the country towards more responsible investing, sustainable practices and reporting. But it all begins with driving more conversations to facilitate better understanding of ESG and how it stands to benefits our society.

Sincerely,