We have witnessed a number of initiatives taken at global level such as Integrated Thinking, ESG, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and many others but we remain convinced that the problem is elsewhere as there are a number of indicators besides COVID that warns us of possible disruptions on a global scale: Financial Engineering, Wars, Pollution and many others and at the heart of all this lies a single culprit which we believe needs to be challenged.
The “Race for Profits”, is single-handedly destroying earth’s asset in an irreversible way, inevitably leading to poverty, diseases, ignorance, climate change and others.
Unless, the corporate world acknowledges that this cancer is gnawing Humanity from the inside, these global disruption will become a “Business as Usual Scenario", some even call it the ”the new normalcy". While attempts have been made to push organisations towards Integrated Thinking and UN SDGs, the share of profits that is being channelled into these areas is still too immaterial to drive long term significant changes.
At this rate, while wealth continues to be consolidated in the hands of the few and with global galloping demographics, there is no end in sight with regards to the “ills” of society - quite the contrary: Risks of pandemics, weapons races, land/ocean and space pollution, and many others are increasing! This is why at Anglo African we believe that we need to go beyond “Sustainability and Integrated Thinking” as the earth needs to heal before we can make it sustainable again.
In order to make this healing happen, corporate citizens should work hand in hand with the UN through the SDGs, governments, NGOs and others to boost the funds that are traditionally allocated to poverty alleviation, health, education, green initiatives, and many others. To make a difference, the corporate citizen should work in a sustainable and creative way to address the issue head on irrespective of the costs, energy or resources, not just by giving less than 5% of their chargeable income. At Anglo African, we support our shareholder in its endeavour to leverage technology in its war against poverty, diseases and climate change.
Anglo African, a profitable Group, has launched tech-startups, which are now providing the relevant Fintech, Medtech and Proptech platforms in this regard. During the coming years, our shareholder, The Anglo African Foundation [TAAF] plans to use the dividends to subsidise the costs and expenses in supporting single moms that have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and those who are facing difficulties to refund their micro-loans. Should we be successful in addressing an ill of our society locally, it could open the way for other companies to join in this fight and eradicate once and for all these “ills” and start celebrating humanity again!
