Corporate leaders in Botswana will in three days-time convene to discuss all subject matters that focus on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) principles and sustainable finance, amid pressure that is mounting for companies to integrate non-financial factors into business strategies.
The conference, which is spearheaded by MN Capital group, a leading emerging markets investment communication, advisory and research firm, brings together institutional investors, fund and asset managers and the entire ESG and sustainable investment ecosystem under one roof ‘to deliberate on challenges faced by the sector, come up with solutions and also identify the viable green business opportunities’
In an exclusive interview with Botswana Guardian, the CEO of the MN Capital, Michael Ndinisa, said the Forum could not have come at a better for a developing economy like Botswana, which is better known as ‘The Jewel of Africa’. He added there is more than on reason to attend the event, which will run for two days at the leafy Avani Hotel.
“The corporate and the investment community (including those in Botswana) have been heavily impacted by the amounting pressure to integrate non-financial factors in their business strategies and investment criteria respectively, which are people and planets, whilst they continue to make profits. The objective of this first-of-its-kind Forum is to initiate conversations around sustainability and formulate implementable sustainable economic development strategies,” said Ndinisa, who has also hosted highly successful investments and pension funds
meetings in Southern Africa.
The forum is designed with a realisation that green business is a lucrative sector and there are many opportunities that Botswana can leverage on. Globally, implementation of ESG principles across sectors, have been largely successfully mainly because of collaboration between governments, regulators and the private sector. Ndinisa concurs this collaboration is key, and this explains why their Forums are more like stakeholder engagements ‘where action-points will be drawn and follow-up measures put in place’.
He added it is important for the key personnel within public and the private sector to come in full support of initiatives, such as the upcoming MN Capital Forum ‘as this would actually make their everyday work easier’ The coming ESG and Sustainable Finance Forum 2023, will emerge better positioned to tackle challenges and to identify opportunities in the sector that they can leverage. “Because of the conflicting views around ESG and Sustainability, globally, regulations around ESG reporting has become critical. And for government departments and business to be able to comply, it is imperative that each and every entity formulate their own ESG framework that will act as guidelines to ensure that organisations understand what being a green company entails, and that they properly follow all the rights procedures towards achieving set sustainability targets,” he added.
Botswana, as a whole stands to benefit from ESG and Sustainable finance events like the MN Capital. “ESG Principles are hinged on the triple-bottom line; People, Planet and Profits, which acknowledges the need of investors to meet their financial goals and investment returns targets, and calls for the redressing of the impact of carbon emissions on the planet and also addressing the socio-economic challenges that weighs heavily on emerging markets like Botswana. In the “Carrot and Stick analogy”, the ESG principles are regarded as both, in the sense that organisations are compelled to comply, yet there are opportunities in the sector that they can leverage,” stated Ndinisa.
Meanwhile, Debswana Pension Fund(DPF), Chief Executive Officer, Gosego January will give a keynote address under the topic; The State of the Sustainable Investment Market in Botswana ― An Institutional Investor's Perspective’ A topic, ‘Impact Investing ― Leadership Role of Private Capital’ will be presented by Elias Masilela SOB, Executive Chairman, DNA Economics (South Africa). Tsametsi Mmolai, head of listings and trading will lead presentartion on Stakeholder Capitalism ― The Role of Stock Exchanges and Value-Add to Listed Companies. The theme of the conference is ‘Green Growth Paradigm for Botswana-Investment Strategies for Sustainable Value Creation’
The event takes place from the 12th to the 13rd April 2023.
The conference, which is spearheaded by MN Capital group, a leading emerging markets investment communication, advisory and research firm, brings together institutional investors, fund and asset managers and the entire ESG and sustainable investment ecosystem under one roof ‘to deliberate on challenges faced by the sector, come up with solutions and also identify the viable green business opportunities’
In an exclusive interview with Botswana Guardian, the CEO of the MN Capital, Michael Ndinisa, said the Forum could not have come at a better for a developing economy like Botswana, which is better known as ‘The Jewel of Africa’. He added there is more than on reason to attend the event, which will run for two days at the leafy Avani Hotel.
“The corporate and the investment community (including those in Botswana) have been heavily impacted by the amounting pressure to integrate non-financial factors in their business strategies and investment criteria respectively, which are people and planets, whilst they continue to make profits. The objective of this first-of-its-kind Forum is to initiate conversations around sustainability and formulate implementable sustainable economic development strategies,” said Ndinisa, who has also hosted highly successful investments and pension funds
meetings in Southern Africa.
The forum is designed with a realisation that green business is a lucrative sector and there are many opportunities that Botswana can leverage on. Globally, implementation of ESG principles across sectors, have been largely successfully mainly because of collaboration between governments, regulators and the private sector. Ndinisa concurs this collaboration is key, and this explains why their Forums are more like stakeholder engagements ‘where action-points will be drawn and follow-up measures put in place’.
He added it is important for the key personnel within public and the private sector to come in full support of initiatives, such as the upcoming MN Capital Forum ‘as this would actually make their everyday work easier’ The coming ESG and Sustainable Finance Forum 2023, will emerge better positioned to tackle challenges and to identify opportunities in the sector that they can leverage. “Because of the conflicting views around ESG and Sustainability, globally, regulations around ESG reporting has become critical. And for government departments and business to be able to comply, it is imperative that each and every entity formulate their own ESG framework that will act as guidelines to ensure that organisations understand what being a green company entails, and that they properly follow all the rights procedures towards achieving set sustainability targets,” he added.
Botswana, as a whole stands to benefit from ESG and Sustainable finance events like the MN Capital. “ESG Principles are hinged on the triple-bottom line; People, Planet and Profits, which acknowledges the need of investors to meet their financial goals and investment returns targets, and calls for the redressing of the impact of carbon emissions on the planet and also addressing the socio-economic challenges that weighs heavily on emerging markets like Botswana. In the “Carrot and Stick analogy”, the ESG principles are regarded as both, in the sense that organisations are compelled to comply, yet there are opportunities in the sector that they can leverage,” stated Ndinisa.
Meanwhile, Debswana Pension Fund(DPF), Chief Executive Officer, Gosego January will give a keynote address under the topic; The State of the Sustainable Investment Market in Botswana ― An Institutional Investor's Perspective’ A topic, ‘Impact Investing ― Leadership Role of Private Capital’ will be presented by Elias Masilela SOB, Executive Chairman, DNA Economics (South Africa). Tsametsi Mmolai, head of listings and trading will lead presentartion on Stakeholder Capitalism ― The Role of Stock Exchanges and Value-Add to Listed Companies. The theme of the conference is ‘Green Growth Paradigm for Botswana-Investment Strategies for Sustainable Value Creation’
The event takes place from the 12th to the 13rd April 2023.
