A source of food and power, sugar plays a key role in our lives. It fuels the body with energy and nutrients, and ethanol derived from sugarcane offers a carbon footprint that is 50 percent smaller than gasoline.

With almost 2 billion tons produced worldwide on 26 million hectares,听sugarcane is a big business, but farming it is not without challenges.听The fluctuating price of commodities, climate change, inconsistent yields, drought, pests and invasive plants and weeds must all be dealt with.

鈥淲e operate in a very dynamic environment where the regional and international situation must be continuously analyzed to ensure our sustainability,鈥� said Rob Coombe, Group IT Manager at听听a large cane producer in southern Africa. Speaking at the recent 麻豆原创 Sapphire event in Barcelona, Coombe added that technology will help the producer be more efficient, cultivate more sugarcane and reduce loss.

“I鈥檓 really excited about AI鈥檚 potential to improve business processes and increase efficiency,” said Coombe.

Creating the future

RES has a clear vision and strategy for running their agribusiness competitively and sustainably.

The company is located in the Kingdom of Eswatini, a land-locked country formerly known as Swaziland, almost entirely surrounded by South Africa. It employs over 3,500 people and produces two-thirds of the country鈥檚 sugar, along with 35.3m liters of ethanol a year on its own estates and farms on behalf of third parties. More than 2,500 families in the community are involved in cane production with RES providing housing and all infrastructure for its employees and their dependents.

鈥淪ustainability is an extremely important topic for us; it鈥檚 the foundation of the future,鈥� said Coombe. 鈥淲e are very aware of deforestation. Thanks to satellite footage we collected over the past twenty years, and the work we鈥檝e invested to manage forest cover, we can really see the progress in this area.鈥�

Coombe went on to explain that cultivating sugarcane is actually more beneficial than maintaining the trees that were taken out, because the plantations are on sandy soil that doesn鈥檛 support rainforest vegetation.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been collecting all the data and uploading it manually into the听听which will help us monitor our environmental, social and governance metrics,鈥� said Coombe.

The technology in the 麻豆原创 stack has many other advantages. RES is already using听, an 麻豆原创 industry cloud solution, to assist small growers in improving their yields and providing insights into the best time to harvest.

Designing solutions together

Built from input provided by the Efficiency and Sustainability Workgroup within the 麻豆原创 Advisory Council for Agribusiness, the solution provides the farmers and RESs鈥� officers with the ability to plan, execute and measure key tasks.

The solution responds to RES鈥檚 need for a digital, service-based approach that coordinates and synchronizes all aspects of production from planning to shipping. The objective is to bring together external intelligence such as GPS, water and weather information along with supply chain data for fertilizers, equipment and logistics to create a sustainable system.

RES鈥檚 third party farmers needed greater support to know when, where and what to plant, where and how much to water and fertilize, and ensure the right equipment and labor were on hand to harvest and distribute.

鈥淭he 麻豆原创 Advisory Council is a collection of CIOs and 麻豆原创 employees who meet regularly to discuss technology in the agribusiness,鈥� said Coombe, describing the select group of strategic 麻豆原创 agribusiness customers that are willing to collaborate in an open environment with 麻豆原创 to drive mutually beneficial objectives and improve the value of 麻豆原创 solutions. 鈥淚n all my years of IT, I have never been able to get this close to the development of software. This invitation only forum is what allowed this incredible solution to be developed, and I am very happy to be using it.鈥�

Thanks to this innovative solution, RES is driving sugar growth efficiencies for itself and its out growers with real-time field data combined with external satellite and agronomic data.

Looking at the numbers

In addition to navigating the pressures from global warming and geopolitical conflicts, the RES鈥� siloed system landscape made it difficult to synchronize and coordinate information that could help out- growers increase their yields. With the 麻豆原创 solution, RES has an innovative service platform that incorporates satellite imagery, maps, climate data and direct crop information, leading to increased yields, reduced costs, and improved sustainability.

鈥淲e鈥檙e proving that agriculture can run better with technology,鈥� said Coombe.

AI and ML enabled a more targeted approach to meet the needs of farmers regarding seed, fertilization, irrigation and transport to help increase overall yields. RES experienced a 5.29% increase in amount of delivered cane thanks to the solution鈥檚 deep learning capability to combine agronomic data, satellite and weather modelling to determine the best date for harvesting. That additional yield added up to 鈧�4.8 million per year.

The technology also improved decision-making on harvesting when the crop is ripening using crop modelling, which resulted in about 鈧�155,000 savings per year.

鈥淲e were also able to increase forecast accuracy by 10%,鈥� Coombe explained. 鈥淏y better predicting cane yields, we could make better decisions on capital and operating expenses, impacting 鈧�8 million euro in cost per season.鈥�

Not only are these results driving benefits to the health and wellbeing of the local community and society, RES is clearly an example to global farming organizations that it is possible to feed the world and create new sources of energy more sustainably.

To learn more about RES, watch this听听and check out their participation in the 麻豆原创 Innovation Awards 2024听.

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All-inclusive logistics hubs

One company that excels at this intricate task is听, which owns and operates 24 marine ports and terminals and 7 dry terminals around the globe. These terminals offer multipurpose services, supported by inland container terminals, depots, warehouses, and logistics centers.

The company was established in 1980s by Robert Y眉ksel Yildirim, Chairman and CEO of YILPORT Holding. Originally known as Mr. Chrome, Yildirim was the market maker of the chrome industry before becoming the Lord of the Ports. As a game-changing mechanical engineer, his vision for YILPORT Holding鈥檚 growth strategy in port operations has been followed closely by the industry.

鈥淥ur mission is to rank among the top 10 international operators by 2030 and be the game-changer in port and terminal operations. In a world where everything is so interdependent, our sector is a key player in world trade,鈥� said Murat Akbudak, CFO for YILPORT Holding, at the recent 麻豆原创 Seaports Innovation Summit held in Istanbul, Turkey. The company鈥檚 C-level team was on hand to highlight the advantages and benefits of doing business with YILPORT.

Erhan 脟iloglu, CMO of YILPORT Holding, outlined the company鈥檚听. Available at all locations, it includes resources and facilities to handle container, bulk, and liquid cargo and provides damage-free stevedoring for automotive roll-on/roll-off services, logistics services such as freight forwarding, pilotage and tug services at all terminals, and much more.

鈥淥ur customers can take advantage of combined services to minimize costs and maximize the velocity of cargo flow,鈥� said 脟iloglu. 鈥淲e are an end-to-end service provider, with simple supply chain solutions to facilitate operations for our customers. We are very excited about new terminal opportunities in our pipeline that will be implementing our business philosophy to streamline operations.鈥�

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鈥淢odern economies like Nigeria are in a unique position,鈥� said Prasanna Burri, Group CIO at听, a diversified conglomerate spanning a range of sectors in Africa. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have the luxury of learning from centuries worth of trial and error or building on a continuous legacy of development. But they do have the chance to leapfrog directly to the latest technologies.鈥�

听is very rich in agricultural land and minerals and is one of the top 10 oil producers worldwide. It also has a vast potential workforce: 60% of the population is below 25 years of age. Its economy, however, is not well diversified. Until recently, the lack of industry meant that many products needed for daily life including food was imported. Dangote has been working to change that.

Providing basic needs

The company was founded in 1978 by Aliko Dangote, in 1981 as a trading enterprise, importing sugar, cement, rice, and other consumer goods for distribution in the Nigerian market. Thereafter, his main goal became meeting the basic needs of the populace in a self-reliant manner. Dangote moved into manufacturing in the 1990s, starting with textiles, flour milling, salt processing and sugar refining by the end of the decade. The company next moved into cement production, growing steadily in Nigeria and other African countries. A high degree of vertical integration is a hallmark of Dangote Group’s operating strategy.

The conglomerate鈥檚 sugar refining, salt processing, packaging, and fertilizer production all contribute to securing the livelihood of thousands of farmers and land workers while improving food security in the region.

In a country where most people and businesses run their own generators for electricity, ensuring a constant supply of energy is among the company鈥檚 top priorities. Its energy, petrochemicals, and petroleum refining sectors are amongst the largest in Africa. Dangote鈥檚 businesses in fertilizers, mining, logistics and port operations are thriving.

By establishing and growing its impactful businesses and running ventures that serve the interest of all stakeholders, Dangote is a social and economic exemplar. Running these businesses efficiently requires state-of-the-art technology, and running the technology requires highly skilled personnel.

Building a specialized workforce

鈥淲hen you are dealing with new industries, there is no established talent,鈥� Ramakrishna Potluri, CIO of Dangote Projects explained. 鈥淲e needed a bold, innovative approach.鈥�

As part of its ambitious strategy for self-reliance, the company is commissioning the world鈥檚 largest single train oil refinery. 鈥淲e had to build our own port next to the refinery to receive all the huge ships bringing in some of the world鈥檚 heaviest and largest equipment. We trained thousands of young people in engineering and construction skills,鈥� said Potluri.

The first goal was to bring in the engineering talent and train locals for these specialized construction and operational tasks. Although Nigeria has a number of higher education institutions, there is no industry ecosystem to prepare students for employment. At the same time, the company was in the fortunate position of deploying the best IT systems and software such as听听and other 麻豆原创 solutions from the start.

鈥淥ther companies first construct their plants and then install the systems to run them,鈥� said Potluri. 鈥淲e implemented 麻豆原创 S/4 HANA on 麻豆原创 HANA Enterprise Cloud to manage the initial phase of construction. We brought in tech experts for the implementation six years ago. We recruited and trained a team of local 麻豆原创 S/4HANA consultants.鈥�

Potluri is well aware that many young professionals in Nigeria come from challenging economic living conditions and are subject to cultural and familial pressure to move on to better positions, especially abroad. Nevertheless, he has built up a small A-team of experts for the 麻豆原创 Certified Center of Excellence (CoE) at Dangote.

鈥淣ormally, CoEs only provide support. We do everything, including implementations. The team is so good, the last 麻豆原创 S/4HANA upgrade only took five and a half days,鈥� he proudly recounted.

Taking pride

The majority of Potluri鈥檚 team came from the regional听, a unique enablement plan providing functional and technical knowledge of 麻豆原创 software. It includes certification on 麻豆原创鈥檚 latest innovations as well as soft skill trainings. Participants graduate as 麻豆原创 associate consultants, being immediately employable with 麻豆原创 customers and partners.

鈥淭hese 麻豆原创 Young Professionals helped us immensely. When someone joins from the 麻豆原创 Young Professionals Program, we put them in a specific 麻豆原创 area. They are involved in all aspects of implementation, from getting requirements to testing to custom development,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tremendous advantage. They learn to do everything.鈥�

When it comes to retaining people who have received such specialized training, Potluri has a unique selling point. His proposition to a candidate is not focused on salaries and benefits; that鈥檚 the job of HR.

This article first appeared in .

The post How Nigeria鈥檚 Largest Business Conglomerate Is Developing A Skilled Workforce To Empower Africa appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

Paying a High Price

Everyone suffers from climate change, but some regions suffer disproportionately from its negative consequences. Africa contributes only three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the least of all regions. Yet increasing temperatures, extreme droughts, and floods threaten human health and safety, food and water security, and socioeconomic development in Africa.

African leaders meeting recently at the called on their counterparts from wealthier nations to increase funding for projects to help them adapt to climate change. This topic was already addressed at the COP26 meeting last year, where world powers for developing countries to around $40 billion a year by 2025, but .

“If we want our continent to thrive, we have to adapt to climate change — and to achieve this, financing needs to start flowing at scale,” said Ghana President Nana Afuko-Addo at the summit. The African Development Bank has already committed half the amount needed for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, but African leaders are looking for the world’s big CO2 emitters to step in.

These discussions will be the focal topic at the 27th Convention on Climate Change this month in Egypt. With a volatile geopolitical backdrop dominating world dynamics since early 2022, leaders at COP27 have their work cut out to around climate.

In the meantime, businesses can play a key role in improving people’s lives.

Harnessing the Power of People

By 2050, Africa will be home to some of the world’s largest cities, including Lagos and Kinshasa, and a $29 trillion economy. The continent boasts the largest youth labor market in the world and is at the forefront of digitalization and cloud technologies. Tech-savvy young people equipped with the right skills and vision can dramatically impact productivity and sustainability, making education and vocational training vital to success.

While connectivity has improved over the last decade, its reach varies. About 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, and frequent power outages keep the existing supply unstable. Political, economic, and social instability exist in many countries, but the most significant problem remains the high unemployment rate across the entire continent.

“In a world where one employee may be supporting ten family members, sustainability and compliance to environmental, societal, and governance factors may seem a luxury,” says Cathy Smith, managing director of 麻豆原创 Africa. “African enterprises don’t want their growth to be hampered by restrictions from outside their region. At the same time, they realize the need for greater efficiency, lower costs, and less waste in running their business. It’s common sense.”

Africa is vast and diverse. Whereas some countries like Kenya, Ruanda, and Nigeria have digitally savvy populations striving towards digital transformation, others depend on traditional industries such as mining and oil and gas, where change happens at a slower pace. Small and midsize businesses remain the backbone of most economies on the continent.

Businesses have never been a more critical player in responding to significant global volatility, disruption, and conflict. Still, regional enterprises must develop at their own pace based on their strategic objectives and customer needs.

Understanding Human Needs

Like elsewhere, consumer behavior shifts have impacted the African continent since COVID-19. As opposed to many Western countries, where consumers focus more on sustainability, African shoppers are more concerned with household spending. According to a on South African Consumer Outlook, brand loyalty has weakened as consumers more frequently select the lowest-priced product to meet their needs and budgets.

“It’s very critical for consumer goods companies to ensure their portfolio accommodates the changing circumstances of shoppers,” Smith says. “Our job is not to mandate how those companies manage their green lines. Our job is to help them move beyond disconnected, piecemeal approaches and use technology’s power to build inclusive, sustainable, and resilient value chains.”

That said, shifts in consumer behavior toward sustainability are not impacting Africa. According to by De Beers Group, sustainability considerations are now on par with price and design for consumers when purchasing diamonds. While there is undoubtedly a dark side to how people have acquired their sparkling stones, the upside is that the industry creates high employment levels and contributes significantly to the GDPs of the countries producing them.

As quoted in the report, De Beers Group CEO Bruce Cleaver says the research provides important insights on how sustainability factors influence consumer attitudes toward diamonds. A tipping point is happening: sustainability is no longer a trend; it’s already one of the critical considerations in diamond purchases.

Finding the Right Balance

For business leaders, it is a matter of weighing the pros and cons and finding the right balance to benefit people, profit, and the planet. In addition, government policies need to align all relevant parties. Consistent collaboration among governments, businesses, and partners can help maintain the sense of urgency required to ensure the well doesn’t dry.

This approach will help African enterprises of all sizes in all industries chart a sustainable path for the future.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit .

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Q: What prompted your journey?

A: It came about through a mix of free choice and necessity — some of it was a push, and some of it was a pull! The pull was the interest in a holistic lifestyle, where I wanted to tread lightly and leave a minimal impact on the planet. The push was a phenomenon called load shedding. Government-owned electricity providers in Africa often can鈥檛 keep up with demand, so load shedding is used to distribute demand across multiple power sources, often disrupting power supply.

Can you imagine trying to do your work, chasing targets and deadlines while plunged into darkness, with no power source for lights, laptop batteries, and internet and mobile phone signals, for hours on end, often with little or no warning?

Now, I’m about 80% off grid, which is quite ahead of the game. It鈥檚 great for me, because I don’t feel the impact of the load shedding. I can continue to work when they switch off the electricity. I have an app that tells me how much energy I鈥檝e produced, how much CO2 emissions I鈥檝e saved, and the equivalent of trees planted. I love keeping track.

What鈥檚 challenging about doing business in the region?

Africa is a vast continent, with a wealth of diversity in geography and wildlife, and people, cultures, and languages. The region is facing serious environmental challenges, including land degradation, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and extreme vulnerability to climate change. In addition, poverty across the continent is one of the most serious challenges to sustainable development, along with major issues such as infrastructure and the availability of electricity.

Three-quarters of the 759 million people around the world who don鈥檛 have access to electricity live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Education and gainful employment cannot be done in the dark. Without universal access to electricity, Africa will remain vulnerable to underdevelopment, high unemployment, a migration crisis, and instability. That鈥檚 why United Nations — to ensure access to affordable, sustainable modern energy for all — is so critical to the region.

This all contributes to the unique and often intense and personal experience of working in Africa. There are incredible highs and lows as we work to find innovative ways to overcome or sidestep these challenges.

In a on South Africa鈥檚 Hot 102.7FM radio station, you described how to build a sustainable business.

I believe embracing sustainable business is key to Africa鈥檚 economic growth. For me, sustainability is a team sport.

For a business to be both profitable and sustainable, you must put people, planet, and profit on equal footing. 麻豆原创 has two roles in helping customers achieve that goal: one is to enable enterprises to succeed on the path the choose to pursue, and the other is to act as an exemplar with its own commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

In my experience, most companies want to be sustainable, but they don鈥檛 know how to do it. It starts with a strategic decision: do you want to do the bare minimum and just adhere to regulations or do you want to embed sustainability as a key strategy and use it to drive innovation? Whatever it is, 麻豆原创 provides the best tools to optimize processes, increases efficiency, and preserve energy and resources.

Data, from primary and secondary sources, is the central element. Once you start benchmarking it to track across all four pillars — people, planet, profit, and governance — you can start aligning operations as needed. You must ensure everyone buys into the change. Employees, customers, suppliers, and partners all need to be informed of your goals.听 Consumers are demanding more sustainable products, so companies must engage all parts of the business every step of the way to understand how the product is disposed at the end of its life cycle.

How is innovation driving sustainability?

This is a topic close to my heart. I鈥檓 excited about tech projects that are transforming agribusiness in Africa. More than 30% of all food produced in the world for human consumption gets lost or wasted; in Africa, food loss occurs almost entirely in the production and distribution stages. About 90% of 听who don鈥檛 have the kind of cold storage solutions available to large-scale producers. This means lots of produce perishes along the way.

麻豆原创 Rural Sourcing Management is a solution that was developed to connect smallholder farmers to agricultural value chains. The tool helps smallholder farmers capture, maintain, and share data about crop types, farm size, harvest prospects, farmers鈥� production, and sales transactions. It also facilitates access to various stakeholders in the broader agricultural value chain, including financial services, buyers and suppliers of seed, fertilizers, and agricultural equipment 鈥� and distribution networks.

Large enterprises are also benefiting from innovation in technology. Nigeria鈥檚 Dangote Group is a leading provider of essential daily needs from cement manufacturing to sugar and salt refining to port operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Dangote Group is currently constructing the world鈥檚 largest single train oil refinery, which will process up to 650,000 barrels of oil per day. Its fertilizer plant is currently in its final stages at the same location as the refinery. Once completed, it will be the largest in the world, with capacity for 3 million tons of fertilizer a year, enough to meet all domestic demand. The efficiency of these projects is enabled by state-of-the-art technology such as 麻豆原创 S/4HANA.

I love the fact that we are working for a company like 麻豆原创 that has the vision and the resources to link all these disparate elements 鈥� people, planet, and profit 鈥� in truly pioneering ways and that we can be part of this incredible force for change. We鈥檝e never walked this path before, but that鈥檚 what makes our work meaningful and worthwhile!

Read more stories from the 麻豆原创 Pioneers series.

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Last year, 麻豆原创 updated its听听with a new goal to phase out single-use plastics by the end of 2020. Additionally, the company aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, reduce water consumption, develop solutions that help customers to achieve sustainability goals, and enable employees to improve the environmental performance of 麻豆原创 and its customers.

鈥淲ith many of our customers striving to become more sustainable, our objective is to provide products and services that meet their sustainability challenges and opportunities,鈥� says Christian Klein, CEO of 麻豆原创 SE, who is convinced that in today鈥檚 world consumers are not only looking at the price and quality of a product, but at a brand鈥檚 degree of sustainability.

鈥淎t the same time, it is our responsibility to lead by example,鈥� he says 鈥� and 麻豆原创 employees agree. In a recent employee survey, 94 percent said the company should pursue sustainability, and 87 percent said they actively contribute to 麻豆原创鈥檚 sustainability goals.

鈥淓mployees play a critical role in eliminating single-use plastics,鈥� 麻豆原创 Chief Sustainability Officer Daniel Schmid says. 鈥淭hrough projects like 鈥楤eyond Single-Use Plastics,鈥� which was launched in July 2019, employees are helping us identify opportunities and find alternatives at all our locations.鈥�

Shared Purpose

Eliminating single-use plastics has united 麻豆原创 employees around the world with a common goal. The project began last year as a company-wide initiative, with the Global Real Estate and Facilities, Marketing, and Procurement organizations identified as focus areas. A joint commitment was made to implement measures and processes based on circular economy principles to reduce waste,听reuse items, and听recycle materials.

Implementation is part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Global Environmental Management System that includes 55 sites, each with local plastic reduction targets. Passionate employees across the globe are bringing the program to life.

麻豆原创 Labs China, for example, identified areas where single-use plastics are utilized and then shared employee feedback with the Global Real Estate and Facilities team to implement changes and launch events to help reduce waste.

In 麻豆原创 Ireland, a group of sustainability champions started the 鈥淧ower of One鈥� campaign to spread toolkits and tips for reducing single-use waste and raise awareness among colleagues and catering partners. Single-use plastics such as yogurt cups, bin bags, and sandwich wrappers were replaced with more sustainable alternatives.

At 麻豆原创 Labs Hungary, colleagues started discussions with facility management and their corporate caterer on how to become more sustainable. As a result, single-use plastic cups, straws, and stirrers disappeared and the use of water bottles and glasses increased.

In the U.S., 麻豆原创 offices in Naperville, Chicago, have been plastic-free for more than 15 years, and now have been joined by company offices in Boulder, Colorado. Meanwhile the office in Bellevue, Washington, is and part of the for any plastic that enters the building.

These are just a few examples of initiatives at 麻豆原创 locations worldwide.

Waste Not, Want Not

The other focus area of the 鈥楤eyond Single-Use Plastics鈥� project is increasing internal and external awareness about the global plastic problem. Earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Klein announced 麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment to a cleaner ocean by 2030. 麻豆原创 intends to help achieve this objective together with customers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and partners by providing them with the tools and solutions to help eliminate waste and maximize resource productivity.

As Klein and other sustainability champions know, plastic itself is not the problem. Plastic has revolutionized the world in many ways 鈥� from sterile medical packaging to safe food storage. It has provided great benefits for societies everywhere.

鈥淲e need plastic, but without a doubt single-use plastic is one of the greatest contributors to waste on the planet,鈥� Klein says. 鈥淭he problem is what we do with it and how we dispose of it, so it does not end up in the ocean or littering the land.鈥�

An Ongoing Journey

Other 麻豆原创 actions to help reduce plastic pollution include Plastics Cloud, which helps customers manage the material more effectively through collaboration among business, government, and consumers across the plastics value chain. 麻豆原创 has also joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Network, a leading circular economy initiative, and sponsors ocean activist Emily Penn.

These steps are all part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 decade-long journey toward becoming a more sustainable enterprise. The company also is committed to transparency and remains the only global software company that discloses its sustainability performance in a holistic integrated report.

According to Luka Mucic, member of the Executive Board of 麻豆原创 SE and chief financial officer, 鈥淥ur approach to quantifying听the on our operating result听is a significant differentiator, generating interest from investors and customers.鈥�

More Work Ahead

When it comes to single-use plastics, the pandemic has helped to accelerate positive shifts in some areas. The Global Real Estate and Facilities team has taken advantage of office closures to take inventory of canteens and other spaces in the quest to eliminate single-use plastics by the end of the year. The team works closely with Change Management colleagues to identify challenges and gather advice on how to expedite the overall process.

The company鈥檚 move to digital events has also helped eliminate the need for single-use items. However, challenges remain. Progress made introducing reusable cups, dishes, and cutlery in many office canteens must now be carefully weighed against the hygiene concerns at some locations.

Nevertheless, the urgency of eliminating single-use plastics is mounting. As natural historian David Attenborough says: 鈥淭he one thing we all have to do is simply not to waste. Don鈥檛 waste plastic; don鈥檛 waste food; don鈥檛 waste power. Live within our means. That鈥檚 what we should be aiming for.鈥�

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To do so, Africa needs strong trade relations around the globe, which is why coming together as a region has never been more important than it is now. And since Africa is the continent with the youngest, fastest-growing population, it is equally important to harness the power of youth to build relations and develop potential.

Nobody knows this better than Kennedy Ekezie, co-founder and CEO of Africave, a company that trains and builds distributed teams, connecting global organizations to the continent鈥檚 elite digital talent.

Africave Pushes the Envelope

鈥淭he real question is how to identify and validate the potential of those youngsters who are committed to excellence and how to give them a foot in the door with the right tools,鈥� Ekezie says.

Originally hailing from Nigeria, as an undergraduate student he founded an organization that contributed to advocacy efforts to end female genital mutilation and gender-based violence in Nigeria.

With Africave, his mission is to create unfettered access to economic opportunity for Africa鈥檚 brilliant minds.

Connecting People

The idea for Africave came about while Ekezie was working for a Chinese multinational trying to enter Africa.

鈥淚 realized that they did not know how to find the right digital talent,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭hey were relying on me and my personal networks to find talent they could trust.鈥� He united with Valentine Oleka and Duke Ekezie-Joseph as co-founders building Africave.

Ekezie is the first Nigerian recipient of the Yenching Scholarship, known as the Chinese Rhodes Scholarship, through which he will complete a master鈥檚 degree in economics and management. He is also the recipient of numerous awards and a member of the Fortis Society, the world鈥檚 first private network of deserving leaders who are inducted based on merit and commitment to building more prosperous societies.

In 2017, Ekezie was named one of the top 30 global teen leaders being nurtured by the flagship听听(WAFF) program called听, of which 麻豆原创 is the key partner. Named after the听听written for pop group Sister Sledge in the 1970s, WAFF promotes the vision of a global family through programs that nurture and mentor visionary young people who are changing the world positively.

Africave was awarded a sizable grant by the 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team, which the organization will use to build and train a team of three full-time staff members to run the organization. Besides covering a new, lean tech stack, the grant will also be applied toward upskilling the young talent pool that will be mentored by high-achieving, well-established professionals at top global organizations including Goldman Sachs, Google, and UNESCO. And advisors include Oprah Winfrey鈥檚 longest-serving chief of staff, Libby Moore. It currently has companies in the U.S. and Europe scaling their hiring efforts from its digital talent pool.

鈥淚 grew up in a traditional Nigerian home that emphasized the importance of hard work, discipline, and success,鈥� Ekezie shares. 鈥淢any young people are taught they need to be successful, but no one tells them why.听For us, success is contingent on our ability to change our community, country, and the world. Mentoring is about imparting the mental framework to solve big, hard problems.鈥�

Build a Better World

Creating a sustainable future is one of those problems. If you are starving, you do not care about other social issues like the environment. For Ekezie and his co-founders, economic empowerment is key to long-term survival. He is keenly aware of the fact that by 2050, one-third of the world鈥檚 population will reside in Africa, yet 43 percent of young Africans today are unemployed. He is convinced that access to sustainable livelihood through technology specifically suited to the African continent allows young people to thrive. This is necessary to get young people interested in other pressing social issues like counteracting climate change.

鈥淭here is no external solution,鈥� says Ekezie. 鈥淲e need homegrown solutions that provide long-term, sustainable solutions for Africa鈥檚 young population.鈥�

This is not a small task, which is why Ekezie needs the support of a large technology company like 麻豆原创 that can knock down barriers and help young people gain digital skills and access to regional and global leaders. He was part of the young leaders鈥� cohort at the recent Sustainable Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) in Addis Ababa, supported by 麻豆原创.

As part of the partnership with 麻豆原创, Ekezie鈥檚 role is to advise the 麻豆原创 CSR team on its global strategy and how best to create sustainable options for building digital skills. He and his team bring firsthand experience to the table. Pooling knowledge, skills, and experience creates a long-lasting foundation for the future.

Alexandra van der Ploeg, head of 麻豆原创 CSR, believes programs such as the WAFF Three Dot Dash initiative are instrumental in supporting young leaders reach their full potential to solve our world鈥檚 most pressing problems: 鈥淲e are proud and humbled to support young leaders like Kennedy Ekezie. We have much to learn from young leaders like him. In turn, we can support them by developing their organizations into the best they can be.鈥�

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鈥溌槎乖� is committed to a dramatically cleaner ocean by 2030,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淲e can achieve this commitment by working together with customers, NGOs, governments, and partners, and by providing them with the tools, insights, and solutions to eliminate waste and maximize resource productivity. Many of our customers have made commitments to a cleaner planet, and so have we. We will support them in achieving their ambitious goals, and together we will achieve a plastic-free ocean over the next 10 years.鈥�

The health of the world鈥檚 oceans is at the top of the agenda in Davos, and Klein was part of a panel session with other business leaders and nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives at the event.

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The crisis is very real: 8 million metric tons of waste enters the ocean every year and the amount is increasing an accelerating pace. Recently published research indicates the levels of plastics in the ocean may be a than previously thought. Plastic material slowly degrades into micro-plastics that harm the ecosystem and enter the ocean food chain. On average, people around the world are swallowing a total of five grams — about as much as a credit card — of harmful plastic material every week. That鈥檚 the equivalent of a half a pound yearly, ingested from many sources, including tap water and everyday foods such as sugar, salt, pasta, shellfish, rice, milk, and bread.

We know that the well-being of the economy, the environment, and the people on our planet are inextricably linked. It is understood that there can be no economic growth or development if business does not play a key role in operating profitably within planetary boundaries. A fundamental shift is needed in how we produce, use, dispose, and re-use materials in our economies. The current system is largely linear, meaning resources are used in production, made into products, and then are disposed of in the form of waste.

To sustain this 鈥渢ake, make, waste鈥� lifestyle,听 1.8 planets worth of resources are needed; the current model is clearly unsustainable. An emerging circular economy aims to change that. Despite all the efforts in responsible packaging design, recycling programs, and re-use business models, we are only about nine percent circular, according to the Circularity Gap report.

麻豆原创: Uniquely Positioned for Impact

With consumers shifting their preferences to sustainable products, investors and employees clamoring for action, and regulators pushing new legislation, there is enormous momentum for businesses to drive responsible growth. And with 77 percent of the world鈥檚 transactions touching 麻豆原创 systems and more than 430,000 companies using 麻豆原创 software, the company is uniquely positioned to make a huge difference by helping customers redesign global value networks toward more circular business models and processes.

麻豆原创 has been leading programs and partnerships to drive sustainable change around the world. 麻豆原创 created the and partnered with Google on the challenge to foster revenue generating ideas that support circular use cases. The company also recently joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation鈥檚 Circular Economy 100 (CE100) Network, a collaborative network of business, innovators, cities and governments, universities, and thought leaders all working together to accelerate adoption of circular economy practices and processes that maximize the use of resources.

麻豆原创 is part of a growing movement of policymakers, NGOs, social groups, and leading companies coming together to work on solutions such as avoiding single-use plastics, better managing and recycling plastic waste streams, and creating a circular plastics economy.

Many of the world鈥檚 leading brands are both part of the challenge and leading the way forward. For example, companies in the consumer packaged goods industry have started rethinking packaging and opting for more recyclable and sustainable alternatives.

Aside from the benefits gained from preserving the natural environment, there is a massive economic upside for business to move fast. It is the plastics industry could consume 20 percent of total global oil production. Since most plastic is used only once, 95 percent of its economic value — currently up to $120 billion annually — is lost.

, for example, has committed to a world without waste by making all packaging 100 percent recyclable by 2025. to eliminate non-recyclable plastic within five years. role model in responsible production by managing every stage of a product鈥檚 life cycle — from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and distributing products — in order to reduce environmental impact.

麻豆原创 is already working with these customers and many others to help them manage the complex task of recycling many different types of plastics.

Impact Across the Value Chain

The 麻豆原创 vision for a plastic-free ocean calls on these customers and other global heavyweights to accelerate progress on their commitments. It also calls on companies of all sizes and industries to seek ways 麻豆原创 technology can help them in key areas, including responsible production, waste insights, secondary marketplaces, and consumer experiences.

麻豆原创 has a number of solutions and platforms, including the portfolio, that enable manufacturers to design, produce, and distribute products using more sustainable materials and responsible, transparent processes. The Plastics Cloud, for example, is a platform that enables the UK Plastics Pact to tackle the scourge of plastic waste through a unique collaboration between business, government, and citizens across the entire plastics value chain in the UK.

A US$400 billion market, the waste management industry is poised to be disrupted and rapidly expand through the effective use of data. Michael Groves is founder and CEO of , the Scottish smart-waste company that won the Circular Economy 2030 challenge this year. He explains that the waste value chain is very complex and opaque, with many private and public sector players and a significant informal sector around the world. Realizing that money follows data, Groves developed a solution that uses analytics and machine learning to follow trash as it travels. Clear data and insights will be fundamental to spurring investments in new infrastructure and innovation in the sector.

With useful data available about what waste is where and in what quality and quantity, companies can then procure this waste much more effectively and bring the materials back into their production processes. The expansion of these secondary materials marketplaces is another area where procurement platforms like can help companies become more circular and sustainable.

麻豆原创鈥檚 intelligent enterprise strategy focuses on connecting enterprise operational data (O-data) with the experience data (X-data) from their consumers. The company鈥檚 recent acquisition of experience management firm Qualtrics offers an entirely new level of support for companies to understand their consumer feelings, emotions, and desires about products, brands, and the impact they are making. Innovations across 麻豆原创 offer customers ways to inform, educate, and engage with consumers about products and processes, including apps that help consumers better understand how to recycle products and blockchain traceability and information platforms.

鈥淢any of our global customers are looking for solutions across their value chains and across their global markets to drive real positive change for their consumers, their business, and for the planet,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淭hrough our technology and innovation, 麻豆原创 can help companies unlock US$4.5 trillion in economic growth by creating sustainable business models and processes.鈥�

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If you鈥檝e ever spent time in Rio, you鈥檝e probably seen a lot of well-dressed men on the street. That鈥檚 because most Cariocas, the residents of the party capital of the world, like to look impeccable.

A Hassle-Free Shopping Experience at 滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒

滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒, a traditional family retailer for menswear, is a favorite one-stop shop for men in Rio de Janeiro who want a hassle-free shopping experience, or for the women in their lives.

Established in 1961 when the bossa nova was at the height of its popularity and the city was in a period of socioeconomic transformation, 滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒 has a long tradition of not just surviving but thriving in times of change.

鈥淭he market has changed completely since those days,鈥� says Rafael Sampaio, second-generation CEO of the company. He goes on to explain that since the arrival of smartphones, getting people to come into a store is a larger challenge. 鈥淚n the past, people simply had to go the store. Now, they have to want to go.鈥�

Sampaio knows that today鈥檚 consumers are well informed and know what they want. 滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒 caters to the lower middle-class segment of the Brazilian market whose purchasing power has increased substantially in the past decade.

According to a recent study by a , a more stable economy and better job opportunities mean this segment can now afford to acquire a variety of consumer goods that were previously beyond their reach. Referred to as 鈥淐lass C,鈥� this segment includes 49 percent of Brazilian households and represents 31 percent of potential consumption. The option to buy using zero-interest installment plans also helps these consumers spend more than ever before.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 afford to lose a single one of our 63,000 customers,鈥� says Sampaio. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 crucial for us to understand our shoppers and provide each and every one of them with a flawless experience.鈥� To achieve that mission, Sampaio decided to implement Experience Management solutions from 麻豆原创 (Qualtrics), which help enterprises better understand the beliefs, emotions, and intentions of their customers.

鈥淲e know that Class C consumers are loyal to their brands, so our challenge is to keep our brand relevant to them,鈥� he explains. Instead of trying to fight against big competitors like global brands, online giants, and sleek malls, Sampaio and his team decided to pursue a different strategy.

Rather than aiming to be the largest, the company strives to be the best in its category. The way to do that is to maintain a strong local presence. Like a neighborhood mom-and-pop shop or a corner kiosk, 滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒 knows its customers intimately. The company knows what they want to wear to work, to church, and to the soccer stadium. It knows customers expect to be greeted upon entering the store, and that they want a variety of quality choices at the best price possible. Most of all, they expect a flawless checkout experience.

After implementing Experience Management solutions from 麻豆原创, the company experienced a 25 percent drop in customer complaints. Customer feedback is collected via short surveys after a purchase. The data is analyzed and shared throughout the organization on multiple view dashboards for executives, sales managers, individual salespeople, and cashiers.

鈥淲e鈥檙e actually more focused on positive feedback,鈥� Sampaio explains. 鈥淧raise is addictive. Employees who are repeatedly praised strive even harder to perform well.鈥�

Sampaio wonders how he ever did business before implementing the solutions. 鈥淏efore we got this tool, we had no idea how our customers and employees were feeling. Were they happy, frustrated, or indifferent? It was like doing business with your eyes closed.鈥�

Sampaio is convinced that it is not a question of whether or not a company needs an experience management tool; it鈥檚 a matter of reaching that 鈥渁ha鈥� moment when you ask yourself why you haven鈥檛 implemented it yet.

Embracing 麻豆原创 Business One

When it came to automating key business functions in financials, operations, and human resources, 滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒 opted to implement 麻豆原创 Business One, business management software for small and midsize enterprises. Sampaio says he was pleasantly surprised at the speed and ease of the implementation and the approachability of the 麻豆原创 team.

鈥淚 never thought such a big company like 麻豆原创 would be so easy to do business with,鈥� says 滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒鈥檚 top executive, whose main objective from day one was to be able to turn data into actionable items to stay ahead of competitors. 鈥淲ith 麻豆原创, we can evaluate the performance of each of our stores and make any necessary changes such as more training for employees or changing our range of products.鈥�

Despite being a small local player, this customer-centric attitude keeps 滨尘辫别肠谩惫别濒 consistently at the top of the list of preferred retailers in Rio.

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So what lies ahead for a sector under pressure to limit carbon emissions and create a different future for hydrocarbon-based businesses?

To start, there is no point in visionary planning for 2030 or for worrying about efficiency and productivity in the oil and gas sector unless steps are taken to prevent catastrophic climate change in the same time period. El-Molla is keenly aware of the need to address this issue 鈥� now.

We are focusing on gas in the interim as we work to fill 40 percent of our energy needs through wind and solar by 2030,鈥� he says. In addition to meeting the demands of the domestic market, the Minister鈥檚 vision is to help Egypt become a clean energy hub for the region. Thanks to a clear strategy and massive efforts undertaken by the Ministry since El-Molla鈥檚 appointment in 2015, that long-term goal has every chance of success.

This ongoing strategy for sustainable economic reform along with the discovery of the offshore Zohr gas field in the Mediterranean are behind the that Egypt will be one of the top 10 global economies in just 10 years 鈥� ranked number seven, ahead of Russia, Japan, and Germany.

Provide an Outlook

El-Molla spent 24 years in various operational and executive positions at and recalls turbulent times during the early part of the decade when two revolutions were followed by a period of instability and insecurity for Egypt鈥檚 120-year-old oil and gas sector. The Ministry is responsible for securing refined products for the entire country and for maintaining and ensuring production through joint partners. But during that time it was facing the practical problems of shortages and a decline in production.

Stability returned under the current President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who realized the need for someone with El-Molla鈥檚 experience to lead necessary change.One of El-Molla鈥檚 first steps was to reach out to partners, vendors, and suppliers.

鈥淒uring difficult times it is easy for investors and multinationals to just shut down and leave,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 critical to keep them engaged. They need to feel confident that their investments are protected, and that the government is a stable, reliable partner.鈥�

The next steps were more difficult.

Modernize for Change

Becoming the regional energy hub requires massive changes, so the Ministry created a comprehensive modernization strategy that addresses key areas such as production performance, refining and distribution, and enterprise resource planning (ERP). But the core area for overhaul was human resources (HR) development.

The Ministry is a fragmented organization comprising different holding companies, joint ventures, public sector entities, and investment groups. More than 240,000 people are part of it, but they were not connected to each other.

鈥淭he last organizational change was 20 years ago,鈥� El-Molla says. 鈥淲e need to communicate our vision of change, we need to connect people to the vision, and we need the right people to make it happen.鈥�

Pulling it together requires one global system, one consolidated balance sheet, and mostly importantly, one team. The Ministry first created an intranet to facilitate unified updates and messaging and get buy-in from employees. El-Molla knew from previous experience that people often feel threatened when new systems are implemented; they only accept change once they realize the system will help them work more efficiently and save time for more fulfilling tasks.

Together with his team, El-Molla then identified key competencies and announced internal openings for subject matter experts and core business disciplines such as finance and administration. Out of 3,000 applicants, they selected 700 motivated and ambitious individuals and then whittled that group down to 400. Those selected were sent abroad for on-the-job training and given mid-management roles upon their return, ready to fast-track the organization into the future.

鈥淲e now have the most diverse, highly qualified, dynamic team to take us to the next level,鈥� says El-Molla proudly.

With the right people in place, El-Molla can focus fully on the modernization process, which requires the right technology. was his first choice not only because he was familiar with it from his Chevron days, but because he believes it is the right ERP solution for preparing a national industry to work more efficiently with minimum losses at higher productivity rates.

El-Molla believes in leading by example. The modernization program at the Egypt Ministry of Petroleum will not only set an example for the nation; as it begins to show results, it will help unlock the potential of the entire region by improving the economy, empowering people, and creating sustainable sources of energy for generations to come.

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