The Sustainability and ESG Africa Conference (SEACon) 2025, held this week in Sandton, explored the importance of sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) as a strategic priority during challenging times, and the leadership approach to this.

Moderating the session, International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation’s International Sustainability Standards Board member Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien pointed out that African countries had to grapple with managing uncertain times, at a juncture when they needed to be growing.

She emphasised that there was a need to balance risks and opportunities, at a time when global ESG standards were evolving and supply chains were shifting.

Nestlé East and Southern Africa CEO Nicole Roos underlined the importance of “leading from the front”, noting that purpose kept the group moving forward through challenges.

She added that this required conviction and investment, with a commitment of funds into infrastructure needed now to deliver benefits in the future.

Roos also mentioned the need to create space for diverse thinking and the inclusion of young voices, with this also requiring intentionality.

She advocated for partnerships to solve complex challenges facing the continent.

Naspers South Africa CEO Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa mentioned the importance of both external and internal work, with the need to ensure people in an organisation were cognisant that they were key players in the process.

She also highlighted the importance of leaders being authentic and having integrity.

Safaricom sustainability senior manager Evelyne Serro reiterated the importance of purpose, noting that this guided everything that the company did. She added that this was embedded in its corporate strategy, rather than being a separate element.

She also advocated for the pursuit of African solutions as sustainable and scalable.

Built Africa CEO and chairperson Thulani Gcabashe emphasised that leadership needed to be ethical, strategic and in touch with what the needs were at that particular point in time.

He also highlighted the importance of the company being socially conscious, and pursuant of the improving wellbeing of people.

There is also the need to minimise environmental impact, Gcabashe added.

Meanwhile, in panel discussions at the event, speakers held high-level discussions exploring the state of ESG commitments, as well as the reporting landscape.

Some of the key takeaways that emerged from these included that disclosure was being stepped up in some places, with lots of organisations committing to global reporting, and first- and second-generation reports already online.

The development of online reporting tools is another factor, with this able to streamline the process, however, it can add a layer of complexity, and therefore, these platforms must ensure that they meet the required needs.

The importance of having the correct data, and integrating this, was also highlighted.

South Africa was said to have strong governance and regulatory frameworks in place to guide it in terms of ESG, which could help bolster its reporting.

The country was also highlighted to be leading in the continent in terms of shaping standards at a global level, with Africa now playing a bigger role in developing frameworks, rather than just adopting these.

This is important, given that the continent has had a low response rate and engagement in global discussions. There are now upshoots of positivity, with more stakeholders holding their governments and companies accountable.

The importance of leadership was underscored, referencing the first panel discussions.

Short-term pressures were indicated to be an impediment, as was the plethora of reporting required, as well as capacity challenges.

Moreover, in Africa, data is a challenge, with the transparency and traceability often questionable, and figures outdated.

South Africa can also capitalise on the opportunity presented by its black economic empowerment initiative, with some elements of this intersecting with ESG reporting, it was mentioned.