By Nephthali Messanh Ledy, Special Envoy to Kigali
The third edition of the African Business and Social Responsibility Forum kicked off Wednesday in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. It is placed under the theme “Education, Employment and Social Commitment: What Models for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth? And ends Thursday. This is the first edition that takes place outside the Mauritian borders.
“The digital revolution is leading to the disappearance of certain professions and to the emergence of new ones,” said Stéphane Moudouté-Bell, the general commissioner of the event in introductory words. In this context, he wondered, “how can companies contribute to better manage these innovations in the education system, how to anticipate the training of young Africans for future jobs whose contours are not yet known, how to put human capital at the heart of investment, and finally, what levers to operate in order to expand the critical job creation area on the labor market? ”
Through our corporate social responsibility policy, he believes, African companies have the capacity to provide efficient responses to these issues in order to meet the economic, social and environmental challenges facing the continent.
“So for two days here in Kigali, we propose to reflect together on these two major themes for our continent, which are education and employment,” he told participants. Proposals that emerge from this foundation will thus serve as “sources of inspiration for sustainable and inclusive growth”.
What about Rwandan leadership
According to Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the 6th President of the Republic of Mauritius, this forum provides a great opportunity to reflect on some clear challenges facing Africa. “But this year’s conference focuses on one key factor, education, and by extension, job creation for African youths.”
“I am proud to see African leadership in action. Since the tragic events of 1994, we have all witnessed the progress that Rwanda has made. This country has emerged as a phoenix and has become one of the continent’s most competitive economies, “she said. “The leadership of this country is understood. It has capitalized on its core strengths that are its people, especially women who have taken a prominent place in leadership, “said the guest speaker of this edition of the African Business & Social Responsibility Forum.
Rewarding the most innovative African companies in sustainable development
This forum is organized by the Latitude Monde cabinet and the Ameenah Gurib-Fakim Foundation. Its objective is to demonstrate and promote the importance of CSR for companies, to inspire companies in terms of societal “best practices”, to create partnerships for sustainable societal actions, to create financing opportunities related to promoting CSR, rewarding the most innovative African companies in sustainable development, and encouraging African SMEs and start-ups to become champions in CSR.
In addition to Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and Stéphane Moudouté-Bell, the forum is attended by other personalities such as Didier Acouetey from the AfricSearch group, Clare Akamanzi from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Ghada Khalifa from Microsoft Philanthropies, Alioune Gueye from the Africa Challenge group, and Tijani Najeh of the Arab Bank for Economic Development of Africa (BADEA).
