Antananarivo, October 28 2021

In a conference dedicated to the occasion, the pan-African AXIAN Group announced its first-ever Impact Report to partners, stakeholders in both Madagascar´s public and private sectors, and suppliers.

AXIAN has published the results of various commitments that the group turned into concrete actions throughout 2020 with regards to being environmentally-friendly and aligning with sustainable development. In this report, the group presents how its actions and strategy have resulted in positive-impact creation across four fronts: talent and entrepreneurship; communities and inclusion; innovation and investments, and the environment.

In line with its belief that businesses´ actions and operations must be made to benefit Africa´s growth, AXIAN has championed economic development through ethical, inclusive and sustainable ways. For over three years, the pan-African AXIAN Group has implemented various initiatives and projects to bolster energy, finance and digital inclusion to transform Africans´ day-to-day lives.

“Creating positive impact and—more importantly—doing good have become second-nature to us. We know that our company´s growth and long-term viability are only guaranteed if maximize the positive impact and mitigate the negative effects of our actions.”

Hassanein Hiridjee, AXIAN Group CEO

AXIAN IMPACT-SCORING TO MEASURE THE GROUP´S IMPACT

A Social Impact department was created in 2019 with the mandate of maximizing positive support across the group and bringing support to each of the Group´s subsidiaries for their own positive-impact projects. In partnership with international experts UTOPIES, the Group Social Impact management team created a purpose-built scoring system to allow AXIAN´s subsidiaries to study and quantify the group´s impact.

The social-impact report unveiled during this conference publishes the Group´s first-ever impact analysis and the lessons learned from its various initiatives. AXIAN is now the first company ever in Madagascar to have commissioned and published a “scope-3” carbon audit, which further supports its commitment to being transparent about the impact that it creates.

ACTING TOGETHER FOR MADAGASCAR´S GROWTH

This conference is also a platform for operators in both the public and private sectors to share the practices they have developed. Issa Sanogo, the country´s UN Systems Coordinator, John Dunlop, Madagascar USAID representative, Giovanni Di Girolamo, EU ambassador and Yves Guicquéro, director of the Agence Francaise de Développement discussed tools and practices best0suited to bolster inclusive economic growth in Madagascar that benefits local communities.

“Sustainable development is a battle that concerns each and every one of us. AXIAN wants to work with you to give Africa´s present and future generations new possibilities and prospects.”

Fanilo Rakotovao, AXIAN Group Social Impact Manager

KEY FIGURES

In 2020, out of 13 subsidiaries that were monitored and scored, most were able to reach and even surpass their objectives:

• TALENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP: to push for direct and indirect job creation and upskill its existing staff, especially through AXIAN University. In 2020, over 42,000 hours of training were delivered and the Group´s operations now directly and indirectly supports over 171,800 jobs across Madagascar.
• POPULATION & INCLUSION: To bolster financial, energy and digital inclusion across communities. The technological tools AXIAN has deployed have also facilitated access to healthcare, education and other basic services. Thanks to WeLight, over 25,000 people spread across 35 villages now enjoy access to electricity.
• INNOVATION & INVESTMENTS: To search for innovative solutions to society´s challenges. Regarding this commitment, TELMA was the first MNO to deploy commercial 5G in Africa, and in Madagascar, AXIAN opened a 10,000-m² space that is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.
• THE ENVIRONMENT: To act on our commitment to fight climate change. AXIAN committed to reducing its CO₂ emissions by 10% by implementing better waste-management processes across all offices, recycling electronics and switching to more energy-efficient servers.

Read the full report here.

ABOUT THE AXIAN GROUP

AXIAN is a pan-African group that specialises in 5 industries with high-growth potential, namely real estate, telecoms, financial services, energy and innovation. AXIAN operates directly in 7 countries across the Indian Ocean and Africa and is a proactive partner in the social and economic growth of countries it operates in.

Its 5,000 passionate and daring staff strive to ensure that its operations generate and positive and sustainable impact on the day-to-day lives of millions of Africans.

The AXIAN Group is a UN Global Compact signatory and committed to integrating its 10 Sustainable Development Goals to its operations and strategies.

Find out more on AXIAN at www.axian-group.com

ABOUT UTOPIES

Founded by Elisabeth Laville in 1993, UTOPIES is France´s top-ranked strategy and sustainability advisory outfit and the countries first-ever BCORP certified business (122 points in 2020). Its advisory focuses on four axes to unlock new possibilities for businesses and help them better integrate ESG and innovation: the positive brand, impact surveying and local-anchoring strategy; innovation for transition and integrated sustainable development.

Read the press release