4th March 2020
Own Correspondent
GABORONE – The Stanbic Inaugural Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) Connect stakeholder engagement hosted by Stanbic Bank Botswana identified pervasive factors that stand to shape and influence the national and indeed global economy.
Sheperd Aisam, Head of Stanbic Bank Botswana’s Corporate and Investment Banking division, said “We are grateful to all our valued stakeholders, partners and clients for making this inaugural platform a success. Our role as Stanbic Bank CIB is to help navigate a dynamic environment for our clients and deliver experience and knowledge to thrive.”
He said, “We are a strategic partner for business growth, and are thus wholly alive to the ecosystem in which we operate, from the National Vision and NDP 11 to the global UN SDGs, with themes of industry and innovation, environmental sustainability, economic growth and global partnerships.”
Aisam maintained Stanbic Botswana was intent on taking progressive action on changing energy supply and unlocking commodities, supporting the growing youthful populations with access to education, markets and technology, providing access to African markets for Global MNCs, Citizen Economic Empowerment Policies and exploring partnerships to reach the unbanked markets, for example.
Goolam Ballim, Chief Economist and Head of Research for Standard Bank Group, said, “Capitalism and free market have become fundamental ways of doing business but, increasingly, things are changing.”
He said, “Millennials are really shaping the global economy but, increasingly, millennials and their financial prowess are also shaping investment decisions. Almost 90% of millennials suggest that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is becoming an important point in their investment considerations. The point of view of millennials will only become more important in the coming decade – will see a five-fold increase in their wealth (predominantly in the developed world). Further, in 2020 and beyond, ESG will go mainstream and become a pioneer and potent shaping force.”
Key insights shared ranged from the need for Botswana organisations to insist on greater urgency in multinational conversations, to the public and private sector collaborating to drive a cultural shift promoting transparency and accountability.
Botswana allegedly fares much better than regional counterparts in terms of transformation but there remains a lot of work to be done.
Mobilisation, it was debated, is amongst the key areas in need of greater efficiency, particularly as we consider the changes being seen, heard and felt across the globe.
Lesego Osman, Head of Stanbic Bank Botswana’s Global Markets, said “These platforms do not start and end here. They create a foundation from which we build further to co-create the ecosystem we want to see in our future. This is only the beginning, for Botswana is our home and we are passionate about working together to drive her growth.”
