A leading accounting firm, Kreston Pedabo has launched a new survey to gather insights into how organisations are adopting Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) practices amid a rapidly changing and increasingly uncertain business environment.
The firm is inviting business leaders, risk managers, and other stakeholders to share their experiences, aiming to build a clearer picture of ERM maturity, challenges, and opportunities across the continent.

The survey, available at https://forms.office.com/r/hcSfJbrs6E, will help organisations benchmark their risk management practices while highlighting where improvements and additional support may be needed.

Pedabo believes the findings will encourage greater board-level engagement and help position ERM as a value-creating, strategic discipline rather than simply a compliance function.

In today’s complex environment, experts warn that organisations lacking a mature ERM framework may struggle to respond to shocks ranging from financial and operational disruptions to regulatory and reputational crises. A well-structured ERM approach allows organisations to identify, assess, mitigate, and monitor risks in a proactive way, supporting informed decision-making and safeguarding long-term value.

Kreston Pedabo notes that effective ERM helps to align risk considerations with strategic planning, enabling leaders to allocate resources more effectively, pursue opportunities confidently, and avoid actions that could undermine success. It also strengthens organisational resilience and business continuity by preparing for disruptions through timely crisis response and continuity strategies. In addition, ERM supports improved governance and regulatory compliance, helping organisations meet growing stakeholder expectations and demonstrate accountability to boards, investors, regulators, and the wider public.

A mature ERM framework is also seen as vital for fostering a risk-aware culture, encouraging transparency, ownership of risks, and a shared understanding of risk appetite throughout all levels of the organisation. Over time, this approach promotes confidence, reduces surprises, and supports more stable financial performance by minimising losses, controlling costs, and protecting organisational assets.

Despite these benefits, ERM remains underutilised in many African organisations, often due to low board-level risk awareness, weak regulatory pressures, and limited resources. Kreston Pedabo hopes this survey will help drive conversations around the true value of ERM and encourage more organisations to embed risk management into their strategic decision-making processes.