IHS Holding Limited has unveiled its 2023 Sustainability Report, where it disclosed that it has since 2017, committed $29 million to community-focused initiatives to promote growth and wellbeing.
The report covers sustainability activities from January 1 to December 31, 2023, and is the second report prepared by the Global Reporting Initiative Standards and maps the company’s sustainability initiatives to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
IHS said the 2023 Sustainability Report demonstrated its continued commitment to its stakeholders including, but not limited to, its employees, communities, suppliers, customers and investors.
The firm said the communications infrastructure it provides is vital to enabling mobile connectivity, and through the company’s four-pillar sustainability strategy, it seeks to further support long-term value creation.
Commenting, Chairman & CEO, IHS Towers, Sam Darwish, said: “Since 2017, we have invested more than $29 million in community-focused initiatives as part of our comprehensive sustainability programme. We are proud to help bring millions of people the power of mobile connectivity, promoting economic growth, social development, and access to critical public services.
“As we entered the second year of Project Green, the current phase of our Carbon Reduction Roadmap, we directed considerable effort towards reducing our environmental footprint. This included a reduction of Scope 1 and Scope 2 kilowatt-hour emissions intensity by approximately six per cent compared with 2022.
Looking back on 2023, we are pleased with our progress and continue to reflect, refine, and enhance our sustainability strategy today for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
On the environment, IHS said it continued to execute its Carbon Reduction Roadmap, where it powered 48 per cent of its sites with hybrid power systems that combine diesel generators with solar and/or battery systems; maintained responsible management of our waste streams, including 20,044 batteries recycled or reused; 75 per cent approximate reduction in hazardous lead-acid waste in Brazil; 25,640 kilograms of iron from dismantled towers recycled in Côte d’Ivoire and supported local biodiversity and reforestation projects by planting almost 30,000 trees across Brazil, Cameroon and Rwanda.
Socially, IHS spent $7 million on community-focused sustainability initiatives, where it reduced road traffic accident frequency (RTAF) rate by seven per cent and reported zero fatalities; increased female representation with females comprising 27 per cent of employees and 28 per cent of managers across the Group; strengthened supplier due diligence to include screening new suppliers for environmental and social criteria; continued commitment to education through several initiatives expansion of its UNICEF Giga partnership to Brazil, to help Giga map and connect more schools to the Internet.
Others include Advanced our Frontline Workers Initiative, which is currently supporting 50 students via scholarships to top-tier local and international universities; partnership with the Limitless Space Institute to help teachers in Brazil and Nigeria pursue new opportunities in space education and provided 400 schools in Nigeria with free Internet connectivity and donated 200 mini tablets in partnership with UNICEF Nigeria.
