Anglo American backs Zambia’s impact investment drive

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Global mining company Anglo American has reiterated its on-going commitment to supporting the advancement of impact investing in countries in which it has a presence, including Zambia by sponsoring the Zambia Impact Investment Summit (ZIIS).

The pledge is part of the company’s ethos that corporate entities play a pivotal role in driving positive social and environmental change through responsible business practices.

Speaking during the Zambia Impact Investment Summit 2023 held under the theme “Zambia Rising; Harnessing Solutions for a Sustainable Future” Anglo American Principal: Sustainable Business Opportunities Emma Parker said: “We recognise that the private sector has a critical role in addressing global challenges. By integrating impact investing into our business model, we aim to create lasting positive change while delivering commercial and stakeholder value. We are committed to working in collaboration with a diverse range of partners to drive innovation, build resilience, and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world.”

Anglo American recognises that addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change, social inequality, and resource scarcity, requires a concerted effort from all sectors of society. Impact investing, which aims to generate positive social and environmental impact alongside financial returns, has emerged as a powerful tool in tackling these challenges head-on.

The Zambia Impact Investment Summit (ZIIS) is an annual event held by the National Advisory Board for Impact Investment (NABII), in collaboration with Impact Capital Africa (ICA).

The event aims to foster a thriving Zambian impact investment ecosystem, by convening key stakeholders including investors, impact companies, banks, corporates and intermediaries. The core focus of the event is to highlight a pipeline of exciting local opportunities, driving investment from attending investors.  Since 2018 ICA has supported over $125m of capital investment into Zambia SMEs, the conference playing a pivotal role in showcasing Zambia talent.

The mining giant firmly believes that corporates have a unique role to play in the impact investing ecosystem. By leveraging their resources, expertise, and global reach, they can remove barriers and constraints preventing the flow of impact capital into local SMEs, test innovative approaches to finance with investor and banking partners, while supporting economic diversification and jobs. The company is committed to leading by example and has established the Impact Finance Network to lead its corporate impact investing work.

“As a corporate we have the opportunity to use our unrestricted capital to design a programme, the Impact Finance Network, which helps find these businesses and prepare them for investment by providing quality technical assistance. And then unlocking finance through our network of investors via our curated matching process,” added Mrs Parker.

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