United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Our vision to empower Africans through technology is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, we decided to compile some facts and figures that resonate with us, culled directly from the United Nations SDGs publication. The issues highlighted below are aspects of societal challenges that we intend to positively influence through our operations and corporate social responsibility activities.
Our values and vision are anchored steeply in these goals and the belief that every business has a duty to contribute its quota towards uplifting individuals and society in general. Our projects, software and technological solutions are driven by these aspirations.
HOW IS VENTIS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SDGs THROUGH OUR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?
At Ventis, we focus on investing in projects geared towards eradicating poverty. Our aim is to empower Africans through our outreach programs and providing entrepreneurial skills training in relation to conducting businesses in a technological age.
We recruit locally and internationally while also providing the necessary training required to ensure our team benefits from the diverse support within. This is to ensure that we integrate local community members into our value chain.
We support and encourage small, medium and large-scale farming through technological means to boost productivity. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of hunger, with the rate increasing from 20.7% in 2014 to 23.2% in 2017. This puts the onus on us to ensure that we provide the necessary support required to scale agricultural businesses.
Advancements in agricultural science means that processes can be automated and optimised. In an era when productivity and yield comes down to efficiency, Ventis can play a significant role in easing this challenge.
We are actively seeking for partnerships with medical organisations to provide cutting-edge software solutions in the health sector.
Furthermore, we consider the health of our team as top priority. Our operations will never come ahead of our people. That is why we offer flexible working hours and constantly evaluate our company culture, to ensure the best for our team.
We believe that the classroom alone cannot prepare the younger generation for real life challenges. Through our programs that grants students earlier access to the corporate world in the form of:
Internships
Work-study programs
Traineeships
We ensure that students and young entrepreneurs gain the practical experience they need for their future career.
We have established a firm policy against unfair hiring and recruitment practices. We pay equal remuneration, including benefits, for work of equal value and have a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence at work, including verbal and/or physical abuse.
Our office is currently powered by solar energy. We prioritise energy efficiency across all operations, preserve light, heating, cooling, etc. whenever possible.
470 million jobs are needed globally for new entrants to the labor market between 2016 and 2030. A prime example of how we are contributing towards this Global Goal is our program for mentoring young Africans that possess a technical inclination. Our role is to help them realise their potential by providing them with an environment where they can learn, build upon their IT experiences and utilise this skillset in practical ways.
We offer apprenticeship opportunities for those looking to build their careers
We foster entrepreneurial culture and invest in/mentor young entrepreneurs
For many African countries, particularly the lower-income countries, the existent constraints regarding infrastructure affect firm productivity by around 40%. Basic infrastructure like roads, information and communication technologies, sanitation, electrical power and water remains scarce in many developing countries.
Least developed countries have immense potential for industrialization in food and beverages (agro-industry), and textiles and garments, with good prospects for sustained employment generation and higher productivity.
As a result of these, we have established standards and promote regulations that ensure our company projects and initiatives are sustainably managed and beneficial to our local communities and its businesses. We promote innovation by giving all stakeholders the opportunity to offer creative software and technological solutions to sustainability challenges.
Ventis is a non-discriminatory organisation. Our values do not allow for any form of discrimination based on race, religion, gender, disabilities, politics or sexual orientation. We operate on a policy of merit and fairness. By doing this, we intend to tackle vital issues that helps with the goal of Reduced Inequalities.
95% of urban expansion in the next decades will take place in developing world. We believe we can play a tangible role in creating Sustainable Cities and Communities through the employment opportunities we provide, the businesses we boost and the lives we improve.
Half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – live in cities today and 5 billion people are projected to live in cities by 2030. Hence, we are always seeking to partner with stakeholders to create and implement technological solutions that drives urban functionality and sustainable development.
Each year, an estimated 1/3 of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tons worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices. We are currently developing software concepts to manage perishable products properly. Automatisation can significantly reduce waste.
We understand climate risk and build resilience into our company’s assets and supply chain. Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by almost 50% since 1990. Emissions grew more quickly between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the three previous decades. It is still possible, using a wide array of technological measures and changes in behavior, to limit the increase in global mean temperature to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Major institutional and technological change will give a better than even chance that global warming will not exceed this threshold.
We comply with laws and seek to meet international standards. We also require and support business partners to do the same.
The number of Internet users in Africa almost doubled in the past four years and 79% of imports from developing countries entered developed countries duty-free. As a result of this, we incorporate the growing number of internet users into implementing online business models, thereby increasing exportation from Africa to other markets through our operations.
The 17 goals are essential for mankind and we are always probing for new partnerships through our CSR activities to tackle the Global Goals.
We believe that by providing innovative solutions through our software and technological endeavors, Ventis can transform the economical landscape of the African continent. By empowering individuals and businesses, we can create a positive chain-reaction that affects a substantial number of the Global Goals that can be linked together.
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