Client
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Expertise
Climate risks and opportunities
Impact
Paving the path for climate resilient mobile penetration.
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Challenge
How can telecommunication companies increase digital inclusion across Africa without contributing further to climate change?
Mobile penetration spurs economic growth and transforms lives, connecting individuals, families, communities and nations across Africa to new opportunities. Although the sector is growing, three-quarters of the population remains offline. By expanding their networks across hard-to-reach areas, telecommunication companies such as Airtel Africa connect the unconnected and bridge the digital divide.
Expanding coverage, however, increases energy demand. When grid electricity infrastructure is underdeveloped, this demand is often met by carbon-intensive diesel generators. Since the impact of the climate crisis is very real for Africa and the company’s future, Airtel Africa plans to mitigate emissions that could result from expanding its network. At the same time, the telecommunications company wants to strengthen its climate resilience and leverage the opportunities a Net Zero future presents.
From Chad to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Kenya, Airtel Africa's operational sites are often in remote areas. This complex structure makes determining the sources of emissions and climate-related risks much harder. Together with the Carbon Trust, Airtel Africa sought to cut through the complexity.
SOLUTION
Establishing an action-centric roadmap for a resilient, Net Zero future
The climate-related risks businesses face often intertwine with their impact on the climate. Conversely, action towards Net Zero can mitigate certain risks and build climate resilience. For Airtel Africa, this meant understanding the emission hotspots and local climate risk exposure in all 14 markets across East, Central and West Africa. To help Airtel Africa advance its sustainability strategy, we:
IMPACT
Building climate resilience for a Net Zero future in Africa
As a telecommunications provider, Airtel Africa has a unique opportunity to support the continent’s social and economic transformation. By laying the foundations for a Net Zero strategy, Airtel has a better understanding of its relationship with the environment. The insights gained empower Airtel Africa to bridge the digital divide while building its climate resilience and leveraging new opportunities. They enabled the company to: