The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has launched its Focal Point South Africa, a regional office located at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and hosted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) South Africa.
Through the new office, the GRI seeks to engage partners and stakeholders in order to make sustainability reporting standard practice in South Africa and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
GRI chief executive Ernst Ligteringen said: "South Africa has already played a unique and exemplary role in the story of sustainability reporting. The opening of GRI’s Focal Point South Africa reflects the fact that the country is a global leader in this space."
Focal Point South Africa director Douglas Kativu explained: "Considerable inward investment is being made in sub-Saharan Africa, but outside of South Africa, sustainability reporting is not yet widely established."
"GRI will be debating with local stakeholders what role reporting can play in promoting dialogue about the social, economic and environmental impacts of growth and wealth creation in Africa," Kativu said.
The Focal Point South Africa is the latest addition to GRI’s network which includes Focal Points in Australia, Brazil, China, India, and USA.
Related links
The Global Reporting Initiative
The Association of Certified and Corporate Accountants South Africa