This newsletter gives you highlights of selected sustainability insights that were, perhaps, too long (you) didn’t read (TLDR) or there’s just too much out there to read. The highlights presented cover insights gleaned from a global, regional (African), and national (Kenyan) perspective. Happy reading!
GLOBAL
Women’s’ Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing
In 1995, Beijing hosted a monumental conference that brought 189 countries and their leaders agreed to achieving equal rights of all women and girls. Before 1995, this wasn’t the case.
30 years on, UN Women have published a report that reviews the status of women’s rights around the world.
Here are some insights from this report, and let’s start with the progress that has been made over the past 30 years, specifically;
- Increased women’s participation in education, workforce, and politics.
- Legal reforms advancing gender equality in many countries.
- More awareness and mobilization on gender-based violence and discrimination.
Yet, persistent challenges and gaps continue to limit access and opportunities to women and girls:
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Women still face wage gaps, unpaid care burdens, and economic insecurity.
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Political representation remains unequal despite some gains.
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Violence against women and girls is still widespread.
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Climate change, conflict, and crises disproportionately impact women.
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Backlash against gender rights is growing in some regions.
The report presents some key institutional recommendations to continue advancing equality for women and girls, who represent about 50% of the world’s population:
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Strengthen legal frameworks and enforcement of gender equality laws.
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Invest in social services, childcare, and equal pay.
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Support feminist movements and grassroots organizations.
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Address digital divides and ensure women’s access to technology.
My two-cents: Half of humanity is still falling behind in agency and the ability to live life like the other half of humanity. In 30 years, women and girls has made remarkable progress; and this must continue in every country, institution, and home. All human beings need to have equal standing.
Future of Jobs Report 2025
Published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2025, this 5th edition report, presents insights on how skills and jobs are evolving over the next few years.
From rapid technological advancements, economic shifts, and sustainability imperatives; the global workforce is undergoing a profound transformation and adapting to these challenges and opportunities will be vital for current and future employees and decision-makers.
While the report has its key findings, here are some key highlights from the report that may be of interest are:
- Technology and Automation are reshaping work – digital transformation is redefining jobs, routine and manual jobs are declining and while demand for technology-driven roles is rising e.g. data analysts, AI specialists, and cybersecurity experts. Organizations and people must invest in digital literacy and upskilling to keep pace with this transformation.
- Sustainability and the green economy – are fuelling growth in green and sustainability related roles e.g. specialists in renewable energy, sustainability managers and experts in circular economy. Sustainability (or ESG) is becoming central to strategy and organisations are integrating sustainability into workforce planning. Governments and business need to invest in training and education to bridge the green and sustainability skills gap.
- Skills of the future – employers are looking for people with analytical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and resilience as key competencies. People-centric skills, such as emotional intelligence, leadership, and adaptability, are becoming essential in the era of AI and automation. Lifelong learning and continuous reskilling will be necessary to bridge the gap between existing and emerging job requirements.
- The changing nature of work – hybrid and remote work continues to reshape organisational structures, management and collaboration/team-work approaches. Inclusive workplaces that recognise and respect diversity are gaining momentum. Freelance work and the gig economy are expanding creating opportunities and challenges for job security and social protection.
- Economic and social impacts – the global labour market is impacted by macroeconomic uncertainty e.g. inflation, geopolitics, supply chain disruptions making it fragile. Governments and businesses will need to collaborate and manage workforce transitions effectively to ensure just and inclusive transitions for impacted workforces and populations – inequality is a silent volcano.
My two-cents: This report is a good reminder that while technology will have a significant role in the (near) future of jobs; human ingenuity, sustainability, and social responsibility will be extremely critical as well.
AFRICA
The PwC Global CEO Survey 2025 – Sub-Saharan Africa Perspective
This report was published in February 2025, and reflects the strategic thinking of African business leaders as they navigate economic uncertainty, digital transformation, and the growing importance of sustainability.
Some key reflections from the report were:
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Economic resilience – African CEOs are optimistic about 2025, despite global macro challenges e.g. geopolitics, inflation, e.t.c., and with supply chain disruptions and regulatory uncertainity creating further risks, CEOs see business model reinvention as a way to secure longer term resilience and viability.
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Technology and digital transformation are drivers of growth – CEOs will accelerate investment into technology including cloud computing as a key enabler but they are also aware of the growing cyber security, regulatory implications, and digital skills gaps as key risks to address, and AI and machine learning may offer some hope in organisational productivity.
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Employees – are driven by the skills gap in digital literacy and sustainability, with re-skilling and upskilling being critical to their company’s success and talent pool.
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Sustainability is key to strategy – as stakeholders increase pressure on ESG related risks and opportunities, sustainability is becoming key to business strategy, and renewable energy, circular and sustainable financing presenting opportunities previously not leveraged.
From 2025, business success and leadership will be defined by economic resilience, digital transformation, and sustainability integration.
My two-cents: It’s great to see resilience, transformation and sustainability as keys to business success in Africa south of the Sahara. These are key ingredients so desperately needed in the countries and contexts that African CEOs operate – and success can only happen when business and the economy build people and protect the environment, it’s all interconnected.
KENYA
Kenya’s Food Security: Sustainability, Policy, and Rising Costs
Several key insights underscore the intricate dynamics of Kenya’s food insecurity and the urgent need for action. Recent analyses highlight three particularly compelling factors shaping the country’s food security landscape. Examining these insights offers a deeper understanding of the challenges at hand and the strategic interventions necessary to build a more resilient food system.
The Soaring Cost of Maize: A Looming Food Crisis: Maize, a staple food in Kenya, is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Prices have surged by 45% since January 2025 and further rise is anticipated. This rise is primarily attributed to poor harvests, adverse weather conditions, and disruptions in regional supply chains. Households and farmers that rely on maize as a staple, are already feeling the strain. In late February 2025, the government reduced the price of maize seeds to help reduce cost for the long rains planting season expected in March/April 2025.
GMO Policy and the Battle for Food Sovereignty: In early March 2025, Kenya’s Court of Appeal recently blocked the government from importing GMOs, following an appeal from farmers and environmental groups. The court emphasized the need for a thorough review of the public health, environmental, and socio-economic impacts of GMOs before lifting the ban. Small-scale farmers and agro-ecology advocates, argue that GMOs would increase dependence on multinational corporations, threaten biodiversity, and reduce local farmers’ control over seeds and food systems. In contrast, supporters of GMOs argue that they could help address food shortages by increasing crop yields and resilience to climate change. The most common GMO crops are: soyabean, maize, cotton and canola.
Financing Sustainable Agriculture for Food Security: Kenya will host the Financing Agri-food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) 2025 Summit which is calling for innovative financing models to support small-scale farmers, who produce the bulk of Kenya’s food but often struggle with access to capital. Agriculture also provides one third of all jobs in Kenya.
The country’s food security is at a critical juncture, shaped by rising maize prices, the battle between GMO and non-GMO food production, and innovative financing for agriculture.
My two-cents: More than 70% of Kenya’s food is produced by smallholder farmers farming on between 1- 5 acres – this is their livelihood with majority in rural areas. It would seem that vested interests are stretching the limits of the country’s small holder farmers keeping their access and ability to farm and feed the country in a wider food system, that despite its inefficiency, is also part of the vested interests game. ‘A single slip may cause lasting injury.’ – Sierra Leone proverb.