perceived as indulging in chronic
misconduct, ‘Who are their mothers?’
moment…and like tomatoes, have
annoyingly short shelf lives.
A calm and objective analysis of this
scenario would be premised on the
four pillars of sustainability. Firstly, did
this activity have any impact on the
economics of this company? Whether
pre-meditated or by accident?
Refurbished computers should be
classified as perishables. The keys are
all mixed up too! In no time, the cost
of continuously repairing these little
demons will amount to the price of
buying the latest, brand new, state-ofthe-art MacBook Pro.
Secondly, which social concern was
being resolved that directly linked back
to the commercials of the business?
How did the results stack up against
quantitative and qualitative metrics?
As the company executives wined
and dined to celebrate delusional
achievement, were these expenses
replenished from solid and
demonstrate-able economic returns
realized from this ‘successful campaign’?
No? Then the stark reality is that they
were stealing from the shareholders.
Talk about sticking your hand into the
cookie jar and hopping away scot-free.
Thirdly, were the needs of the
environment taken into account? The
computers were refurbished. This calls
for a brief, heartfelt venting interlude…
but relevant nonetheless.
Refurbished computers are really
an e-waste dumping strategy for
developed countries. These computers
carry obsolete technology, konk
out at will at the most inopportune
10 MAL 12/16 ISSUE
According to a 2009 UNEP report,
70% of Ghana’s imported electronics
and electronic equipment are
refurbished. Of the 70%, 15% is useless
and bound for the dumps, and roughly
20% usually need repairs. Someone go
fetch our African pride from under a
rock where it was last seen. Shun these
things please.
Lastly, sustainability demands an
overall, massive impact that has a
transformational effect. The hundreds
of beneficiaries in this community
program, against a backdrop of a
continent of 1 billion people is wasted
effort. Not even a massive scale-down
to 20 million, an average African
country’s population, will yield. One
struggles to register a blip even at
the smallest unit of geo-political
boundaries.
Compare this to the Hand-washing
Lifebuoy campaign in India that had
impacted 58 Million People in 3 years,
and is still going strong. The usual
confident rejoinder flags constrained
resources. Sustainability provides all the
resources needed. Duh!
The legs finally gave in when this
company won a social impact award.
This is a classic but common case of
sustainability buffoonery in Corporate
Africa. The concept has been beaten,
pulled, pushed and reduced to a Farce
of incomprehensible proportions.
Fast-forward to today…the said
company has been caught up in a
turbulent time warp for years now,
characterized by progressively declining
revenues and plummeting profits.
The economic climate and industry
dynamics have little to do with it.
Though these form the company’s
repertoire of excuses at investor
briefings and in annual business reports.
Yet the collective industry is bullish.
Sustainability strengthens business
fundamentals across the entire
organization. However just like nature,
sustainability can wreak havoc if abused
and misused. Neglecting one part has
a pull down effect on all other critical
areas of an entity. To apply an over-used
but apt cliché, you are only as strong as
your weakest link.
Sustainability is a Fad
A substantial cross-section of
Corporate Africa has a very simplistic