Learning and growth
To drive and guide the cultural change that enables companies to successfully implement the SevenPillars methodology.
The SevenPillar Sustainability Approach
The SevenPillars approach optimizes value through a multi-capital, multi-stakeholder approach. Our transition advisory services have been developed over 15 years. Our tested methodology facilitates the development of an authentic corporate sustainability culture, optimizes the commitment and productivity of the workforce, improves business impact on society, resilience, and reputation management.
1 Cultural Pillar
The Cultural Sustainability Pillar seeks to embody value, sustainability thinking at the heart of the organization.
2 Institutional Pillar
The Institutional Sustainability Pillar is centered around the objective to build a world-class Institution.
3 Operational Pillar
The Operational Sustainability Pillar focuses on business process innovation and efficiency by leveraging new technologies to achieve customer satisfaction.
4 Financial Pillar
The Financial Sustainability Pillar seeks to achieve sustainable financial health by integrating financial and non-financial reporting.
5 Environmental Pillar
The Environmental Sustainability Pillar seeks to achieve sustainable environmental practices into core business operations.
6 Social Pillar
The Social Sustainability Pillar recognizes the importance of strategic engagement with host communities.
7 Economic Pillar
The Economic Sustainability Pillar promotes inclusive, sustainable economic development of host countries and markets strategically seeking-as a deliberate by-product of the business operations
The goals are:
Data integrity
To implement a centralised IT system to support the SevenPillars methodology and transform a company's sustainability reporting function.
Sustainability
To conduct regular reviews of the system and corporate culture to ensure that a company's sustainability journey is impactful and resilient.
Our History
-
The SevenPillars framework was created by Ndidi through her post-doctorate in sustainability, her years of experience in corporate and government consultancy and her deep understanding of investing in innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship.
-
With Benedikt, and his vast spanning career in finance, investing and innovative tech within the finance sector around the world, and Ndidi, founder of Growing Business Foundation (GBF) and former Chief of Sustainability and Governance at Dangote where the SevenPillars methodology was successfully implemented to create their first accredited sustainability report at the end of 2019, AfriKairos was created to serve as a bridge between entrepreneurship and sustainability, innovation and inclusivity, and mentoring and investment.
-
Adapted from the FHL methodology, founded in the 1990s by Prof. em. Dr. Johannes Hoffmann of the Goethe University Frankfurt and Prof. Dr. Gerhard Scherhorn of the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, to facilitate African economies and value systems, SevenPillars has access to decades worth of research and knowledge and is uniquely positioned to work closely and efficiently with African companies seeking to create a culture of sustainability and corporate resilience.
-
The founders of AfriKairos combined their vast experience of building and leading companies, financing, funding, and capitalising of SMEs, Angel- and Seed investing in Start- Ups with sustainable and tech background in emerging markets to create a robust network of services and strategies to revitalise corporations and holistically integrate sustainability into the core of corporate management.
-
SevenPillars is currently hosted at Weltethos Institute of Tubingen University Research Group, whose co-chairs, Bene and Ndidi, are also AfriKairos’ co-founders.
Why implement the SevenPillars
-
Using the SevenPillars methodology, AfriKairos assists organizations in smoothly implementing sustainable management systems, including software customization, into their business models in order to optimise the value and resilience of a company through a multi-capital, multi-stakeholder approach to sustainability (including ESG) risk management.
-
Facilitates the development of a sustainability culture at the core of a business growth strategy by defining sustainability from the perspective of various business roles, identifying appropriate indicators and implementing organization-wide Sustainability KPIs to track progress, secure data integrity, and safe-guard business reputations.
-
By integrating recurrent reporting and the coordinating stakeholder dialogue and engagement, based on surveys, mapping, materiality assessment, and market benchmarks, SevenPillars ultimately leads to better appraisals of companies and better ratings, which leads to more sustainable growth and corporate vitality.
-
Using a detailed and customized SevenPillars approach, AfriKairos is there step by step from transition to implementation, finding the problems and providing in-depth and integrative solutions that will grow a business into a sustainable corporate structure with a strong commercial success, future growth and vitality, wherein sustainability is embedded and embraced and tracked across every function of the business.
-
SevenPillars has access to decades worth of research and knowledge, and is uniquely positioned to work closely and efficiently with African and Latin American companies seeking to create a culture of sustainability and corporate resilience.
-
The SevenPillars Methodology was successfully implemented in Dangote, Africa’s largest Conglomerate, as The Dangote Way, while Ndidi served as Chief of Sustainability and Governance, gaining wide recognition and acclaim for enabling the first accredited sustainability report on Dangote at the end of 2019.
Customizing the SevenPillars Methodology
Stage 1
Defining Our Corporate Culture
- - Engage Internal Stakeholders
- - Customize the SevenPillars Approach
- - Conduct Initial Benchmarks and Material Indicators
Stage 2
Materiality Assessment
- Engage stakeholders for:
- - Identification of material topics and indicators.
- - Prioritization based on materality
- - Target validation by stakeholders
Stage 3
Data Gathering
- - Create system templates
- - Collect and Collate Data
- - Conduct Quality Assurance (QA)
Stage 4
Content Creation
- - Analyze Data
- - Verify Data
- - Create dashboards using quantitative and qualitative data
- - Test Data Integrity
Stage 5
External Verification
- - Verify externally in the form of Certification of Assurance
Stage 6
Production/Graphics and Visualization
- - Develop a report that complies with corporate identity and design as well as reporting trends
Stage 7
Data Gathering
- - Publish and disseminate report via agreed platforms
Stage 8
Feedback and Evaluation
- - Improvement of the data gathering system
- - Implementation of the new sustainability process
Stage 9
The SevenPillars Methodology
- It is designed to archive and ensure:
- - Continuous Learning & Growth
- - Data Integrity backed by Technology
- - Sustainability Culture that aligns thinking and doing
Implemented Projects
View the projects we have implemented
Dangote
Created the first sustainability report in 2019 through the full integration of the SevenPillars methodology.
