Member Newsletter

Greetings to our continental network! Here’s to another year of strengthening the commitment of Africans to do business with moral integrity.

A message from Liezl

The year is almost halfway through, and there is much to reflect on.

The second quarter saw the commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, which 38 years later evolved into the African Union, and is now celebrated as Africa Day, on 25 May.

Newly-appointed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a local celebration address, spoke on the African Union’s theme for 2018, Winning the Fight Against Corruption – A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation. He said “the selection of the anti-corruption theme is pertinent, as it raises one of the most pervasive scourges impacting on good governance and stunting economic development in Africa. In fact, corruption undermines the very fibre of the ‘Africa We Want’”.

The Africa we all want is one where sustainability, good governance, stakeholder responsibility and ethical leadership form the bedrock of a values-driven, private-public partnership. This would be in service of uplifting and empowering the individuals and communities who call Africa home. This challenge has never been more pertinent than it is now, when the world economy becomes increasingly more digitised and society more unequal. While action is necessary, it is also important to clearly articulate and define the problems collaboratively in order to identify viable solutions.

We hope you will be able to join us for a conversation like this at our 17th Annual Conference in Mozambique this year – details to be announced soon! You can also always engage with us on social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn). 

Finally, I want to thank all members who have paid their membership fees for 2018. Being a not-for-profit organisation, we rely heavily on your contributions.

Best wishes,
Liezl

New edition of African Journal of Business Ethics 

The African Journal of Business Ethics (AJoBE) is the official journal of BEN-Africa and promotes business ethics scholarship on the African continent. The journal is open access and is accredited with the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS). The latest edition, the 2nd of 2017, was published in April and is available to all! | Go to AJoBE website

ETHICS HANDBOOK 

The Ethics Institute has released the second edition of the ‘Social and Ethics Committee Handbook’, which shares best practice for how to run the committee effectively and ethically, taking into account recommendations in the Fourth King Code of Corporate Governance. | Prof Deon Rossouw, The Ethics Institute | Read more 

SURVEY FINDINGS

“Global Peace Index 2018” released in June 2018 | Institute for Economics and Peace | Read more

OPINION PIECE

“Encouraging employee whistleblowing? Dos & don’ts backed by science” | Penny Milner-Smith, Ethicalways | Read more

OPINION PIECE

“The more valuable your work is to society, the less you’ll be paid for it” – an excerpt | David Graeber, London School of Economics | 

Read more

OPINION PIECE

“Even if it is legal, is it right?” | Philippa Foster Back, Institute of Business Ethics | Read more

OPINION PIECE

“The ethics of respect”  | Mary-Jane Ncube, The Ethics Institute | Read more

Dates to diarise

WHAT: BEN-Africa 17th Annual Conference
WHEN: 8-9 November 2018
WHERE: Mozambique
More information: Coming soon!

WHAT: 3rd Annual GRC Conference Africa: Raising the Bar
WHEN: 4-6 July 2018
WHERE: Cape Town, South Africa
Read more

WHAT: 7th World Sustainability Forum
WHEN: 17-20 September 2018
WHERE: Beijing, China
Read more

Call for papers

• African leadership: Philosophical Perspectives an Models in Action
• Philanthropy, Social Entrepreneurship and Responsible Investment in Africa
• Organisational Ethics and Responsible Investment in Africa
• Corruption, Anti-Corruption and Governance in Africa

Read more