The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) last week hosted a Responsible Investment Symposium (RIS).
The unique event, which took place in Windhoek on 11 and 12 April, was dedicated to challenging thinking, broadening horizons and engaging in honest debate about the relevance and practical impacts of responsible investment and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) landscape, as well as the fund’s shared mandates.
Leading partners, policymakers, investors and experts discussed pertinent issues on the latest local and global responsible investments and ESG strategies.
The RIS provided a platform for stakeholder engagement through the building of lasting relationships, and enabled participants to share best practices with other responsible investors and fund managers to help shape an emerging future.
The symposium attracted over 20 speakers from Namibia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States of America and Senegal, and close to 200 participants.
Various topics were deliberated on, providing insight into the value of responsible investments and investors in a nation’s economy, and the brand value of responsible investment.
Participants exchanged ideas concerning market discussions on the changing role and expectations of responsible asset managers in the new era of responsible investments and ESG thinking. Speaking at the event, the chairperson of the GIPF board of trustees, Penda Ithindi, said, “Being responsible, sustainable and actionable starts from the top, therefore solidifying GIPF’s strategic ambitions and performance expectations for responsible investments and ESG”.
He added that with GIPF being the 1 000th signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing (UNPRI) in March 2012, the fund has been at the forefront in pioneering responsible investment in all its asset classes domestically, in South Africa, Africa and internationally.
Speaking at the RIS, the CEO/principal officer of the GIPF, Martin Inkumbi, stated that “Responsible investment is integral to the GIPF’s business model. Through the lens of sustainability, the fund aims to capture value, mitigate relevant risks and remain forward-looking to be part of the responsible investment community to the extent that it is attainable”.
The GIPF has over the last few months embarked on a journey to establish systems to ensure the UNPRI and ESG analysis, and interpretation becomes an important part of the fund’s investment processes.
As a result, the fund requires all partners to adopt similar principles and frameworks to integrate ESG aspects in all their investment processes and decision-making.
“This approach shall enable the GIPF to meet its member-centric business objectives, and ensure returns on investments that shall positively impact the Namibian economy, and ensure continued growth and guaranteed benefits for all its members,” read a statement from the fund.