Solving the ESG & impact data challenge across 5 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

A prevalent issue faced by project developers in the realm of development finance is the complexity that arises when multiple capital providers are involved. Each has their own ESG and impact reporting requirements resulting in hundreds of indicators that often overlap and lack clear definitions across diverse sustainability standards. This complication is further exacerbated by data availability and quality issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. When Serengeti Energy called us, we were intrigued by the opportunity to address this challenge of combining ESG & impact data across the continent. 

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"leonardo helped us to build a solid data infrastructure that can be easily maintained over years. We solved major challenges on the way and were able to not only meet all our reporting requirements but also to gain insights that will make our products and services better."

Marian Grabowski, Head of Technical Assistance & Strategic Partnerships, Serengeti Energy

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The customer: Serengeti Energy

Serengeti Energy is an Independent Power Producer (IPP) focused on developing, owning, and operating small to medium-sized renewable energy power plants across Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as running CSR programs in the communities where these power plants are built. Their mission is to provide sustainable electricity to support economic growth and to empower host communities in the region, while adhering to international best practices and minimising environmental impact.

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The challenge: Understanding impact reporting requirements and gathering data efficiently

Serengeti Energy collaborates with several European Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), international investors and local stakeholders. As a result, they are subject to diverse regulatory obligations that consist of more than 400 disparate metrics. Furthermore, impact data on local communities was not systematically recorded in the past. The burden of data collection was substantial and inefficient, resulting in low data availability and quality. Drafting the yearly sustainability report became an overwhelming task for everyone involved.
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The solution: Coherent ESG & impact framework and streamlined data collection through leonardo

Together with leonardo, Serengeti Energy was able to revise their ESG & impact frameworks, as well as collect data efficiently. The solution involved:

• Harmonising diverse ESG & impact reporting requirements from investors, regulators and other stakeholders through a machine-learning based similarity analysis
• Incorporating relevant, comparable, valid and reliable metrics to comply with impact reporting best practices, acknowledged standards and stakeholder requests.
• Reduced reporting burden from 400+ to about 100 metrics
• Preparing one-click templates for data collections, both for employees and local communities affected by Serengeti Energy's activities
• Processing, validating and visualising data automatically for ongoing impact monitoring, management and reporting

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First insights and the way forward

Thanks to the new frameworks, data collection and reporting to the various stakeholders was a much quicker process than in previous years. The results not only received positive feedback from the ESG & impact teams of various international DFIs but also provided Serengeti Energy with valuable insights for further impact management. For example, we observed in a local community that drinking water access and gender equality rates were astonishingly low. Now, Serengeti Energy plans to address these issues in future CSR projects. This is a compelling illustration of the saying, “What gets measured can be managed,” with impact being no exception to this rule.

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"We are thrilled that our solution not only assisted Serengeti Energy to streamline their reporting process but, more importantly, provided valuable insights that empower them to drive positive change more effectively."

Jasper Klemm, Co-Founder & CDO, leonardo

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