The private sector has focused on business continuity — securing the supply of essential products, protecting workforces and engaging customers. While relief efforts were largely socially driven, the e-summit says that there is also a business motive; only through healthy, economically active communities can business ensure its own sustainability.

A network of African purpose-led companies and leaders will participate in the continent's first-ever virtual Shared Value Leadership event from Tuesday, 2 June to Friday, 5 June.

The collective aims to discuss:
  • challenges faced by business in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic
  • how business has had to adapt, and
  • what economic recovery will look like for the region.
Titled Beyond Borders: 2020 Africa Shared Value Leadership e-Summit, the virtual event is aimed at creating a platform for leaders to openly share their experiences and tough decisions made when facing such challenges.

The audience will join the summit from across multiple time zones. The purpose of the e-summit is to continue the Shared Value conversation and, as a collective, share COVID-19 experiences, learn from each other and possibly find insights that can lead to solutions.

The event will strive to provide an opportunity for business, given the scale of the crisis. The World Health Organisation reports that as of Wednesday, 22 April a cumulative total of 15 394 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 716 deaths, had been reported across the WHO Africa region.

Given the urgency of relief efforts, summit organiser Shift Impact Africa says that it has re-formulated the content of the already-planned summit to include discussion on how business is finding solutions during COVID-19.

The summit was originally scheduled to take place in Rwanda between Thursday, 4 June and Friday, 5 June and was to have been the fourth Africa Shared Value Leadership Summit.

The African Union Development Agency and Ecobank Group have collaborated to provide continental support to small enterprises. Through Kenya's National Business Compact on coronavirus, hygiene brands are collaborating with the state and non-profit sector to assist communities.

The Nigerian Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 includes the Central Bank, private sector and philanthropic organisations. According to the e-summit, South African business association Business Unity South Africa is coordinating private sector involvement in health and economic solutions.

The different webinar sessions during what is now a 'shared value week' will focus on finance, healthcare and entrepreneurship — critical areas that business needs to get behind for the region to recover.

The aim of the organisers is to:
  • draw a global audience,
  • provide sessions and discussions that will be easily accessible and that will motivate companies and individuals to take action, and 
  • re-look current strategies and operations in order to contribute to Africa's economic recovery.
The e-summit format includes keynotes, fireside chats, panels, roundtable and fishbowl discussions.

The first day's session, sponsored by Old Mutual, features a keynote address by Mark Kramer, Harvard Business School professor and co-founder of the Shared Value Initiative, on creating shared value in a time of crisis.

Discussions will lead into a CEO's lunch attended by 20 leaders from across our continent discussing their COVID-19 challenges and solutions.

Day two, which is sponsored by Abbott, will aim to give attendees an opportunity to hear the Rwanda minister of health Dr. Daniel Ngamije talking about the model to decentralise health care in Rwanda.

This will be followed by a discussion on the challenges the continent faces in funding and building healthcare solutions that can benefit all.

Day three, sponsored by the KCB Group, aims to give attendees the oppurtunity to interact with a range of Africa's entrepreneurs who will be sharing their experiences as young leaders and how they see the business after COVID-19.

Immaculata Segooa, Shared Value advocate and Shared Value Africa Initiative steering committee member, says, "The e-summit will draw the attention of attendees to the Shared Value narrative emerging through the pandemic."

"I am observing with interest how countries are collaborating: scientists sharing findings in the search for a vaccine across geographies; presidents making tough calls for the welfare of its citizens, political parties transcending their differences, church leaders praying for a solution, educators going beyond the call of duty to teach hygiene and prevention, healthcare providers, corporates, governments, NGOs, NPOs (although contained in our respective countries) … everyone is coming together through surreal global activism to share the value we have amassed respectively for so long, in order to serve humanity," Segooa says.

During the e-summit, business leaders will discuss how businesses that are focused on 'profit with purpose' can contribute to reducing inequality and building economic prosperity, thereby mitigating the risk and enhancing the profit potential of doing business on the continent.

The e-summit has indicated that the UN Sustainable Development Goals will be a theme at the event as a guide to the business leaders on the goals that business can contribute to achieving in order to help to fix the social challenges a core part of their operations.

Individuals can register for the e-summit here.

For more information, visit www.africasharedvaluesummit.com. You can also follow the 2020 Africa Shared Value Leadership e-Summit on Facebook or on Twitter.