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Cape Town - Barclays Africa [JSE:BGA] chief executive Maria Ramos has lamented the importance of private public partnerships as the bank unveiled a project worth over R2bn to drive growth in Africa.
The group, through its Shared Growth Strategy, aims to focus on education and skills, enterprise development and financial inclusion.
“Shared Growth for us means having a positive impact on society and delivering shareholder value, the two are not mutually exclusive," said Ramos at a press briefing in Johannesburg on Monday.
The bank is pledging R1.4bn to improve skills development and access to quality education, to raise R1.3bn to help small and medium-sized African businesses succeed and grow, and to ensure that more people have access to digital and non-digital financial services across the continent.
"We are applying our substantial resources to provide innovative commercial products, services and partnerships to build a more equitable and prosperous Africa for the next generation,” said Ramos.
She emphasised that inclusive growth can only be attained through working together, saying that private public partnerships are the key to tackling some of society’s biggest challenges to deliver on growth opportunities.
Barclays Africa also announced the appointment of a Shared Growth Advisory Council.
“We realise that making a meaningful contribution to economies and society is about shared value and shared opinion. We are proud to partner with industry leaders, civil society and government who will play a role in ensuring our contributions are meaningful and that our impact is sustainable,” added Ramos.
