BSR Insight | Sustainable Investment in the Middle East and North Africa
About the Author(s)
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
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Publication Date
February 18, 2011
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The International Finance Corporation recently commissioned BSR to analyze sustainable investment (SI) opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Highlights from the report include:
- A clear gap exists between regulatory reform and performance. Although governments are increasingly progressive about governance reforms and some have incorporated sustainability into their strategic development plans, reform implementation is still poor.
- ESG performance disclosure by companies in the region is in its infancy. ESG performance disclosure is the exception as opposed to the norm in a region with many small- and medium-sized companies and family-owned enterprises.
- Marquee "green" projects mask a general lack of understanding about sustainability. Competition among states in the region for big, grandiose "green" projects (such as Masdar—a planned city in Abu Dhabi that will rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources) is intense. However, there is still a fundamental misunderstanding of what constitutes sustainability.
- Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are increasingly important vehicles for SI—for example, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala has committed US$15 billion to the Masdar project.
Download a report summary. For more information, contact Guy Morgan.
About the Author(s)
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
Guy brings a wealth of experience in CSR strategy and program design and implementation to BSR's members and clients in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States... Read more →
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