A PARTNER AFRICA CASE STUDY

Facilitation of the AIM-Progress Africa Hub Supplier Event 2024

“By focusing on the African context, the event equipped suppliers with the necessary tools to strengthen their operations while upholding human rights and sustainable business practices.”

About AIM-Progress

AIM-Progress is a global initiative of leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) manufacturers and suppliers joining forces to drive positive change in their supply chains and promote responsible sourcing practices and sustainable production systems.

AIM-Progress works in a pre-competitive environment with more than 45+ members from diverse set of brands and suppliers linked through the commonality of their supply chains. Its mission is to positively impact people’s lives and ensure respect for human rights, while delivering value to members and their supply chains. This is done across four areas: the human rights priorities and respective working groups, the regional hubs, convergence to create synergies in approaches, and the capability building work stream to equip the members with knowledge and ability to execute strong responsible sourcing programmes. AIM-Progress two regional hubs – Africa, and Asia Pacific (APAC), identify and execute collaborative opportunities to positively impact supply chains in their region. Each hub does targeted, location-specific work.

Facilitation of the Africa Hub

Partner Africa facilitates the AIM-Progress Africa Hub, bringing together AIM-Progress Members operating in Africa, including AB Foods, AB InBev, Danone, Diageo, Heineken, Reckitt, SIG, The Coca-Cola Company, The Hershey Company, and Unilever. The focus of the Africa Hub over the last few years has been to provide a series of virtual supplier capability building to provide a platform for African-based suppliers and key operating staff to engage on responsible sourcing and human rights topics, to share best practice and build capacity.

In October 2024, Partner Africa, in collaboration with AIM-Progress, successfully facilitated a two-day virtual supplier capability building focused on Business and Human Rights (BHR) and the impact of emerging EU regulations on African supply chains.

This case study highlights the key insights and benefits from the Africa Hub Autumn ’24 event.

Objectives of the Supplier Capability Building

The AIM-Progress Africa Hub Supplier training was structured to address critical challenges faced by African suppliers, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to navigate an increasingly complex and evolving regulatory landscape. The training focused on several core objectives: Enhancing awareness of Business and Human Rights frameworks.

Providing clarity on upcoming EU legislation affecting suppliers.

Promoting best practices in grievance mechanisms, responsible purchasing practices, and security and human rights.

Encouraging collaboration between African businesses and global brands.

Event Highlights

African Supplier Event Stats

184

Total Participants

106

Day 1

78

Day 2

Attendance by Day

5

African Countries

Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi

6

Industries

Agriculture, Food & Beverage, Logistics, Construction, IT, Branding

9

Leading Global Brands

Diageo Reckitt AB Foods SIG AB InBev Unilever Hershey Coca-Cola Heineken

Half-Day Sessions

2-Day Event Format

73.58% Retention Rate

Day 1 to Day 2

Supplier Development

Pan-African Initiative

Food & Beverage

Agriculture

The 2 half-day event attracted: 106 participants on Day 1 and 78 participants on Day 2 from across Africa, representing suppliers of leading brands such as Diageo, Reckitt, AB Foods, SIG, AB InBev, Unilever, The Hershey Company, The Coca-Cola Company, and Heineken Beverages. Participants hailed from diverse industries, including agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, logistics, construction, IT, and branding. The participants were from several countries in Africa including Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi.

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The event’s sessions covered key topics such as:

Introduction to Business and Human Rights – A foundational session on the importance of human rights in business operations.
Grievance Mechanisms – Emphasising the need for effective channels for addressing workplace concerns.
Contracts and Responsible Purchasing Practices – Highlighting fair contracting and ethical sourcing.
Security and Human Rights – Addressing the intersection between security practices and human rights compliance.

Key Takeaways and Feedback

A standout aspect of the event was the high level of engagement and participation from suppliers. Post-event feedback indicated that 57% of participants rated the event as ‘Excellent,’ 37.1% rated it as ‘Good’, and 5.7% rated it as ‘Average’ with grievance mechanisms and responsible purchasing practices emerging as the most impactful sessions.

Suppliers require ongoing engagement on new and evolving regulatory expectations.

The need for practical tools and resources to support compliance with human rights due diligence requirements.

The importance of extending these discussions to workers within supply chains to ensure comprehensive awareness and implementation.

Recommendations and Next Steps

The success of the 2024 AIM-Progress Africa Hub Supplier Capability Building underscored the importance of continued supplier engagement on business and human rights issues. Moving forward, it is recommended that:

Given the participants’ interest and the positive feedback received, similar events should be organised in the future. Events with a focus on emerging EU legislation and its potential impact on African suppliers would be particularly valuable, as it would help ensure that suppliers are well-prepared to meet new regulatory standards and maintain their competitive advantage.
The sessions are extended to a majority of the workers employed by these suppliers to ensure that they are informed of their rights in the workplace and have access to the necessary tools and materials.
AIM-Progress Africa-hub members continue to engage their suppliers on various topics related to responsible sourcing and social and environmental impacts, including by considering the topics the participants would like to be engaged on (e.g., fair wages, contracts, health and safety etc.).
Suppliers are engaged on key concerns they raised during the event, i.e., on being consistently informed on what is expected and will be expected of them in terms of business and human rights requirements as new standards and legislation are passed.

"The partnership provided a platform for region-specific discussions, enabling suppliers to share best practices and build capacity in addressing global compliance challenges."

Conclusion

Through this supplier event, AIM-Progress and Partner Africa reinforced their commitment to ethical and responsible sourcing in Africa. The partnership provided a platform for region-specific discussions, enabling suppliers to share best practices and build capacity in addressing global compliance challenges. By focusing on the African context, the event equipped suppliers with the necessary tools to strengthen their operations while upholding human rights and sustainable business practices. Continued collaboration will be key to fostering resilient supply chains across the region.

Auditing

Responsible Business Advisory

Training

Project Management

Partner Africa

News

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