Gugu-Lisa Zwane-Johnson

Head of Brand and Marketing

Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking

read time 5min

Blue magazine, created by Standard Bank CIB  as a space for practical solutions and big ideas, for blueprints and blue-sky thinking. This magazine is designed to make you think, and to challenge your ideas about what’s possible. It’s also a space for conversation – and in that sense, it’s the perfect companion to our Blue Space thought leadership video series.

   We have aligned Blue magazine’s content mix to Standard Bank’s Group Impact Areas, which are aligned to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Those Impact Areas are about taking meaningful action, and that starts with having an honest conversation with the right voices around the table and practical solutions on the menu.

   The challenges we face don’t have national borders. At a policy level, the African Continental Free Trade Area recognizes that, and aims to break down the barriers that prevent a collective, uBuntu approach to solving Africa’s problems. We measure the mood across 10 African markets, as reflected in Standard Bank’s third Africa Trade Barometer. The stand-out stat for me? The 35% of respondents who said it’s still very or extremely difficult to trade within the continent. That’s why we explore the opportunities within Africa’s trade corridors.

   Justin Milo, Standard Bank’s Executive Head of Trade for South Africa, sums it up well. “While it is theoretically possible to trade between specific African countries,” he says, “if the road, rail and ports infrastructure doesn’t allow it, it becomes a moot point. But that in itself is also an opportunity.”Finding opportunities within the challenges is a central theme in both Blue magazine and the

global energy transition, while highlighting the gaps and how best we can fill them. Inthis magazine we take the conversation deeper, exploring a technology that is enabling that move to decarbonised energy: micro-grids.

   But while climate change is a huge part of Africa’s – and the world’s – development and sustainability challenge, it’s by no means the only part. Food security, accessible healthcare solutions and economic inclusion are also important issues, and each has a space in Blue. Blue magazine is available as both a digital flip book and a printed product. The printed magazine is produced on sustainable paper that is recyclable and FSC certified, confirming that the forest is managed in a way that preserves the biological diversity and benefits the lives of local communities while sustaining economic viability.

   Because talking about sustainability is no longer enough. It’s time for all of us to act.

Happy reading!

created by Standard Bank CIB as a space for practical solutions and big ideas, for blueprints and blue-sky thinking. This magazine is designed to make you think, and to challenge your ideas about what’s possible. It’s also a space for conversation – and in that sense, it’s the perfect companion to our Blue Space thought leadership video series.

   We have aligned Blue magazine’s content mix to Standard Bank’s Group Impact Areas, which are aligned to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Those Impact Areas are about taking meaningful action, and that starts with having an honest conversation with the right voices around the table and practical solutions on the menu.

   The challenges we face don’t have national borders. At a policy level, the African Continental Free Trade Area recognizes that, and aims to break down the barriers that prevent a collective, uBuntu approach to solving Africa’s problems. We measure the mood across 10 African markets, as reflected in Standard Bank’s third Africa Trade Barometer. The stand-out stat for me? The 35% of respondents who said it’s still very or extremely difficult to trade within the continent. That’s why we explore the opportunities within Africa’s trade corridors.

   Justin Milo, Standard Bank’s Executive Head of Trade for South Africa, sums it up well. “While it is theoretically possible to trade between specific African countries,” he says, “if the road, rail and ports infrastructure doesn’t allow it, it becomes a moot point. But that in itself is also an opportunity.”

    Finding opportunities within the challenges is a central theme in both Blue magazine and the Blue Space series. Episode 1 focuses on the challenges of the global energy transition, while highlighting the gaps and how best we can fill them. Inthis magazine we take the conversation deeper, exploring a technology that is enabling that move to decarbonised energy: micro-grids.

   But while climate change is a huge part of Africa’s – and the world’s – development and sustainability challenge, it’s by no means the only part. Food security, accessible healthcare solutions and economic inclusion are also important issues, and each has a space in Blue. Blue magazine is available as both a digital flip book and a printed product.    The printed magazine is produced on sustainable paper that is recyclable and FSC certified, confirming that the forest is managed in a way that preserves the biological diversity and benefits the lives of local communities while sustaining economic viability.

Because talking about sustainability is no longer enough. It’s time for all of us to act.

Happy reading!