African Bank, one of South Africa’s largest financial institutions, is on a drive to grow its positive impact in the communities in which it operates. That’s according to Edna Sathekga-Montse, the bank’s group chief Transformation & Sustainability officer.Speaking on an episode of the Business Spotlight podcast (listen to it below), Sathekga-Montse says social responsibility is not a tick-box exercise for African Bank. Instead, it is a core business imperative that depends on co-creation, authentic employee, community, customer, supplier and regulator engagement and practical interventions.In essence, the bank has embedded sustainability into its broader strategy. When communities and customers thrive, the business thrives. African Bank’s focus on this area reflects the growing importance of sustainability, which has become a key consideration for global investors assessing companies. At the same time, there is increasing consumer and regulatory pressure for transparent, ethical supply chains and business operations, making sustainability a competitive necessity for companies like African Bank and its corporate partners.Employees at the heart of community impactSathekga-Montse’s business unit is in charge of community and youth empowerment initiatives, enterprise development for small businesses, and broader financial inclusion strategies.“What’s important is that we do not view social responsibility, transformation, and sustainability as stand-alone activities. They are really part of how we do business,” she says.“For us sustainability and business success are not competing priorities ... a sustainable business is one that creates value for all stakeholders. So customers, employees, communities, shareholders, and society at large.”A major driver of the bank’s success in its community programmes is the active buy-in from its employees. It facilitates this by offering a dedicated, fully paid “CSI day” for staff to volunteer.In addition, rather than selecting community initiatives from the top down, Sathekga-Montse explains that African Bank relies on employees with ties to specific communities to identify causes that need support, as they have first-hand insight into local needs.“Many of our programmes are really successful because African Bankers volunteer their skills, their time, expertise and their energy,” she says. “And we found that employees want to contribute because these causes are causes that create genuine change.”Creating pathways to opportunityEmpowering women and young people forms a key part of African Bank’s transformation and sustainability strategy.It approaches gender inclusivity as essential for both social progress and business performance, focusing on external support for women-led enterprises as well as internal career progression for women.“You’ll find that diverse organisations generally make better decisions because they benefit from a wider range of perspectives, and that’s really important in serving a diverse customer base,” says Sathekga-Montse.Our objective is not simply to provide temporary opportunities, but to really help create sustainable pathways into employment or self-employment— Edna Sathekga-Montse, group chief Transformation & Sustainability officer at African BankWhen it comes to empowering young people, Sathekga-Montse says the bank focuses on helping them become work-ready and economically active. It does this through a range of initiatives that support education, skills development, workplace exposure, entrepreneurship and employability.The bank’s Youth Development Programme, for example, combines NQF Level 4-certified training courses with on-the-job experience to help upskill unemployed non-graduates.Recognising that many young people face immediate financial barriers simply to attend work or training, the bank introduced a front-loaded “care package” to cover transport, food, connectivity and professional clothing before programme participants receive their first pay cheque.“Our objective is not simply to provide temporary opportunities, but to really help create sustainable pathways into employment or self-employment,” says Sathekga-Montse, adding that entrepreneurship is an important avenue for tackling South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis.Measuring success through meaningful changeAfrican Bank’s broader transformation strategy and long-term commitment to advancing lives have earned it acclaim.It recently claimed the “Best Social Bond in Africa” title at the 2025 EMEA Finance Achievement Awards for its debut R700m social bond issuance under its Sustainable Finance Framework.The framework enables African Bank to raise capital through green, social and sustainability bonds and loans to support projects that deliver measurable environmental and social impact.While Sathekga-Montse welcomes such honours, she stresses that awards “are an outcome, not the objective”. “The real objective for African Bank is creating positive and sustainable impact,” she says.“For me, the greatest validation is not necessarily the trophy on a shelf with a certificate. It’s really seeing tangible results in people’s lives.”This article was sponsored by African Bank.