Listed agri-business firm Kakuzi Plc has become the first agricultural counter player at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) to release its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report today.
The firm, one of the seven agricultural counter players, released its 2020 ESG report as listed firms begin to adopt NSE guidelines requiring the annual publishing of such disclosures.
Speaking at the Kakuzi 2020 ESG Report’s launch, Kakuzi Managing Director Mr Chris Flowers said the firm had invested more than Kshs 1.6 billion over the last four years to enhance its operations, mitigate governance risks and ensure global standards are maintained.
Late last month, the NSE launched its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Disclosures Guidance Manual to improve and standardise ESG information reported by listed companies in Kenya.
The latest Kakuzi ESG report aptly titled ‘Future-proofing agriculture’ confirms that, at its Murang’a county-based agricultural production fields, the firm is part and parcel of the surrounding community. On an average day, Kakuzi employs 3,000 people, with more than 5,000 school children attending public school learning facilities within its boundaries. Local suppliers, the report adds, have been servicing procurement opportunities valued at more than Kshs 484 million annually.
At the event graced by NSE CEO Geoffrey Odundo, Kakuzi, Mr Flowers assured will continue to make critical investments to enhance shareholder value and secure an attractive return on investment as part of the firm’s ESG excellence pursuit.
“This ESG report represents our holistic approach to measuring our Economic, Social and Environmental impact across our business. The report also highlights our commitment to sustainability and is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework,” Mr Flowers said.
He added: “Consistent with ESG standards, we have put money and human capital resources where our mouth is, and have over the last four years paid out over Kshs 900 million in dividends to our 1,300 shareholders and Kshs 260 million to smallholder avocado farmers.”
The Agriculture sector, Mr Flowers noted, contributes 35% of the national GDP and remains a significant employer. With increased investments, the country, he said, had earned an estimated US$ 1.3 billion from horticulture, surpassing an estimated US$ 1 Billion earnings from tea.
He stressed that operations from agricultural economic activities will need to be closely monitored to avert climate change-related risks. “Through climate change we are now faced with one of the most significant threats to our World, and we as agricultural business leaders have a pivotal role to play,” Mr Flowers said.
Agricultural engagements, he added, must go beyond being carbon net zero and have a positive contribution to climate change. We must become Carbon Positive.
As per the tenets of ESG reporting, Kakuzi has adopted a broader outlook on sustainability matters beyond climate action. The firm, he confirmed, is actively adhering, monitoring and making ESG disclosures.
Among other ESG compliance factors, Kakuzi, he reiterated, was the first Company in Kenya, if not East Africa, to implement an Operational Level Grievance Mechanism (OGM) aligned to the UN Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights. This process, known as SIKIKA, ‘be heard’, is designed to address any grievances in a transparent, credible, legitimate, and, where appropriate, independent manner.
Kakuzi is also the first organisation in sub-Sahara Africa to establish a functional Independent Human Rights Advisory Committee (IHRAC). The Kakuzi IHRAC is Chaired by former Attorney General Prof Githu Muigai and underscores the firm’s commitment to maintain and uphold human rights as part of its agri-business excellence pillars.
The report outlines a broad scale of corporate social investment programs from sanitation and water for schools to health and social welfare programs, focused primarily on girls and women. The firm’s latest Jiko Kisasa initiative has constructed over 300 energy-saving stoves within the surrounding villages and aims to reach 1,200 by 2023.
According to the NSE and following the recent publishing of ESG reporting guidelines, listed companies will soon be required to report publicly, at least annually, on their ESG performance through an integrated report or a separate sustainability report. This is intended to encourage uniformity in ESG disclosures even as a comprehensive ESG legal framework is awaited.
Listed companies currently have a grace period of one year from the November 2021 issuance of the NSE ESG guidelines to interact and familiarise themselves with the reporting steps. The NSE and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) are discussing the possibility of launching an ESG index in the future. ESG indices are designed to support common approaches to ESG investing and help investors more effectively benchmark ESG investment performance and manage, measure and report on ESG mandates.
![Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the Colorado XL-series, a new platform of 3.4m printers that extends the proven advantages of Canon's UVgel technology to the 3.2m graphics market. Available in hybrid and roll-to-roll configurations, the modular, field upgradable platform powered by UVgel technology delivers great versatility and exceptional productivity for both flexible and rigid media applications from signage and décor to point of sale and packaging. The Colorado XL-series comprises two easy-to-operate models: the Colorado XL7 roll-to-roll printer and Colorado XL7 hybrid printer. The new series brings the benefits of UVgel to a new market segment with exceptional application versatility across a comprehensive range of media – from banner, paper, vinyl and films to soft signage, heat-sensitive materials, foam board, fluted polypropylene, acrylic, aluminium composite boards and cardboard – providing the flexibility to tackle diverse customer requirements. With print speeds of 70m² per hour in quality mode, 106m² per hour in production mode and up to 211m² per hour in express mode, the system delivers the productivity needed for demanding production environments while accommodating substrates up to 52mm/2 inches thick for rigid applications. The new platform includes multiple technology innovations, such as the UVgel 860 ink set, which has been optimised to cover a wide variety of both rigid and flexible applications. It also provides the proven benefits of UVgel: odourless and instant-dry prints, high mechanical and chemical robustness, dimensional stability due to low-temperature curing, excellent colour consistency, TPO [1] - and VCL [2] -free, and matte and gloss finish without the need of a separate varnish. The Colorado XL-series also incorporates new UVgel 850 PrintHeads. Each printhead has 4,544 nozzles and features automated built-in nozzle performance monitoring and compensation. A single printhead supports two colours simultaneously, so that only two printheads are required to print CMYK, plus an optional third if white is configured. Additionally, the Colorado XL-series has an agile and precise printhead carriage that features UVgel DynamicMotion Control to ensure exceptional print quality even with challenging media. Taking the UV LED curing process to the next level, the Colorado XL-series introduces UVgel FullBeam Curing. This technology uses a unique 3.4-metre-wide LED curing array that, combined with an ingenious mirror system, delivers consistent UV light dosing across the entire print width, guaranteeing exceptional print uniformity over large surfaces and enabling a wider colour gamut. Media handling is optimised by the new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system, which features three interactive rollers and multiple powerful vacuum zones that reduce wrinkling and skewing by automatically detecting and correcting the media positioning. This results in highly repeatable media transport through the printer, ensuring accurate positioning both longitudinally and laterally and enabling razor-sharp applications. Optional features for the Colorado XL-series, which are already available on the highly successful and modular Colorado M-series, include: UVgel White for hassle-free white printing, FLXfinish+ for creative effects using matte or gloss or mixed matte and gloss on the same print without additional varnish, and FLXture for textured finishes that mimic materials like leather, wood or fabric. Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, comments: "For the past decade, Canon has been at the forefront of the inkjet evolution in large format, with market-leading technologies including the Colorado roll-to-roll printer series powered by UVgel technology and the Arizona flatbed printers. Large format print providers are looking for systems that deliver high productivity, versatile applications and reliable quality while addressing the challenge of finding skilled operators – which is why Canon is launching our new, breakthrough Colorado XL-series, an addition to our portfolio that will set a new standard in productivity and versatility. “This innovative solution brings the proven advantages of our unique UVgel technology to the 3.2m market for the first time, combining it with extensive automation and a modular design that will enable customers to extend their application possibilities into markets such as packaging and décor. Print service providers already producing high-value signage and graphics can now leverage UVgel's distinctive finishes, including mixed gloss and matte effects and textured printing, at scale to stand out in these new markets. And with its hybrid capabilities, users can print both roll-to-roll and rigid applications on the same device, using the same ink, the same colour profiles and the same unique features and finishes. For brands, for example, this translates to seamless campaigns that span the full spectrum of applications, ensuring perfect consistency across campaign assets whether they're roll-fed graphics, rigid signage, packaging, or décor elements. This is particularly valuable when these different applications appear side by side in-store, where maintaining that consistent quality and finish elevates the entire brand experience that today's brands demand." The Colorado XL-series will be available from the beginning of 2026 via Canon’s direct sales organisations as well as from accredited partners. For more information about the Colorado XL-series, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3WltKtM](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/canon_prograf-218x150.png "Canon expands large format graphics production portfolio with new 3.4m Colorado XL-series")
