Our societal impact

Success stories

Measuring socio-economic impact with Gradesmatch

As part of our enterprise supplier development (ESD) programme, we partnered with Gradesmatch to measure the socio-economic impact of their educational initiatives in South Africa. This collaboration aims to address multifaceted education challenges and contribute to achieving SDGs.

Task 1: Impact pathways

Quantify micro-level socio-economic impacts: Evaluate the direct effects of Gradesmatch’s initiatives on individual beneficiaries

Assess impact effectiveness and outcomes: Determine the success and areas for improvement in the initiatives
Identify improvements and corrective actions: Propose actionable steps to enhance the impact
Identify material impact pathways: Focus on the most significant channels through which the initiatives affect socio-economic conditions
Workshop and stakeholder mapping: Conduct workshops to understand current initiatives and data availability, and map stakeholders affected by the impacts.

Task 2: Socio-economic impact assessment (SEIA)

Conduct SEIA: Assess the income impact on beneficiaries

Use Social Accounting Matrix (SAM): Utilise SAM for South Africa to quantify the economic impact of increased income
Measure contributions: Evaluate contributions to economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction and tax revenues
Assess broader economic impact: Analyse the multiplier effects of education spending on the economy.

Quality education
Decent work and economic growth
Reduced inequalities.

Sustainable education investment: Focus on long-term educational funding

Improved access to education: Enhance accessibility for underserved communities
Collaboration with employers: Align educational programmes with market needs
Equitable distribution of opportunities: Ensure fair access to educational resources
Community engagement initiatives: Foster community involvement in educational projects
Integration of social impact management: Incorporate social impact considerations into strategic planning.

Reliable and consistent education support: Provide dependable educational assistance

Comprehensive socio-economic impact model: Develop a robust model to measure socio-economic impacts
Enabled stakeholder engagement: Facilitate engagement with stakeholders for future funding opportunities
Impact-driven investment strategy: Promote investments that drive significant social impact
Long-term monitoring and evaluation: Establish systems for ongoing impact assessment and improvement.

The collaboration between PwC and Gradesmatch has led to significant advancements in measuring and enhancing the socio-economic impact of educational initiatives in South Africa. By focusing on sustainable investment, improved access and strategic alignment with market needs, this project supports achieving key SDGs and fosters long-term socio-economic growth.

Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance Nigeria

Nigeria faces a significant environmental crisis due to plastic waste. This is exacerbated by inadequate recycling systems and the proliferation of single-use plastics. In response, the Nigerian government has implemented tax reforms targeting single-use plastics in the drinks industry. These reforms are part of a broader strategy to improve recycling practices, report on industry status and propose legal changes to enhance plastic circularity.

The government introduced taxes on single-use plastics within the drinks industry to address these issues. This initiative aims to:

Encourage better recycling practices

Evaluate current industry practices
Propose necessary legal changes for improved recycling.

Our firm played a crucial role in supporting these reforms by leveraging our past advocacy successes and combining expertise from various units. We focused on the Non-Alcoholic Drink sector to promote plastic circularity through several key actions:

Roadmap preparation: We assisted in developing a phased industry commitment implementation roadmap.

Value chain evaluation: We analysed the industry’s value chain to identify opportunities for improvement.
Government engagement: We facilitated discussions between the industry and government to ensure alignment on goals and strategies.

Phased industry commitment implementation roadmap: We suggested a structured approach for the industry to adopt circular practices gradually.

Economic impact: We highlighted the industry’s contributions to job creation, taxes paid and self-regulation initiatives as producer responsibility organisations (PROs).
Client trust: We successfully gained clients’ trust, enabling us to continue driving advocacy engagements and support the industry’s transition towards better recycling practices.

Climate action

The Nigerian government’s recycling initiative and single-use plastic tax reforms represent a significant step towards addressing the country’s plastic waste crisis. By collaborating with the industry and leveraging our firm’s expertise, we have contributed to developing a sustainable roadmap for plastics circularity. This project not only supports environmental sustainability but also fosters economic growth and strengthens industry-government relationships.

Global Fund’s work in Africa

The Global Fund is a global partnership aimed at defeating HIV, TB and malaria, raising over $5 billion annually to fight these diseases and strengthen health systems in more than 100 countries. Since 2002, it has saved 65 million lives by uniting leaders, communities and the private sector to find and scale impactful solutions.

PwC serves as the Local Fund Agent (LFA) for the Global Fund in 72 countries, including 38 in Africa. As the LFA, PwC provides assurance and advisory services, playing a pivotal role in the Global Fund’s risk management and performance-based funding model. PwC’s responsibilities include:

Conducting grant reviews and readiness assessments
Monitoring financial flows and programme results
Verifying data quality and implementation effectiveness

Identifying risks and recommending improvements.

The Global Fund partnership has:

Saved an estimated 65 million live

Reduced the death rate from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 61%
Increased life expectancy in low- and middle-income countries
Used its investments to strengthen health systems and support universal health coverage (UHC), generating health gains valued at $1.2 trillion and productivity gains of $400 billion from $63 billion in disbursements since 2002.

Good health and well-being

Reduced inequalities

Empowering women entrepreneurs through PwC’s Faranani Women Rural Women Training Initiative

The Faranani Rural Women Training Initiative was inspired by the high unemployment rate, poverty and inequality in South Africa. The main aim is to provide business training to women from rural areas who are either already in business or interested in owning a business. Annually, this initiative makes a notable difference in the lives of many women, empowering them to generate their own income and become meaningful contributors to the South African economy.

Thousands of sustainable jobs created
Positive contribution to the South African economy
Improved skills in marketing, pricing, costing, business planning and financial management for participants

Since its inception, over 4,350 women have graduated from the programme.

68% of graduates have increased business profitability, leading to job creation.

Good health and well-being

Gender equality
Reduced inequalities
Decent work and economic growth
Quality education.

We are only half the story: Voices of our participants

Thulile Mbuyane is the founder of a beverage company. After completing school in Mamelodi, she enrolled at university but dropped out as finances were a constraint, and she was eager to start working. Thulile had gone on to have several jobs, and after the birth of her son, she decided not to return to her employer.

“Growing up with a business mindset was influenced by several family members who had small businesses. After facing challenges due to load-shedding, I expanded my business to supply backup power solutions. The Faranani training helped me unlearn and relearn new strategies, increasing my revenue by 20% every month consistently for the past three months. Today, my ginger beer is sold in three flavours at three big malls.”

Thembelihle Ntshobane is a businesswoman who grew up in Kagiso. Her road to becoming an entrepreneur was quite different. She spent most of her career working at some of the country’s biggest telecommunications companies as an SAP consultant and IT and transmission engineer. After enjoying a solid period of employment, she was unexpectedly retrenched in 2017.

“After being retrenched, I struggled to provide for my family. I started a pest control company, Sithebo Enterprise, despite facing many challenges. The Faranani course helped me improve my business skills and transform into a businesswoman. I received incredible support through Faranani and learned that there are people who want to help me succeed.”

Nthatisi Makotoko, a graduate of the Faranani Training Initiative, started a marketing company in 2009, but it wasn’t long after that that she faced struggles due to routine load-shedding. After finding a solution for her business, she decided to expand her company’s service offering to supply backup power solutions for homes and small businesses—an idea which took off well in 2017.

“As I saw the unemployment numbers go up each year, I thought it’s very important to consider building my own business and going for the Faranani training, to be able to sustain my business, employ people who will be able to sustain their families, and at the same time be able to contribute to the country’s economy.”

Mapule Moabelo enrolled in PwC’s Faranani Rural Women Training Initiative at the end of 2021. Her journey highlights the significant impact of the training initiative on her business growth and her aspirations for the future. She shares how her approach to running her business has transformed:

“I enrolled in the business management course because I wanted to understand what it truly means to run a business. Before, I was just managing it from inside my head. After completing the course, I learned an incredible amount—how to cost items, break-even, market my business, and most importantly, how to go out and get sales, which is a key factor in running a business. Now, my sales have grown tremendously, and my goal is to expand into a fully-fledged bakery and increase my sales to buy the equipment I need.”

Helen Ntobela runs a branding and printing company in the bustling Tembisa township. After struggling with her company finances for some time, her uncle recommended she enrol in the course—an opportunity she is so grateful to have had.

“The most important thing I learned was how to draft my own business plan. The course taught me the importance of pricing my products, understanding my finances, and how to market my business.”

Helen is determined to grow her business into a multimillion-rand company that she can one day relocate from the township to the city.

“Now that I’ve gained these skills, I have knowledge and believe that in the future, I will employ more people and change their lives too.”

PwC remains committed to uplifting women in South Africa, building trust in society, and solving important problems. In its 18th year, the Faranani Rural Women Training Initiative continues to make significant strides in empowering women entrepreneurs, contributing to an equal and prosperous environment for everyone.