Materiality assessment plays an essential role in guiding Vodafone strategy
Materiality
Stakeholder Engagement
Vodafone Egypt operates in a rich and dynamic environment, with its stakeholders representing diverse interests and needs, holding valuable expertise and harbouring unique that allows us to view the world through more than one lens. Based on our technological capacities, dedicated channels and various forums, Vodafone Egypt maintains regular stakeholder dialogue to deeply understand its internal and external environment and respond based on this knowledge.
We analyse data and insights collected via various stakeholder engagement activities and consolidate those findings to inform our materiality assessment and strategy, proactively mitigate risks, and harness identified opportunities. This allows us to make better choices, be a better service provider and partner, and contribute to a better future. Much of our engagement has gone digital, yet we made sure to sustain the quality of communication and collect insightful feedback while connecting live whenever possible during events such as the Gala Dinner to celebrate 22 years of Vodafone Egypt.
Across the past year, all our stakeholders raised to a certain degree such issues as sustainability implementation, ESG performance and compliance, business continuity, crisis management and COVID-19 response. Thus, below, we highlight only issues unique to each stakeholder group. Our response to the broad and pertinent issues has been based on dedicated plans, elevated health and safety standards, as well as new channels and services, to specifically ease communication. The frequencies of engaging different stakeholders vary widely across departments, and thus, we provide results based on all known engagements during the past year.
This report, published as both digital and PDF versions, also serves as our response to the growing interest in an accessible and convenient format to learn about different aspects of our ESG performance and compliance.
The world is undergoing rapid environmental change, and Egypt is particularly vulnerable to challenges like water scarcity and climate change. Vodafone Egypt has adopted ambitious climate and energy targets and has been strategically developing its contribution to environmental stewardship. While addressing our own impacts, Vodafone Egypt aspires to unlock and scale the power of digitalization, technology and innovation to address a wide range of environmental challenges, promote the development of smart, sustainable and digital infrastructure, streamline monitoring and optimization of environmental parameters in cities and buildings and drive the circular economy
| GROUP | CHANNELS AND DEPARTMENTS | FREQUENCY | TOPICS AND ISSUES | RESPONSES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees | Daily interactions, digital workspaces, surveys, events, newsletters Departments: HSE, HR, Procurement, Marketing | D M Q A A1 | Business performance, health and safety, salaries, benefits, compensation, career and promotions, grievance mechanisms, work-life balance, training, corporate reputation, communication, extending digital skillset, group learning and knowledge exchange | Business performance, health and safety, salaries, benefits, compensation, career and promotions, grievance mechanisms, work-life balance, training, corporate reputation, communication, extending digital skillset, group learning and knowledge exchange |
| Customers | Digital channels, call centres, surveys, website, social media, marketing and sales channels, retail stores, apps, ads§ Departments: HSE, Procurement, Marketing | M A1 | Data security and privacy, customer experience, new services, affordability, accessibility, network coverage and speed, customisation, data use monitoring, complaint resolution speed and effectiveness | Customer experience optimisation, customised services, streamlined resolution of complaints, new apps and functions, IoT products range extension |
| Suppliers and partners | Direct, events, training and campaigns, evaluation and qualification, surveys. Departments: Compliance, HR, Procurement, Marketing | D A A1 | Procurement policies, suppliers’ evaluation, timely payments, loyalty and partnerships, audits and due diligence | Transparent policies and criteria, direct feedback and negotiation, supplier engagement events |
| Communities and NGOs | Social initiatives, volunteering, partnerships, public participation, social media, events, and word of mouth. Departments: Marketing | w Q A | Socio-economic development, knowledge and technology transfer, accessibility, local impact, establishing collaboration, free and open-access services | Local engagement, new projects and partnerships development, adjustment of ongoing initiatives. |
| Governments and regulators | Public forums, meetings, industry consultations, financial disclosures, audits, participation in public policies Departments: HSE, HR, Procurement, Marketing | A A1 | Compliance, competitive behaviour, network and infrastructure development, digitalisation, job creation and socio-economic development, contribution to government strategies and priorities, tax contribution | Ensuring ongoing compliance, timely and accurate disclosures, and elimination of non-conformities, collaborative initiatives |
| Shareholders, Investors and Vodafone Group | Financial disclosures, annual reports, quarterly updates, general assembly meetings, website. Departments: Compliance, Risk, Internal Audit, Procurement, Marketing | W1 Q B A | Market share, revenue, growth, risk management, strategy implementation and progress on targets, ethics and integrity | Alignment across strategy and brand positioning projects dedicated to supporting specific group goals and targets. |
The world is undergoing rapid environmental change, and Egypt is particularly vulnerable to challenges like water scarcity and climate change. Vodafone Egypt has adopted ambitious climate and energy targets and has been strategically developing its contribution to environmental stewardship. While addressing our own impacts, Vodafone Egypt aspires to unlock and scale the power of digitalization, technology and innovation to address a wide range of environmental challenges, promote the development of smart, sustainable and digital infrastructure, streamline monitoring and optimization of environmental parameters in cities and buildings and drive the circular economy
Materiality Assessment
Materiality assessment plays an essential role in guiding our strategy, understanding our impacts and devising initiatives that help us make a difference in the world.
We conducted a materiality assessment in four stages based on the GRI 3: Material Topics 2021 standard. The updated Universal Standards provide an outward-focused approach to viewing material topics wherein each organization's sector context and potential impacts are identified, and the significance of those impacts is determined considering the impact on the economy, environment and people, including human rights. The following steps were taken during the materiality assessment:
- Understanding the context in which Vodafone Egypt operates.
- Identifying actual and potential impacts, both positive and negative.
- Assessing the significance of impacts based on their severity (only for negative impacts), scope and scale (for positive and negative impacts).
- Grouping and prioritizing the most significant impacts for reporting.
Rating positive and negative impacts :
Most Material +
material
Material