José Tiago de Sousa is an economist, a PhD candidate in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies at NOVA FCT — in partnership with the University of Lisbon’s Institute of Social Sciences — and an ESG strategist. Hailing from Mindelo (Vila do Conde), he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s in Finance from the University of Porto’s Faculty of Economics (FEP). He has been twice honored with the U.Porto Volunteer Award (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) and received the Active Citizenship Award in its humanitarian category, presented by the then-President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. He founded the association Solidarity Soul, took part in European Solidarity Corps humanitarian missions in Italy, Poland, and Turkey, and contributed to European projects on sustainability and gender equality. He has worked as a Senior Specialist in Social Responsibility and Sustainability at FEP and, among others, as an ESG Officer at TLG Global. In the article that follows, the author reflects on how his own journey can inspire a new ESG model for Africa’s sustainable development — one that starts at the community level, champions resilience, participatory governance, and global justice, and places people at the heart of every sustainability strategy.
ESG with Purpose: Lessons from José Tiago Sousa for a Sustainable Africa
José Tiago de Sousa
There’s something I’ve come to realize over the years: when most people hear “ESG” — Environmental, Social, and Governance — they think of checkboxes. Forms to fill out. Metrics to please investors in faraway boardrooms. But my journey has taught me something different. Sustainability isn’t about numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about people. It’s about causes that matter. It’s about showing up, day after day, with real commitment. And I believe this way of thinking — practical, human, and grounded — can help shape a better future for Africa. So let me share what I’ve learned along the way, hoping it might inspire entrepreneurs, community leaders, and decision-makers across the continent.
Lesson One: Start Where You Are, But Think Beyond
Solidarity Soul, the student association I started at Porto’s Faculty of Economics. We were part of the UP Solidária network, and our mission was simple: help the elderly at a local social centre, support vulnerable children, and take care of the environment. One of our proudest moments was organizing some clean-ups at the Mindelo Ornithological Reserve — my own hometown. Dozens of volunteers came together, and we hauled away two tons of trash. We also ran, among others, a “Sun Day” campaign at São João Hospital, reminding people that even waiting rooms can be more human, more welcoming.
Here’s what I learned: ESG doesn’t start with fancy reports. It starts with getting your hands dirty — literally. For African companies, this means forming real partnerships with local communities. Clean up a river. Support a nearby school. Run a health campaign in a rural village. These aren’t just good for your image; they build trust, strengthen social bonds, and fill gaps that governments often can’t reach. I’ve always believed that “if we only help our neighbor, then who’s left to help Africa or refugees caught in war?” African ESG needs to keep one foot firmly in the local community and the other in the wider world. Solidarity has no borders — and neither should sustainable development.
Lesson Two: Resilience When Everything Falls Apart
In 2017, I joined the European Solidarity Corps’ first mission to Norcia, Italy, after a devastating earthquake. Honestly? That experience changed me. Standing in the rubble, seeing communities shattered, I realized how fragile everything is — and how strong people can be when they come together. It was there, amid the destruction, that Solidarity Soul was born in my mind. Later missions took me to Poland, working with children facing discrimination, and to Turkey, where I taught young people touched by conflict. Africa knows crisis all too well — climate disasters, conflicts, health emergencies. The lesson here is about being ready. Companies can learn from these experiences: train volunteer teams in emergency logistics, set aside contingency funds, create clear plans to support affected communities. ESG stops being an abstract idea and becomes a lifeline.
Norcia also taught me the value of early warning systems and resilient housing — lessons Africa urgently needs as climate change intensifies. When the ground shakes or the floods come, it’s too late to start planning.
Lesson Three: Governance That Includes Everyone
During my time at Porto’s Faculty of Economics, I served on the Pedagogical Council, representing graduate students. Later, as a Senior Specialist in Social Responsibility and Sustainability, I helped weave ESG practices into the institution’s culture. These experiences taught me that good governance isn’t just for boardrooms — it’s for everyone.
For Africa, this is critical. The “G” in ESG can’t be an afterthought. Companies and institutions need to open doors for young people, women, and local communities to participate in decisions that affect them. Governance is a skill we learn early — in student councils, in community associations, in local forums. When companies invite younger employees to sit on sustainability committees, they’re not just being inclusive; they’re grooming tomorrow’s leaders.
I’ve also been part of a group pushing for gender parity on the Climate Action Council. This fight for inclusion is just as important in Portugal as it is in Africa. Because policies made without everyone at the table serve no one well.
Lesson Four: Sustainability Has Many Layers
In 2022, I led the Portuguese team in European projects on the Sustainable Development Goals in Romania and Hungary. Those experiences cemented what I already suspected: sustainability is about three pillars — environmental, social, and economic — and you can’t separate them.
Africa understands this well. The future of ESG on the continent isn’t about copying foreign models; it’s about adapting them to local realities. A mining company might install clean technology (good for the environment) but ignore workers’ rights (bad for people) or operate in conflict zones without community dialogue (bad governance). That’s not ESG — that’s greenwashing. The real challenge in Africa is balancing all three pillars, knowing that development can’t crush people in the name of the planet, or vice versa.
International training taught me the value of creativity — upcycling, for instance, turning waste into something useful. In African communities, this could mean recycled products, less trash, and new jobs all at once.
Lesson Five: Gender Equality Is Non-Negotiable
In 2020, I took part in the “Equal Means Equal” exchange in France, organized by the Youth Peace Ambassadors Network. Twenty young people from six countries came together to draft a manifesto on gender equality in education — eight recommendations covering human rights, scholarships, and more. For Africa, this lesson is simple and unavoidable: no ESG strategy is truly sustainable without inclusion and gender equality. Entrepreneurs and companies need to actively support diversity — from fair access to funding for women-led businesses to workplaces free from harassment. The youth consultation model we used in France can work anywhere in Africa: listen to voices that are often ignored, engage them, and give them real power.
Lesson Six: Keep Learning, and Don’t Forget Justice
Over the years, I’ve attended courses and training in Romania, Hungary, France, and beyond. I’m now pursuing a PhD in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies. My master’s thesis looked at social responsibility in the banking sector — a space where finance meets real-world impact.
For Africa, the message is clear: knowledge drives development. Companies should invest in training their teams on circular economy, environmental management, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable finance. Partnerships with universities, UN programs, or continental networks can spark real innovation. But learning alone isn’t enough. We need global justice. In an article I wrote for Diário de Notícias, I warned about the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). As designed, it risks “strangling vulnerable communities and worsening global inequalities.” African entrepreneurs must stay alert to these international policies and push for fair transitions — making sure their governments understand how foreign regulations affect local exports and livelihoods.
Lesson Seven: Never Forget Where You Came From
There’s a moment in my journey that I’ll always treasure. I returned the U.Porto Volunteer Award I received in 2018/2019 to the Faculty of Economics — not out of rejection, but out of gratitude. I called the FEP “the home that welcomed me, shaped me, and inspired me.” I felt the award belonged back where it all started, in a place that taught me economics isn’t about numbers alone. It’s about people. Causes. Commitment. And I quoted Heraclitus to explain: “You cannot step twice into the same river. And yet, there are rivers that mark us so deeply that, even when we no longer step into them, they continue to flow within us. FEP is that river for me.”
For African leaders — whether in business, politics, or communities — this is a reminder to honor your roots. Sustainable development can’t be imposed from above or copied blindly. It has to grow from local histories, struggles, and dreams. An ESG with an African soul listens, respects, and gives back to the communities that shaped it.
A Call to Action
Looking back at my journey — from volunteering in my hometown to working on ESG strategies internationally, from humanitarian missions to academic life — I see one truth running through it all: sustainability is about genuine commitment to people.
For Africa, the answer isn’t to copy Europe or America. It’s to adapt their models, fill them with African resilience, creativity, and solidarity. ESG in Africa needs to be about justice, not exclusion. It needs to start in villages and neighborhoods, not just in boardrooms. It needs leaders who understand that economics “isn’t done with numbers alone, but with people, with causes, with commitment.”
Africa stands at a historic crossroads. It has a chance to build a development model that learns from the past instead of repeating its mistakes. The roadmap is already there — written in the lives of young people like me. All that’s missing is the courage to walk the path.
