With our businesses located in emerging and fast-growing economies, it is our responsibility as a digital champion to leverage our technological resources towards empowering lasting socio-economic development. We do this by introducing solutions that improve access to essential services such as education, healthcare and basic utilities, while maintaining sophisticated natural disaster early warning systems to minimise the human cost of such tragic events.
Our support of local communities also has a transformative effect on young talent, whom we groom to succeed in the digital world through our longstanding talent development programmes.
Our community development initiatives are highly localised and run the gamut from enabling access to basic services to redeveloping public areas, setting up telemedicine infrastructure to providing women entrepreneurs with resources for business growth. Regardless of their specific nature, all our initiatives are geared to support the principles of the UN SDGs, calling for the achievement of holistic sustainable development that leaves no one behind.
Through our talent programmes, we are nurturing the promising youth of today into digitally-fluent leaders who are ready to drive advancement in their home countries and beyond.
Our commitment to talent development started in 2011 with the Axiata Young Talent Programme (AYTP) in Malaysia, and quickly expanded to include the XL Future Leaders Programme (XLFL) in Indonesia and SmartEdu in Cambodia. All three programmes are designed to provide top students with specific industry knowledge and experience alongside ongoing mentorship and guidance from our own leaders.
It is our responsibility to support long-term community development by deploying inclusive connectivity within the reach of everyone and promoting economic and social progress based on digitalisation, leaving no one behind. In line with this, our OpCos leverage digital technology to address imbalances in access to basic goods and services such as utilities, healthcare, education, thereby equipping communities with solutions that enable long-term advancement.
Supporting Education
In supporting the equitable and affordable provision of education, our work extends beyond our existing talent programmes alone.
Dialog in Sri Lanka and Ncell in Nepal have launched scholarships that support high achievers in their home countries with the financial means to pursue further education.
In addition, Smart in Cambodia have leveraged on the opportunities that online learning brings, developing platforms that introduce school- and university-going students to digital business and entrepreneurship skills.
Connecting To Basic Utilities
Many people in our footprint countries still do not have access to utilities like safe drinking water and electricity – a fundamental human right.
Leveraging the reach they enjoy across Asia, edotco launched the Tower to Community programme in 2016, connecting people living near our telecommunication towers with access to electricity, clean water for drinking, water for irrigation and livestock management, and WiFi access, in addition to humanitarian aid during natural disasters. In 2021, the programme’s specific initiatives included distributing laptops to students from 1,600 economically disadvantaged families in Malaysia and delivering safe drinking water to 2,196 people in Bangladesh.
In Nepal, Ncell spearheaded the redevelopment of Lainchaur Ground, a historic community facility in the heart of Kathmandu. The redevelopment provides community members with access to
recreational facilities such as football pitches, basketball courts and play areas, improving quality of life and promoting a greater sense of community.
Contributing To Healthcare For Communities
Quality medical care comes at a premium for disadvantaged communities, and those with health issues requiring specialist care often have no treatment options whatsoever.
With the benefit of digital technology, Ncell in collaboration with Dhulikhel Hospital have set up Telemedicine and Health Informatics centers to serve remote communities in Nepal. The centers allow people living outside hospital coverage areas to receive treatment remotely via video link – a lifeline for many.
In Sri Lanka, Dialog is one of the country’s leading investors in medical solutions for people with hearing, sight, and speech impairments, establishing the Ratmalana Audiology Center to provide hearing tests, hearing aid fitting, speech therapy services and more to schoolchildren and the community at large.
Employee Volunteerism
In 2021, our OpCos’ employees volunteered towards a range of causes including tree planting initiatives, food distribution drives, COVID-19 vaccination programmes and the distribution of laptops and smartphones to disadvantaged students and families. More information on employee volunteerism programmes can be found in our Sustainability and National Contribution Report 2021.
Through our talent programmes, we are nurturing the promising youth of today into digitally-fluent leaders who are ready to drive advancement in their home countries and beyond.
Our commitment to talent development started in 2011 with the Axiata Young Talent Programme (AYTP) in Malaysia, and quickly expanded to include the XL Future Leaders Programme (XLFL) in Indonesia and SmartEdu in Cambodia. All three programmes are designed to provide top students with specific industry knowledge and experience alongside ongoing mentorship and guidance from our own leaders.
It is our responsibility to support long-term community development by deploying inclusive connectivity within the reach of everyone and promoting economic and social progress based on digitalisation, leaving no one behind. In line with this, our OpCos leverage digital technology to address imbalances in access to basic goods and services such as utilities, healthcare, education, thereby equipping communities with solutions that enable long-term advancement.
Supporting Education
In supporting the equitable and affordable provision of education, our work extends beyond our existing talent programmes alone.
Dialog in Sri Lanka and Ncell in Nepal have launched scholarships that support high achievers in their home countries with the financial means to pursue further education.
In addition, Smart in Cambodia have leveraged on the opportunities that online learning brings, developing platforms that introduce school- and university-going students to digital business and entrepreneurship skills.
Connecting To Basic Utilities
Many people in our footprint countries still do not have access to utilities like safe drinking water and electricity – a fundamental human right.
Leveraging the reach they enjoy across Asia, edotco launched the Tower to Community programme in 2016, connecting people living near our telecommunication towers with access to electricity, clean water for drinking, water for irrigation and livestock management, and WiFi access, in addition to humanitarian aid during natural disasters. In 2021, the programme’s specific initiatives included distributing laptops to students from 1,600 economically disadvantaged families in Malaysia and delivering safe drinking water to 2,196 people in Bangladesh.
In Nepal, Ncell spearheaded the redevelopment of Lainchaur Ground, a historic community facility in the heart of Kathmandu. The redevelopment provides community members with access to
recreational facilities such as football pitches, basketball courts and play areas, improving quality of life and promoting a greater sense of community.
Contributing To Healthcare For Communities
Quality medical care comes at a premium for disadvantaged communities, and those with health issues requiring specialist care often have no treatment options whatsoever.
With the benefit of digital technology, Ncell in collaboration with Dhulikhel Hospital have set up Telemedicine and Health Informatics centers to serve remote communities in Nepal. The centers allow people living outside hospital coverage areas to receive treatment remotely via video link – a lifeline for many.
In Sri Lanka, Dialog is one of the country’s leading investors in medical solutions for people with hearing, sight, and speech impairments, establishing the Ratmalana Audiology Center to provide hearing tests, hearing aid fitting, speech therapy services and more to schoolchildren and the community at large.
Employee Volunteerism
In 2021, our OpCos’ employees volunteered towards a range of causes including tree planting initiatives, food distribution drives, COVID-19 vaccination programmes and the distribution of laptops and smartphones to disadvantaged students and families. More information on employee volunteerism programmes can be found in our Sustainability and National Contribution Report 2021.
Read the Community Development topic in our Sustainability and National Contribution Report 2021 for full information on the community development initiatives launched by our OpCos.
We are observing a surge in natural disasters and extreme weather events due to climate change and global warming. Disasters can disrupt communities, negatively affecting society, property, economies and the environment. However, with the correct application of technology, natural disasters can be more accurately predicted and responded to, thereby limiting the damage
they cause.
In line with our responsibility as a signatory of the GSMA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter, our OpCos play a crucial role at all stages of disaster management. They deploy the tools, infrastructure and resources to enhance preparedness, response and recovery, all while sharing information transparently with national governments and the public at large. These efforts are enhanced by the widespread networks we have developed through our telecommunications operations, which provide us reach to a broad cross-section of local populations.
We aspire to improve and grow the scope of our digital services. Not only are we open to expanding our partnerships, but we will also continue to strengthen our relationships with our current partners which include disaster local network agencies, foundations, nonprofit
organisations, as well as the government.
From providing natural disaster alerts via SMS to distributing hygiene kits and basic necessities to disaster victims, our OpCos contribute to disaster preparedness and response with specifically tailored strategies and technologies to counter the most commonly occurring natural disasters within each individual country. Over and above these actions, it is the core responsibility of our OpCos – and Axiata as a Group – to ensure reliable connectivity is maintained after the occurrence of a natural disaster so that emergency services can carry out their work effectively and families can remain in contact at all times.
As communities continue to grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped to drive resilience at the community level with additional initiatives geared towards supporting a swift socioeconomic recovery. These initiatives included vaccination programmes, support hotlines and donations to hospitals. Find out more via our Sustainability and National Contribution Report 2021.
From providing natural disaster alerts via SMS to distributing hygiene kits and basic necessities to disaster victims, our OpCos contribute to disaster preparedness and response with specifically tailored strategies and technologies to counter the most commonly occurring natural disasters within each individual country. Over and above these actions, it is the core responsibility of our OpCos – and Axiata as a Group – to ensure reliable connectivity is maintained after the occurrence of a natural disaster so that emergency services can carry out their work effectively and families can remain in contact at all times.
As communities continue to grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped to drive resilience at the community level with additional initiatives geared towards supporting a swift socioeconomic recovery. These initiatives included vaccination programmes, support hotlines and donations to hospitals. Find out more via our Sustainability and National Contribution Report 2021.
Our material matters are determined through a bi-yearly process of materiality assessment, detailed below:
We review and update our material matters in response to changes in our business landscape, risk environment, internal policies, KPIs, emerging local and global sustainability trends, regulatory developments and stakeholder opinions. Our review also incorporates peer benchmarking.
We conducted a structured stakeholder prioritisation exercise by leveraging insights from our dialogue with various stakeholders on our material matters. This allows us to identify the influence and dependence of key stakeholders on the Group. We then engage with the prioritised stakeholders to obtain their feedback on material matters.
Upon identification of our material matters, we conducted workshops within the Group to further prioritise materiality matters from the business perspective.