· Q1 In the African philosophy of “Ubuntu (Botho)”, which means “I am because you are”, prosperity is not measured solely in monetary terms but in the strength of our collective wellbeing at a time when geopolitical tensions, migration challenges and differing national priorities are testing relationships.
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Another example I’d share is the impact a project I initiated had in the Amazon in which local village communities were given a huge step change in income earning opportunities by the simple provision of making a mechanised nutcracker (Brazil nuts) that utilised the outboard engines from their boats that they would use to navigate the rivers.
The outcome meant more money at source for the communities, reduced logistics costs for the companies concerned (Symrise and Natura) and a reduced carbon footprint due to a massive reduction in freight and the ability to return the spent biomass to the forest.
A1: shared prosperity goes beyond measuring success by GDP or income levels. It is about ensuring that people have the capabilities, opportunities, and resilience to improve their lives sustainably.
That means investing in skills, access to finance, digital inclusion, quality jobs, and strong entrepreneurial ecosystems that allow people not just large corporations to participate meaningfully in economic growth. Prosperity should be reflected in whether women, youth, and underserved communities have greater access to opportunities and can build businesses that create value for others.
In my work, we have found that when entrepreneurs receive the right combination of training, mentorship, market access, and financial support, they do not just increase their own income, they build more confidence, create jobs, strengthen local supply chains, and contribute to more resilient communities. That’s what shared prosperity looks like in practice.
Kenya has experienced steady economic growth over the years, yet we continue to face youth unemployment, climate-related shocks, and widening inequality. This tells us that GDP measures the size of the economy, but not necessarily the quality of people’s lives. In the Work and Opportunities for Women programme, we found that prosperity wasn’t only about increasing farm productivity. It was also about women’s participation in household decisions, improved access to healthcare information, climate-smart agriculture, and stronger community dialogue. Those dimensions of wellbeing are equally important.
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An example is the Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund. East African Breweries recognised that protecting its water source could not be achieved alone because the quality and quantity of water depended on how farmers managed the land upstream. By partnering with the Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund, farmers were trained on sustainable agricultural practices that improved soil health, increased productivity and protected water resources. Farmers benefited through better yields and incomes, while EABL secured a more sustainable and reliable water source for its operations. It’s a great example of how investing in communities also strengthens business resilience.
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For me, quality of growth - how you get there, who participates, and how you sustain it. In particular economic governance and inclusive institutions, as opposed to extractive institutions. I still find North, Wallis, and Weingast useful. Getting the enabling environment right that affects many actors and issues.
· Q1. The real test of shared prosperity is whether policies trickle down to rural communities, where vulnerability is greatest and resources are most scarce.
QUESTION 2: How can businesses create value in ways that also strengthen people’s resilience, wellbeing and opportunities?
Yes, absolutely - in doing so, creating mutual value over the long term.
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Q2 Businesses are in a unique position to turn today’s technological, structural, and industrial transformation into lasting social impact. This can be achieved by channeling efficiency gains into greater access to education, healthcare, energy, decent work, and housing to generate stronger resilience, wellbeing, and opportunity for all.
Q2. Businesses should move beyond simply generating profits to creating shared value—where commercial success is linked with healthier diets, more resilient food systems, improved livelihoods, and greater opportunities for communities, and responsible sourcing
Completely agree with you here - for a while my mantra has been around access to education, access to opportunity and access to the finance that makes those opportunities realisable.
It is definitely a case of “hand up” and not “hand out” because the empowerment that you highlight through investing in skills, etc. is self-sustaining when it is done properly.
That is;
Technological – AI efficiencies
Industrial – a just green transition
Structural – private finance for development
Efficiency gains can be internalized to the business or externalized to create more efficient value. The latter can only be achieved in conversation with (not to) communities.
I’m curious, I hear impact investors and foundations talk increasingly about catalytic capital and systemic change. Are there corporations thinking along these lines beyond issue-specific corporate responsibility?
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Economic growth matters. But growth alone does not tell us whether people are safer, healthier, more resilient, or better able to shape their own futures. Key to shared prosperity is:
- Opportunities are accessible to everyone, including girls, young women, marginalized communities and those furthest behind.
- People have agency, not just income, meaning they can make decisions about education, employment, health and participation in society.
- Communities are resilient to shocks such as climate change, conflict and economic instability.
- Benefits are distributed fairly across value chains, rather than concentrated among a small number of actors.
- Wellbeing improves across generations, creating lasting social progress.
AS an NGO working across these areas, at Plan International we know the test of prosperity is not only whether economies grow, but whether people, especially those traditionally excluded from opportunity, are better able to live healthy, safe and dignified lives
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Q1. Shared prosperity is about more than economic growth. It means creating the conditions for people and communities to thrive, with access to opportunities, resilience, and the ability to make meaningful choices. Income is important, but so are health, education, housing, and a sense of agency.
At Poverty Stoplight (povertystoplight.org), we see shared prosperity as empowering families to define what a good life means for them and giving them the tools to turn their goals into reality. Real prosperity is measured not only by what people have, but by what they are able to do and become.
A2: Examples from the agrifood sector such as addressing framework conditions in farming communities (malnutrition, lack of access to education) or in downstream communities such as market sellers (literacy and numeracy) might fit this description when we are talking about working within the current model. Other examples – again from agrifood – might include identifying together with expert partners specific nutritional deficiencies, fortifying products with the missing micronutrients and selling at affordable prices, while also educating consumers and healthcare professionals concerning nutritional deficiency, its impact and remedies.
Then, if you want to challenge the status quo, you can think more radically about challenging a system whereby producers generally and in developing countries in particular are very much the least advantaged in any supply chain. That would mean creating closer linkages and shorter chains between traceable, sustainability-assurable suppliers in developing economies and engaged, committed consumers who are determined to make a difference. It may start at small scale, but has the potential to develop into a movement that provides a workable alternative.
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Q2: Again, Several thoughts come to mind here.
First, and this is a challenging one, particularly given the sales pitch on AI that is being made to many companies, but I do think this is increasingly becoming a labor question. Of course, businesses are going to grow and shrink, they will hire but then need to lay off — that’s part of the natural business cycle — but businesses need to resist the temptation to pre-emptively lay off huge swathes of their workforces just because there are roles that might be replicated by AI. This is particularly the case when you consider the firms that have then had to rehire workers when it turns out that AI can’t do the jobs in the ways that were promised.
Second, despite the current political situation in the US at the national level, businesses should absolutely not abandon their commitments to ESG standards.
And third, related, even with the shift in FCPA enforcement, businesses need to continue to maintain the highest level of anticorruption compliance standards (particularly as European enforcement steps up).
Resilience starts with reduced uncertainty. Providing assurances that your business will buy the farmer’s crop. It continues with ensuring the farmer is paid on time and in full and not strung along waiting for money to only materialise long after promises were made.
That uncertainty is also driven by businesses investing in “boots on the ground” – not just occasional PR visits, but repeated engagement and ideally on a 365 days a year basis. That means that if an international corporation is not present in country they have to establish trust via trusted third party intermediaries who are there. Though the middleman is often blamed for many ills, every now and then they provide a vital function that reduces uncertainty, boosts trust and therefore delivers resilience.
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Q2 - Businesses create the most lasting value when they look beyond short-term financial returns and invest in the long-term health of the communities they serve. CAF’s research suggests this means embedding purpose into business strategy—supporting charities, encouraging employee giving and volunteering, and making sustained investments in local communities rather than treating social impact as a standalone activity.
The World Giving Report 2026 highlights the importance of social connection and a sense of belonging in building resilient communities. When businesses help strengthen local networks, create opportunities for participation, and support organisations that people trust, they contribute to greater wellbeing and collective resilience.
In practice, creating shared value means using a company’s resources, skills and influence to expand opportunity, strengthen social cohesion and help people thrive. Businesses that do this are not only supporting communities—they are building stronger, more resilient environments in which employees, customers and businesses themselves can succeed
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