Thapelo Tsheole, CEO of the Botswana Stock Exchange.

The Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) has teamed with Risks Insights (RI), a South African company, to provide access to AI-powered platforms that generate Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) ratings, insights, and analytics.

Thapelo Tsheole, CEO of the BSE, expects the development to strengthen the country's commitment to sustainable business practices.

The cooperation will make use of RI's artificial intelligence systems, the ESG GPS and A-Cubed.

According to RI, the ESG GPS platform will give BSE-listed companies with a set of ESG ratings, disclosure insights and analytics, news, and business intelligence, whereas A-Cubed delivers data and ratings for unlisted companies.

Furthermore, according to Tsheole, the partnership aims to improve the ESG disclosure landscape, allowing companies, both listed and unlisted, to showcase their ESG credentials on a global scale, facilitating informed decision-making for investors, analysts, and the general public, and increasing access to sustainable capital.

"This aligns with our aim to provide innovative products and services. We will now work closely with issuers to assess and improve the extent to which their sustainability disclosures comply with worldwide disclosure frameworks, including our own, as well as how their ESG ratings compare to peers in Africa.

"In this era where there is increased demand for ESG disclosure and ratings, and encouragement from the regulator, this partnership comes in handy," said Tsheole, adding that the collaboration marks a big leap in delivering fast, actionable data to all stakeholders.