ESRA was established with the aim of providing bespoke E&S risk management and advisory services to companies, investors and financial institutions operating in Africa and beyond. Our long track record of assisting clients with complex projects in emerging market economies has allowed us to gain extensive knowledge of the country and regional contexts in which we operate. This experience has also allowed us to develop productive partnerships and associations with leading professionals in the countries in which we have worked. We believe that our skills set, pool of associates and extensive knowledge of the E&S Safeguards and Performance Standards that our clients adhere to, capacitates us to suitably inform these investment and business case decisions. Our ability to develop and implement ESG performance monitoring and management systems enables our clients and project partners to focus on the key issues and risks. 

Marc is the founding director of ESRA. He attained his M. Phil (Environmental Management) degree from the Stellenbosch University School of Public Management and Planning and received his Undergraduate (Development Studies) and Honours (Environmental & Geographical Science) degrees from the University of Cape Town. He also holds an Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment certification in ISO 14001 auditing. In 2018, Marc completed an Environmental and Social Risk Management training programme that was presented by the International Finance Corporation in Johannesburg. During the course of his career, Marc has: 

• Been responsible for the management of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and Resettlement Planning processes for large infrastructure, thermal and renewable energy, commercial agriculture and mining developments throughout Africa (in accordance with the World Bank’s Environmental & Social Safeguards or the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standards).
• Undertaken numerous Environmental & Social Due Diligence assessments across a range of industries and sectors.
• Provided technical assistance or performance monitoring support to project developers, lenders and their partner financial institutions throughout the project development and financing lifecycle. 
• As part of this technical assistance capacity, Marc has been actively involved in the development and implementation of bespoke Environmental & Social Management Systems for various projects and institutions.
• Gained extensive socio-economic baseline study and impact assessment experience through the various projects he has been involved with to date that have had physical resettlement implications, alternatively, those that impact on large numbers of people.

In the past 20 years, Marc has worked on projects in Angola, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

We have a long track record of working on complex projects and financial transactions in over 20 countries to date, across a variety of industries and sectors. Our service offerings include:

Gap Analysis, Due Diligence & Transaction Support

ESRA understands the business and transaction risks that poorly executed E&S due diligence assessments pose to financial institutions, investors and project developers. We strive to ensure that all potential E&S, issues and risks that could impact on business operations, and the viability of a given transaction, are identified and assessed appropriately. Our gap analysis service offering provides for the quick and early screening of potential investments or loans to red flag any clear or known ‘show stopper’ risks, as well as provide the framework for any subsequent due diligence processes that may be required thereafter. ESRA is conversant with the Environmental & Social Action Plan (ESAP) requirements and formats that are often utilised by lenders and investors to set condition precedents in loan contracts or investment agreements. Monitoring company progress against these ESAPs and any other applicable legal provisos is another key area of support we provide during the transaction period.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting

The design and implementation of our performance monitoring and reporting procedures are geared to meet financial institution or investor requirements. Our E&S performance monitoring metrics and reporting outputs are context-specific, adequately informed and evidence-based. These reports are usually concise and to the point, with an emphasis on providing practical corrective active recommendations. We endeavour to ensure that clients and companies can effectively monitor and report on their ESG performance, and that information or data stemming from these ongoing evaluations can provide the basis of their internal and external communications to relevant stakeholders.

Lenders Advisor & Technical Assistance

Our lenders E&S advisor appointments in recent years have seen us involved in large infrastructure and energy sector projects, along with agro-industry and extractive industry investments or procurements. These appointments involve providing regular project updates on the status of related E&S matters or risks, as well providing viable and feasible implementation advice to ensure compliance with the relevant safeguards and standards. These advisory roles are often long-term in nature, thereby ensuring that the project transaction and institutional memory of these assignments is retained for subsequent or repeat appointments. These appointments often require that we provide technical assistance to the borrowing party or investee in the form of management systems development and ESG capacity building training.

Environmental and Social Management Systems 

ESRA and our associates develop and implement scalable Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS) for a range of sectors and industries. This has been undertaken for small and large companies or organisations. ESRA adopt a collaborative approach to ESMS development that involves close cooperation with the client organisation and their personnel. The objective of this collaboration is to ensure that we understand the culture, processes and ESG capacity of the organisation that we are working with. More importantly, this collaborative process maximises any capacity-building and training opportunities throughout the project life cycle and beyond. We dedicate a significant portion of this development process to identifying occupational health and safety risks and their management approaches, over and above the E&S risks associated with a project or investment.

Resettlement Planning, Review & Land Acquisition 

ESRA has gained extensive socio-economic baseline study, impact assessment and resettlement planning experience through the various projects that we have been involved with to date that have had physical displacement implications, alternatively, those that impact on large numbers of people. This experience has also allowed us to provide independent review and completion audit services for resettlement projects, as well as provide informed opinion on potential E&S and process risks associated with land acquisition, resettlement and compensation for prospective investments or project developments. Given the relatively short timeframes that some investment decisions are made, we are confident that this capacity perfectly positions us to provide informed and timely inputs on these critical aspects.

Capacity Building

We appreciate that skills transfer and capacity building is fundamental and critical aspect of what we do – not only what we impart through our daily interactions with others, but what we learn from them. As part of our management system development services line, this is the key area in which our ESG training interventions occur. We proactively identify and formulate training opportunities and upskilling solutions for personnel mandated with these responsibilities in the entities that we work with. We provide focussed and topic specific training on ESG related aspects and evaluation procedures, thereby ensuring that these personnel are sufficiently capacitated and confident to fulfil their responsibilities in this regard.