GE Citizenship

Our Most Valuable Asset

With over 1,500 employees working in the region, Africa is a continent with unique growth opportunities and complexities. A perfect example is our talent localization requirements, which are driven legislatively and are essentially nonnegotiable. We see them as an opportunity to build scale, leveraging our “One GE” approach to develop local leaders in Africa. 

Our Long-Term Commitment to Growing GE Talent for Africa

GE is recognized worldwide for its leadership programs that target emerging talent and develop future leaders. We believe quality leaders connect people with the processes that raise us all up. Our Pipeline Development Strategy— aligned with our HR vision—is focused entirely on structured talent development, and represents a comprehensive and sustainable human capital strategy designed to develop a pipeline of high-performing talent for Africa.

We believe that career success is driven by unique experiences and “stretch” assignments that are mainly focused on the job. We are building effective partnerships with our leadership programs’ executive sponsors, business leaders, functional centers of excellence, and the talent-acquisition team that drives our university relations strategy. Together, these partnerships will help us to find domain experts and leaders who will understand our business and culture.

Through our University Relations Partnership Program, we partner with leading universities across Africa in key countries. These strategic university partners work with GE and GE invests corporate and business resources to proactively build a sustainable employment brand, recruit employees and measure results. The University Partnership Program helps to create a talent pipeline for corporate/business graduate programs (ECDP, FMP, CLP, ECLP, etc); to promote Internship opportunities; to hire interns that could become future GE employees; and to recruit university alumni for experienced-level positions.

As GE Africa operations expand and as the Company continues to explore opportunities in this region, learning and development will continue to play critical roles in ensuring leadership, career, and local-skills development.

Through such initiatives, we are also able to strengthen our corporate citizenship, improve our employer brand, and contribute to the development of students, faculty and the broader academic community, thereby establishing a win-win relationship with all stakeholders.

A core aspect of our strategy is to grow leaders in Africa for Africa. GE Africa Leadership Week was developed to ensure that we are tailoring development interventions to best fit the needs of our business and our “best bets”—emerging talent at various levels. Best bets are identified during our annual performance-management process (Session C), after which individual leadership assessments are initiated. The results of the assessments, coupled with development opportunities identified during Session C, form the foundation on which we build the curriculum, learning projects, and customer-engagement sessions during Africa Leadership Week.

Back to Africa

The Back to Africa program is designed to attract African nationals back to the region to help GE and the area grow. The program offers exciting and challenging assignments that are aligned with functional and domain expertise, as well as critical leadership roles, in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Women’s Network

GE Africa Women’s Network has made it its mission to foster professional women’s development to attract, grow and retain female talent in the region. With Hubs in Ghana, Nigeria, Eastern Africa and South Africa, our women are developing opportunities through information, education and networking, and giving back to the society.

Employer of Choice

At GE Africa, we strive for our employees to reflect the communities we serve and with whom we do business. Our Employer of Choice initiatives are designed to attract, develop and retain the best talent in the region. We are also committed to giving back to local communities through programs that address their specific needs.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

GE Africa Volunteers have made it a priority to give back to society—working to build stronger communities where they live and work. From Angola to Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, GE Africa employees have volunteered to keep the environment around them safe and clean; prepare youth for future career paths and choices; visit elderly people’s homes with food and services; and promote safe hygiene practices.

GE Volunteers have pushed for and participated in a number of public health campaigns:

• Jay Ireland, president & CEO, GE Africa, recently led some GE employees in supporting the launch of “Village in a Box,” a HabiHut and ImpactLives innovative solution that provides rapid-transformation shelter as well as water for people in need.
•  GE Nigeria employees participated in a health and hygiene campaign in Lagos, where they also donated materials to an NGO during the official commissioning of a modern public-convenience facility containing toilets and showers. The facility was constructed through a public-private partnership with the Lagos State Government.
• GE Africa Volunteers have offered and continue to offer extensive support in mentoring students and guiding them on career paths; critical business functions; market research; and many more important areas:
• GE Ghana employees visited the Village of Hope Junior High School (Hope Academy) to help prepare 67 final year students preparing to write their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The team, led by Leslie Nelson, commercial leader for West Africa, had a larger agenda as well—to move, build, and inspire the orphans to become whatever they could dream of being, even doctors!
• Their GE Kenya counterparts paid a visit to the Hope Academy in Nairobi, where they participated in various activities, including painting, cleaning, tree planting, upgrading the kitchen and workshop and donating foodstuff and textbooks. Volunteers also support Emmanuel’s Children Center, a home for orphans and destitute children on the outskirts of Nairobi, including teaching the children how to work on the computers that the Company has donated.

GE Volunteers work hard to support and empower the communities around them:

• GE Volunteers in South Africa held a Nelson Mandela Day event in honor of Nelson Mandela’s legacy, during which they gave their time and energy to support a community development/outreach program. GE South Africa employees painted classrooms and refurbished the mobile library. Volunteers have also adopted the Bonwelong Primary School under the Garden of Hope initiative. In the school’s garden, our employees help children grow crops, which are used as supplemental food for 1,300 children.
• Recently, GE Healthcare, in partnership with the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, commenced first-of-its-kind training on GE’s Vscan and Venue 40 ultrasound systems for 14 Tanzanian healthcare professionals at the Kisarawe District Hospital.

Across the region, GE Volunteers have been making things happen. Volunteering is a rewarding and enriching experience, and GE Africa is pleased to connect employees with their local communities through GE Volunteers.

GE Africa is also partnering with SOS Children’s Villages to support its mission in the major countries that we do business in across Africa. As GE Africa grows its footprint, we also need to help create sustainable communities where we do business. This partnership will focus on global initiatives such as healthymagination and Education for SOS children and the community. This continental partnership will provide a framework for our major countries to engage their local SOS Children’s Villages and provide their talents, financial support, and goodwill toward the SOS Children’s Villages mission.

Citizenship at GE is more than a program or a set of good intentions—it is a full-time commitment built on GE’s values and actions. These actions are integrated directly with the Company’s business strategy, in much the same way that the Company’s business operations are. We have a defined strategy, goals and metrics that make Citizenship actionable and accountable.

At the heart of GE’s approach is a simple framework: make money, make it ethically and make a difference. It is an integrated approach, as each piece depends upon the others for overall success.

Ecomagination

Ecomagination is a business initiative that was implemented to help meet customer demand for more energy-efficient products and to drive reliable growth for GE. Since the launch of ecomagination in May 2005, we have remained true to its five main commitments and have made significant progress:

1. Double investment in clean technology R&D
   We are doubling our commitment to $10 billion by 2015, which brings the total clean-tech R&D figure to $15 billion
2. Increase revenues from ecomagination products
   Grew ecomagination revenues by 6% ,to $18 billion, in 2010
3. Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve the energy efficiency of GE
   We reduced our GHG emissions from operations by 22% from a 2004 baseline
4. Reduce water use and improve water use
   Reduced water use by 30% from a 2006 baseline
5. Keep the public informed
   GE is continuing ongoing discussions, dialogues and communications to engage with the public on our ecomagination efforts

GE’s ecomagination products are supporting African infrastructure—from powering factories and airplanes to strengthening railway freights.

GE’s Jenbacher gas engines, which can run on a variety of gases, including natural gas, biogas, landfill gas, coal mine gas, sewage gas and combustible industrial waste gases, are supporting African industries. Energy-supply shortages in South Africa have convinced a number of local factory owners to install advanced GE gas engine systems fueled by natural or steel gas to generate reliable on-site power. At a copper foundry owned by Thos Begbie & Company, four J620 natural gas–fired Jenbacher engines will help the company become nearly self-sufficient, making production more stable.

In the sky, GEnx aircraft engines power Air Seychelles, Arik Air in Nigeria and Ethiopian Airlines, helping the airlines reduce emissions as much as 95% below current regulatory limits.

On the rails in South Africa, GE’s C30ACi Locomotive will be helping move more freight across the region. The first AC diesel-electric locomotive to be introduced in sub-Saharan Africa, it reduces fuel use by 600,000 liters annually and GHG emissions by 1,500 metric tons, the equivalent of eliminating the emissions from 310 cars on South African roads, when operated under typical conditions. Two locomotives out of the agreed 100 were delivered to Transnet Limited, a South African transportation company, in February 2011. The plan is for GE to supply eight more to Transnet and to have the remaining 90 locomotives manufactured in South Africa.

Healthymagination

Healthymagination is GE’s commitment to creating better health for more people at lower cost. The Company launched healthymagination as a $6 billion game-changer in 2009—a business strategy meant to revolutionize the world’s healthcare by addressing high costs, disparate quality and inadequate access.

Infant and maternal mortality is a pressing issue in Africa. One of the reasons why pregnant women’s health is compromised on the continent is the lack of equipped healthcare facilities in rural areas.

GE is addressing this challenge at the Kijabe Hospital in rural Kenya, by installing its 9100c anesthesia machine designed to be used for emergency surgery. Expectant mothers diagnosed with eclampsia, an acute and life threatening complication during pregnancy, at the Kijabe Hospital, can get immediate medical attention and undergo emergency surgery without having to travel into nearby cities, potentially saving both the infant and the mother-to-be.

GE’s healthcare technology is enabling rural healthcare facilities like Kijabe Hospital to provide more quality care to more people in Africa.

GE has also introduced Vscan, a pocket-sized, easy-to-use ultrasound, in the African market. An ultrasound is a noninvasive method by which doctors can secure visual information about what is happening inside the body, allowing them to detect diseases and complications and make treatment decisions. With the mobile Vscan, doctors can make regular visits to rural communities and be able to treat a wider population, making quality healthcare more accessible and affordable. GE hopes to partner with African governments in utilizing its technology to help develop sustainable, affordable, quality healthcare for more people.

GE Foundation

GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of GE, provides grants and invests in initiatives that work to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. Two GE Foundation programs—Developing Health Globally™ and Girls Education—are targeting significant issues in sub-Saharan Africa.

Developing Health Globally

The Developing Health Globally program was established in 2004 to help improve primary healthcare for some of Africa’s most vulnerable populations. Using GE’s resources—people, processes and technology—we are partnering with national ministries of health to upgrade hospitals and health centers, and build clinical and technical capacity to ensure sustained improvement to healthcare delivery.

The program has touched more than 150 health facilities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda, and affected some 13 million lives globally since inception— a large number of which are in Africa. The success of the program has led to its expansion to Southeast Asia and Latin America, improving care for another 5.3 million people worldwide.

Girls Education

The Girls Education in Africa initiative aims to improve opportunities for girls in targeted, underserved communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Initially launched with a primary-education focus in Ghana, Mali, Malawi and Kenya, the program has partnered with expert organizations such as AED, Save the Children, CARE and the IRC to improve access and quality of primary education for girls. The program works with communities to build capacity for mentoring, scholarship, community engagement and teacher training.

Africa is an important “hotspot” for future growth, innovation and talent, and an essential part of GE’s growth equation. Several top GE business leaders, including Jeff Immelt and John Rice, have visited the region to meet with country leaders, top government officials and customers, discussing opportunities to work together to tackle challenges and drive growth in the region.

For over 100 years, GE has proudly partnered in Africa’s growth, providing locally relevant, technologically advanced solutions to the public and private sectors in the 35 African countries where we operate. With over 1,500 employees working in the region, GE Africa generated US$1.7 billion in revenues in 2011.

GE is partnering with governments and other stakeholders across Africa to merge our global expertise in delivering turnkey solutions with their local insights on what solutions can best solve their infrastructure-development challenges. Key partnerships include:

• A Company to Country agreement with Nigeria to identify and execute infrastructure-development projects, including sustainable energy solutions, that would provide efficient and reliable transportation as well as improve access to quality healthcare.

• A memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement with Kenya to develop projects in key sectors such as power, rail, healthcare, aviation, and training & capacity building to deliver on the country’s Vision 2030 plan.

• An MOU agreement with Ghana to bring together the best expertise to develop the country’s Western Railway Line and provide world-class locomotives, locomotive kits, spare parts and signaling, as well as maintenance and service offerings.

• A contract agreement with Transnet Limited for 43 additional C30ACi locomotives for South Africa, bringing the total number of GE locomotives ordered since December 2009 to 143.

• A strategic collaboration agreement between GE and Dangote to explore opportunities for investment in infrastructural projects across sub-Saharan Africa. The agreement covers projects for the design, production and sales of GE aeroderivative gas turbine power-generation packages in Nigeria and other selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa; it is also strategic co-operation in the independent power production sector in Nigeria with GE serving as a technical partner/potential investor and Dangote Group as financial investors. In addition, Dangote Group and GE are to jointly invest in the upgrading and development of modern railway infrastructure for Nigeria.

• A joint development agreement between GE and Geometric under which GE will codevelop a 450MW single-cycle gas-fired power project with plans to increase to a 740MW combined cycle. GE will cofund development; provide technical, development and financial-advisory support; and take an equity position upon financial close. This is the first in a pipeline of projects that GE and Geometric plan to codevelop.

• An MOU between GE and Honeywell whereby GE will bring its development and technical expertise as well as its development funding and long-term equity to the support of Honeywell’s power generation projects. Honeywell plans to develop a 1,000MW pipeline of power generation projects by 2018, beginning with a 150MW project in the first phase, which will be due for commissioning in 2015.

• A strategic alliance with Me Cure that will advance the development of our two key MOU imperatives, i.e., development of world-class diagnostic imaging centers and the advancement of the colocation PPP projects with the Nigerian ministry of health to upgrade and bring key missing technologies to government health institutions. Me Cure Healthcare Ltd. (MHL) is currently a leading provider of medical imaging and other diagnostic procedures in Nigeria and West Africa, with centers in seven cities nationwide, including the Lekki Center in Lagos, Nigeria, and an upcoming state-of-the-art oncology center scheduled for commissioning in June 2012.

• Me Cure tends to an average of 800 patients daily nationwide, and has 100 locally based employees. Me Cure possesses cutting-edge expertise in medical tourism, with a network of over 60 specialist doctors abroad and is affiliated with several hospital groups in India. With a highly professional and well-motivated team of Nigerians and expatriate personnel rendering excellent service to all Nigerians, MHL is the new barometer of quality in the Nigerian healthcare landscape.

• A GE and Oats Global Support and Exclusivity agreement (development agreement) that formalizes GE’s support of Oats Global’s Imobi project—a 450MW single-cycle gas-fired project with plans to convert to a 740MW combined-cycle based on GE technology. GE will provide development and technical support, and will invest equity upon development completion. All projects receiving GE’s development support in Nigeria will receive the benefits of GE’s MOU with the federal government of Nigeria.

• A framework agreement between GE and the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria that provides for collaboration on the refurbishment and expansion of the Delta 1V Ughelli, Nigeria, 980MW power plant, which was awarded to a consortium led by Transnational in the first phase of privatization of state-owned generation assets. The agreement foresees GE contributing technical and development support as well as development funding and equity.

GE is partnering with local stakeholders and developing local talent to bring to life the promise of the GE brand in Africa—building, powering, moving and curing for a better world.