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LRQA, the global risk management firm backed by Goldman Sachs, has acquired Partner Africa, a Kenya-based responsible business advisory firm. The deal brings together an organisation with deep African expertise in social auditing and human rights with one of the world’s leading assurance and risk management platforms. As Africa becomes increasingly central to global trade, the acquisition marks a major step in expanding ethical supply chain oversight.
The deal is Birmingham-based LRQA’s first in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and the latest in a series of acquisitions by the company. It has recently acquired supply chain carbon management solutions provider RESET Carbon, human rights advisory firm Ergon Associates, and supply chain sustainability and risk management services provider ELEVATE.
“Joining LRQA allows us to scale the impact of our work across Africa while bringing new capabilities to the organisations we support. Our focus has always been on improving working conditions and strengthening responsible business practices, and this partnership gives us a much larger platform to deliver that,” said Rosie Akester, Head of Responsible Business Advisory at Partner Africa.
Founded in 2011, Nairobi-headquartered Partner Africa is a non-government organisation focused on improving working conditions and livelihoods across Africa through audits, training and advisory services. Over more than a decade, it has built a reputation for delivering on-the-ground social auditing and responsible sourcing programmes across Africa.
The acquisition by LRQA, formerly the business assurance, inspection and cybersecurity unit of Lloyd’s Register, allows Partner Africa to merge its deep regional expertise in social auditing, human rights due diligence and responsible business advisory with LRQA’s global infrastructure and extensive portfolio of risk management capabilities.
“By combining our audit teams and LRQA’s global infrastructure, we are better positioned to meet increasing demand for credible, high-quality social audits at scale, while maintaining the depth and rigour our clients expect,” said Kathy O’Grady, Head of Audit at Partner Africa.
For Partner Africa’s clients, the deal opens access to a considerably broader range of services. In addition to responsible sourcing and social auditing, clients will gain access to LRQA’s broader portfolio across quality assurance, cybersecurity, climate performance and safety, as well as its supply chain intelligence software, EiQ.
“Partner Africa brings outstanding expertise in social auditing and responsible sourcing, along with advisory services on labour standards and human rights, in a region where demand for these capabilities is growing rapidly. Africa is an important emerging market for LRQA, and this acquisition strengthens our ability to support clients building transparent and resilient supply chains,” said Ian Spaulding, CEO of LRQA.
Africa plays a critical role in global supply as demand for critical minerals for the energy transition and the diversification of sourcing by global companies away from Asia takes shape in the next decade. Amidst trade tension, the continent is also seen to transition from a raw material supplier to a strategic manufacturing and processing partner.
This will lead to a need for trustworthy assurance and responsible business advisory based on local knowledge that reflects the realities of workers and businesses. By joining LRQA, Partner Africa can continue to deliver on that mission with backing from a global platform that was acquired by funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
