Sama Earns B Corp Recertification, Releases 2024 Impact Report

Sama, a data annotation and AI model evaluation company with a mission-driven business model, has recertified as a Certified B Corporation™, marking a key milestone in its broader commitment to responsible enterprise AI. Alongside the recertification, the company released its 2024 Annual Impact Report, outlining progress in carbon reduction, renewable energy adoption, and inclusive workforce development across East Africa.

The company’s B Impact score rose to 118.4—an increase of nearly 20 points from its initial certification score of 98.5 in 2020. The updated score reflects third-party validation of Sama’s operational and cultural investments in social and environmental responsibility. B Corp certification requires a minimum score of 80, and the median score for typical businesses is around 50. Full results of Sama’s score can be found here.

“Raising our score nearly 20 points reflects the thousands of decisions our teams made in recent years to embed ethics, transparency and sustainability deep into our business model,” said Wendy Gonzalez, CEO of Sama.

Environmental Progress: Emissions Down, Renewables Up

Sama reported a 17.1% reduction in absolute carbon emissions compared to its 2023 baseline, aligned with targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). A notable portion of the company’s global electricity—23%—now comes from renewable sources, supported by partnerships with San Francisco’s CleanSF program and Kenya’s Malindi Solar Farm.

Additional environmental measures in 2024 included:

• A 38% decrease in travel-related emissions

• The diversion of 7,505 kilograms of electronics from landfills

Investing in People: Scholarships, Training, and Leadership Access

Sama’s workforce development strategy focused heavily on East Africa, where it expanded professional development efforts for digital workers in Kenya and Uganda. These included:

• New mentorship programs linking senior leaders to emerging talent

• Ongoing support through the Sama Scholarship Program, which has awarded $88,000 since 2018

• 30,500 courses completed via the Sama U learning platform

• 391 completed career advancement certification courses

Since its founding, Sama has impacted 69,575 individuals through employment, training, and the ripple effects of workforce inclusion.

Community and Governance Milestones

In 2024, Sama completed its first Communication on Progress as a participant in the United Nations Global Compact and reported contributions to the UN’s Gender Equity goal by maintaining gender parity across its workforce (51% women).

The company also hosted the annual Give Work Challenge through the Leila Janah Foundation, issuing grants to emerging social enterprises in East Africa.

Sama was recognized in several 2025 rankings, including:

• One of the top three Inspiring Workplaces in the Middle East and Africa: Sama stands out as one of only two tech companies and the sole data annotation provider to be included on this prestigious list. This acknowledgment highlights Sama’s strength in fostering a culture that motivates and empowers its global team.
  

• A spot on Newsweek’s Greatest Workplaces for Women list: This list is based on an extensive evaluation that includes detailed surveys of female employees—covering factors like compensation, benefits, career development, work‑life balance, and organizational culture.
  

• Inclusion on Newsweek’s Greatest Workplaces for Inclusion & Diversity list: Employers are selected through thorough analysis combining public data, HR insights, and diverse employee feedback—an endorsement of Sama’s commitment to building a truly inclusive environment.

What This Means

Sama’s 2024 milestones offer a case study in how AI companies can adopt concrete standards for social impact without compromising technical performance. In a sector often scrutinized for opaque practices and ethical lapses, Sama’s B Corp recertification—combined with third-party validation of its emissions targets and social programs—shows how accountability frameworks can guide responsible growth.

Its investments in training and mentorship for East African talent also reflect a broader shift in how global tech workforces are being built. Rather than treating inclusion as a hiring metric, Sama’s approach integrates economic opportunity, education, and leadership development into its operating model. That kind of structural change has the potential to shape how digital labor is valued and governed across the industry.

By meeting—and exceeding—international standards for governance, transparency, and stakeholder benefit, Sama is helping to set a higher bar for what ethical AI infrastructure can look like in practice.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.