The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CSR

  • LFTZ: Lagos tasks investors on community engagement

    The Lagos State Government at the weekend charged investors in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, LFTZ, corridor to step up their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), to the host communities as that is one of the ways to secure the multi-billion dollars investment in the corridor.

    The Government said the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was passionate about the investment in the corridor as it is the future hub of commerce and industry in Africa.
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    Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Lekki Worldwide Investments Limited, Popson Jaiyesimi who spoke at a 3-day workshop on “Communication and Team Skills in Effective Interfacing on Community Service and Relations” for Stakeholders in the LFZ communities at the La Campagne Beach Resort, Lekki, Lagos, said CSR had become so critical that it could not be neglected by investors willing to secure their investments.

    “We have a strategic plan to move Lekki Worldwide Investments limited forward and one of the things we identified is how to get the investors and the communities talking and we decided that there should be a workshop of information sharing between the investors and the communities. We are just the moderators.

    “The governor is quite keen on this project because Lekki Free Trade Zone is the future of Nigeria businesses and it is a product of research. The fundamental thing is to make sure that there is security and it comes when the communities are walking in tandem with the investors.

    “This is to keep them talking because when you keep the people around the table, they share their fears and sometimes, you find out that it is just miscommunication as there is no issue at all,” he said.

    Jaiyesimi added that the state government had understudied the Niger Delta crisis and what led to the agitation, saying that government would find a way out to address the needs of the people in Lekki in order to ensure the projects in the area were not truncated.

    “We have found out that we need to get it right, because we have multi-billion dollars investments in that corridor and government has spent so much money in compensation and investment in the corridor. We are interested in knowing what the investors are putting down as Corporate Social Responsibilities to the communities,” he said.

    Jaiyesimi stressed that coordinated effort of all stakeholders in matters of CSR was required to ensure that the goal of the Lagos megacity was achieved, thereby guaranteeing prosperity for investors and communities.

    “Numerous research findings have shown that CSR requires communication and teamwork for effective interfacing and relationship with host communities; guaranteeing safety and security for business,” he said.

    He added that community development projects through CSR must meet people’s hierarchy of needs for lasting appreciation and goodwill, saying that impact assessment was a requirement for sustainability of any community project.

    Jaiyesimi stated that government had done a need assessment of the communities and found out that what was paramount among their needs was employment for their children by the investors, but lamented that in some cases their children were not qualified for the jobs.

    According to him, conscious efforts should be made by the investors to educate and train children from the host communities on the skills and competency they needed to be gainfully employed in their establishments.

    Also speaking, Gokil Rajan, Operational Head, Lekki Free Trade Zone said that part of its CSR to the communities was in the area of ensuring health, hygiene and sanitation, saying that the organisation had reduced open defecation in schools through construction of toilets.

    He stated that the lives of about 10,000 students had been touched while 36 schools in the Lekki corridor had been provided with toilets which had helped in curbing open defecation.

    Group General Manager, Corporate Relations, Dangote Oil Refining Company Limited, Yinka Akande, said the importance of community keying into investors’ projects in Lekki could not be over-emphasized as any investor willing to make impact must relate with the host communities in order to secure the project.

    He said failure to cooperate with the host communities could impede the project, with the investors losing large chunks of their investments.

    A community leader in the area, Ayodele Olayinka said the over 200 communities in the Lekki corridor fully supported government’s effort to develop the LFTZ as it would impact positively on the lives of people in the area.

    Olayinka, who is the Chairman, Abomiti Zone in Parcel ‘B’ however, appealed to the state government to give them the land which had been earmarked for them after they were made to relinquish their original land, while describing the LFTZ development as a laudable project.

  • Group’s CSR awards hold today

    The SERAS CSR Awards Africa holds today at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre,  Onikan, Lagos.

    Expected at the event are President, The Republic of Botswana,Lt.-Gen.Khama Seretse Ian, the Chief Executive Officer, TruContact, organiser of the awards, Mr. Ken Egbas, has said.

    He said other dignitaries expected at the 10th edition of the awards are Kano State Governor Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

    Ganduje is billed to showcase his government’s interventions in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as zero hunger and quality education.

    Former governor of Cross River State and presidential aspirant, Mr. Donald Duke, will deliver the keynote address entitled: “Innovation and the future of sustainability in Africa.”

    Others include Dr. Christopher Kolade (CON), pro-chancellor and chairman, Governing Council, Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki, and Senator John Owan Enoh, chairman, Finance Committee, Senate.

    Ian will receive the ‘Sustainability Champion’ Award for the role he played in ensuring that Botswana posted one of the most outstanding results among African countries in the millennium development goals targets that ended on December 31, last year.

    Egbas said there are 27 awards to be decided by the panelists. “The award categories would be in line with the United Nations sustainable development goals,” he said.

    SERAS promotes corporate social responsibility and sustainability on the continent.

  • Stakeholders decry proposed legislation of CSR

    Stakeholders decry proposed legislation of CSR

    Stakeholders have flayed the growing pressure of legalising Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR in the statutes books to make companies more socially responsible to their communities.

    They castigated this call in Lagos last week during the 2016 annual conference of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, ICSAN, Lagos chapter.

    Speaking on the theme of the conference, “Corporate Social Responsibility, a veritable tool for governance”, the keynote speaker and Managing Director of Platinum Corporate Solutions, Accra, Ghana, Catherine Engmann, said, CSR  in Africa is gradually assuming importance and getting fused into companies’ corporate governance practices.

    Engmann, who supported her point with a Zulu proverb, “I am because you are, you are because we are,” traced origin of the CSR to Quakers of the 17th and 18th centuries.

    She maintained that CSR as being practised currently among companies in Africa is based on the concept of self governance but related to external legal and regulatory mechanisms.

    She stressed that discussing the emergence and impact of CSR, it’s important to place a company within its socio-economic environment to understand how its operation redounds to the benefit of society as a whole, which may differ greatly as between a company in the west and developing worlds.

    Engmann who confined her talk to English speaking Africa countries, noted that relevant characteristics of the African corporate governance is the widest control mechanism within which companies take management decisions and the socio-economic conditions within which those firms operate.

    “As we are aware, our corporate governance framework is derived from the colonialists and what they left behind; they left behind their concept of a company and its role in society, and all the laws and the regulations flowing there from.

    “On the socio-economic front, African countries are made up of tribes and clans. Socially, we organised within tribes. We also have natural resources -some countries more than others- and these have been exploited. But the common thread in all of these African countries are issues of education, poverty, health and so on,” she noted.

    She pointed degradation effects of oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger/Delta area, which has boiled down to the crisis in the past and led to the death of prominent people like Ken Saro-Wiwa.

    “The question we need to ask is, how should companies manage their business processes to produce and overall positive impact on society? Companies need to be aware of the effects that their activities have on communities and the environment, they have to be seen to be doing what is right, and they have to obey the laws of the land,” she cautioned.

    Also speaking on the Socio-economic value of Corporate Social Responsibility, the Executive Secretary of the MTN Nigerian Foundation, Nonny Patricia Ugboma, said in recent years, CSR has become a fundamental business practice and has gained much attention from the management of large international companies.

    She said, companies understand that a strong   CSR, programme is an essential element in achieving good business practices and effective leadership.

    Ugboma, who is responsible for overseeing MTN Nigeria’s N18 billion CSR investment, said most companies in Nigeria have explored that their impacts on the economic, social and environmental sector directly affect their relationship with investors, employees and customers.

    She stressed that although the prime goal of a company is to generate profits, but as company assess their brand in the context of globalization, they are increasingly aware that CSR can be of direct economic value.

  • CSR: IDEAS House to touch lives with i-Impact

    IDEAS House, an experiential marketing agency in the country, has re-launched its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, i-Impact.

    The initiative was conceived to give back to society and to touch lives.

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kehinde Lekan-Salami, said at a briefing that his agency had agreed, after deliberation among stakeholders, to position as a brand responsible for the society in which it operates

    Salami said the agency had undertaken an unusual path by introducing “Thank God Its Thursday (TGIT)”, against the norm: ‘Thank God Its Friday”.

    He said the agency had set two Fridays aside monthly for training, CSR outreach and in-market channel research to engage consumers of brands it manages.

    “Our business has grown in a number of ways. The first is that it has grown in terms of ambition, relevance and investment to attain its vision. One of the things we have noticed is that there has been consistent pattern in doing the job and experiential has become popular as a key component of the marketing mix. Narrowing it down to IDEAS House, we have been recognised within the industry where we operate as one of the most reputable and credible agencies. To this end, we feel there was need for us to identify with the larger society more than ever and let them feel our impact,” he said.

    Also, the Account Director with the agency, Oyepeju Adeyinka-Adebayo, said with TGIT, Ideas House now works four days a week and shuts down on Fridays for staff to work from home.

  • Shoprite: Promoting CSR through breast cancer awareness

    Shoprite: Promoting CSR through breast cancer awareness

    Shoprite Nigeria has reinforced its commitment to  communities where it operates through its efforts to raise awareness around the impact of breast cancer in the country.

    Through the Shoprite Community Network, the retailer has partnered renowned non-profit organisation, Run For A Cure Africa (RFCA), periodically offering customers free breast cancer screenings at selected stores across the country.

    A recent screening hosted during the opening of its 20th store saw about 300 women being screened on the day. Last June, a screening was hosted at the Ikeja City Mall in Lagos to mark the retailer’s 10th anniversary in the country.

    Shoprite’s partnership with Run For A Cure Africa began in 2009. The Shoprite Community Network provides the resources and platform for the non-profit organisation to fulfil its mandate of fighting breast cancer in Africa by erasing societal stigmas and creating more access to screenings.

    RFCA Coordinator and spokeswoman, Mrs. Ebele Mbanugo expressed her gratitude for Shoprite’s support of the organisation’s work. “I want to thank the Shoprite Community Network for its support of RFCA. With their assistance, we have been able to host five free breast cancer screenings since forging a partnership in 2014. These screenings are vitally important for the early detection of breast cancer. Currently, 75 per cent of breast cancers in Nigeria are discovered in the last stage. If detected early, the probability of survival is above 90 per cent,” she said.

    For Shoprite Nigeria’s Operations Manager, Carl Erickson, the continued support for the work being done by RFCA is important to increase education and survival rates of women impacted by the disease. “We’re glad to be able to offer consumers lower prices, convenience and a world class shopping experience, as well as to create opportunities that can possibly save lives such as the free screenings,” said Erickson.

    Shoprite’s successful expansion in Nigeria over the last decade has been mirrored by its support for local community initiatives, especially in locations where its stores are based.

  • Africa Re makes insurance, reinsurance awareness as part of CSR

    African reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) has set for itself the development of the insurance and reinsurance industry in Africa as one of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the deputy Managing Director, Ken Aghoghovbia has said.

    He made this known at a briefing  in Lagos. He said the CSR initiative has been branded “The Insurance Awareness Campaign.”

    He said they decided to adopt the campaign, following many uninsured lives, properties and businesses.

    Aghoghovbia said: “We have witnessed many children unable to complete their education following the death of their uninsured breadwinners. The Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA) reported that only 4.3 million vehicles have genuine motor insurance out of 12 million vehicles on the Nigerian road and this is validated by the number of fights between drivers in events of vehicle accidents. All this could have been avoided if the individuals were aware of the benefits of insurance. The extremely low insurance penetration rate of 0.3 per cent is not healthy for the growth of the Nigerian economy.

    “The corporation is well positioned to guarantee that insurers will fulfill their roles in African markets. This campaign aims at developing an integrated behavioural change to enhance the effort made by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the NIA to bridge the knowledge, experience and perception gaps in the Nigerian insurance market.

    “The campaign is set to correct the negative and prevalent perceptions plaguing the industry; drive penetration and density as well as grow insurance culture across the country, enlighten the public on credible insurance partners on how to get and enjoy the benefits of insurance in Nigeria. Africa Re has decided to invest in creating awareness about the insurance because we realise that there is a dearth of knowledge among then general populace.”

    He said that this is in spite of the fact that as a reinsurance company, they only deal with insurers/ reinsurers and not with the individual beneficiaries of insurance policies.

  • Governors laud Sterling Bank’s CSR initiative

    Governors laud Sterling Bank’s CSR initiative

    The Governors of Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states, Simon Lalong, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar and Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo have commended Sterling Bank Plc for its role in checkmating desertification experienced in some Northern parts of the country through its tree planting initiative.

    Desertification, according to them, has caused a lot of damage to the local economy as it has made farming impossible in affected areas leading to high cost of food items and poor standard of living for the people.

    According to a statement from the lender, the Governors made these remarks during the tree planting organised by the Bank in the three pilot states at the weekend.

    They said the initiative would sustain the environment and checkmate the rising challenges posed by desertification as well as generate the much needed awareness on desertification at local, national and global levels.

    The bank last week, commenced the pilot stage of the tree planting initiative in three states in Northern Nigeria. The initiative, according to the Bank  became imperative as one of the solutions to cushion the effects of desertification in the country, as Nigeria is faced with rapid desert encroachment affecting 15 northern states with various degree of impact.

    The Plateau State Governor, who was represented by the State’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Lynda Shekinah Barau commended the Bank for coming up with the initiative, which according to her,  remains the most tested solution to stemming the tide of desertification and is in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Developmental Goals for environmental preservation.

  • Firm restates commitment to CSR

    Firm restates commitment to CSR

    Mantrac Nigeria Limited, the sole dealer of Caterpillar products and services in the country, has restated its commitment to investing in corporate social responsibility (CSR).

    The company’s CSR initiative focuses on boosting the skills of young engineers. It has created e-learning website for engineering graduates, who plan to become technicians in Nigeria and other African countries.

    The website is leveraging on Caterpillar’s state-of-the-art e-learning solutions and making them available to those interesed in becoming a career as a heavy equipment technician. It is expected to bridge the gap that exists between human labour and required skills.

    Three  of the candidates, who completed the Caterpillar e-learning modules were honoured and given their certificates and Caterpillar kits by the company at its head office in Lagos.

    Its Managing Director, Edmund Martin-Lawson, who described the initiative as “giving back to society,”said: “the training would help the beneficiaries to upgrade their skills and foundation knowledge of Cat products and their operations”.

    Martin-Lawson said the company also provides Caterpillar engines and generators for the oil sector and industrial users, as well as the small range of generators for small –scale industries and residential applications.

    Technical Training Manager, Lateef Adenle said the free, e-learning curriculum contained 18 modules of easy-to-understand, technical insights into safety and basic fundamental systems like electrical, hydraulics and power train.

    He said Caterpillar recognised the technicians by giving them certificates of completion, adding that the first five persons, who completed the modules were equipped with Caterpillar special tools to aid their work in future, adding that their experiences would be shared on Caterpillar’s website.

    Earlier, the training manager had conducted the participants round the various departments of the company in the country, including the workshop, re-building section and generator assembly plant, to acquaint them with the operational logistics of the company.

    Echoing similar sentiments, the Company’s Service Operation Manager, Ahmed Ragab, said access to the basic Caterpillar Technician curriculum was free. He said those who registered for the curriculum had the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and upon successful completion of the curriculum, would be given their certificates of completion to support their chances of getting jobs.

    One of the participants, Adebowale Olorunlana, an engineering graduate from the Lagos State University (LASU), while thanking the company for the opportunity, said the training was capable of upgrading his skill and urged the company to extend the opportunity to other engineering graduates across the country.

  • CSR: 3XM Ideas donates library to school

    The 3XM Ideas, an advertising agency founded by Steve Babaeko, has donated a library to Ikeja Senior High School as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The school is at Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

    Its Principal, Mrs. Ibidun Olawuyi, who complained about the absence of a library in the school, said: “Since I was posted to the school, having a school library has been a burden on my heart.”

    Mrs Olawuyi said prior to the new library, the school shared an existing poorly-equipped library with junior school and “this had made it difficult for an effective use of library by both the staff and students of the school.

    An SS2 student of the school, Josep Eunice also lauded the agency’s generosity and spirit of giving back to the society.

    Meanwhile, Babaeko said when the company started “one thing that we thought important was the need for corporate Nigeria to co-operate with the government, especially in the area of education”.

    “We are here today to show you young people that you can be anything you want to be in the future if you believe in it. The foundation starts from here, it starts from reading. I can’t even imagine a school not having an adequate library,” he said.

    The Tutor-General /Permanent Secretary, Education District VI, Lagos,  Anifowoshe Amidat  Abimbola, also commended 3XM Ideas’ effort.

  • NBC reiterates commitment to CSR

    The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) has re-affirmed its commitment to social investment in the host communities through its Back-To-School initiative.

    It said during a media tour of its Ikeja plant in Lagos that over 8,000 pupils in the public primary schools have benefited from the initiative in the last five years.

    Its Director, Legal, Public Affairs and Communication, Mrs Sade Morgan, said the initiative is an indication of one of the ways of partnering with its business environments on shared values.

    Besides, Morgan said NBC under its Water Stewardship Scheme,  was able to achieve a 54 per cent reduction in process water use between 2004 and last year, while it had provided water to over 8,000 households in 14 communities.

    She also said NBC had continued to support the Federal Government’s local content policies, affirming that the company’s products are produced locally.

    Morgan said NBC has also demonstrated its ability to ease the labour market from saturation by engaging 950 suppliers, saying 90 per cent are from the local Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).