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Tag: CSR

  • African Roundtable on CSR holds June 18

    The Africa Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Roundtable and Conference on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (AR-CSR) will hold in Lagos from June 18 to June 19.

    It  has as theme: From corporate governance to sustainable governance.

    According to statement by the convener, ThistlePraxis Consulting, the event is significant because it marks the fifth anniversary of the the AR-CSR, which has become the biggest platform for discussing issues of sustainability, corporate Social responsibility, as well as the enhancement of a public-private synergy for the attainment of a credible business environment in Africa.

    Former Supreme Court judge and the Chairman of the King Committee on Corporate Governance in South Africa, Prof. Mervyn King, IIRC, has been confirmed as the key note speaker for

    Other speakers are: Dr. Nat Ofo, Lecturer, College of Law, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State; Eric Hensel, Partner, Sustainable Square; Reana Rossouw, CEO, Next Generation Consultants South Africa; Prof. Shyaka Anastase, CEO, Rwanda Governance Board; Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, director, Falcon Corporation; Sune Skadegaard Thorsen, CEO, Global CSR; and Monaem Ben Lellahom, Partner, Sustainable Square.

  • IDL takes CSR to next level

    IDL takes CSR to next level

    Many businesses pursue corporate social responsibility (CSR) that can best be termed pet projects. One big company that has taken a bold move to improve the condition of its host community is Intercontinental Distillers Ltd (IDL) which has built classrooms for its hosts, TONIA ‘DIYAN reports.  

    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become more mainstream as forward-thinking companies such as Intercontinental Distillers Ltd (IDL) producers and marketers of such leading  quality drinks that satisfy the needs of its customers as Chelsea London Dry Gin, Squadron, Eagle Aromatic Schnapps, London Dry Gin, Samba Coconut Liqueur, Veleta Sparkling Fruit Drink, Teezers, Action Bitters among others has embedded CSRinto its core values to create shared value for organisations in its host community.

    Giving back to a receptive community such as Ota in Ogun State was not a difficult task for IDL when it donated a block of four classrooms and two offices to Ilogbo Asowo Community High School, Ilogbo in Ota, Ogun State , as its contribution to improve the standard of education in the school. The initiative was facilitated by the Onilogbo of Ilogbo, Samuel Olufemi Ojugbele, after a passionate appeal to IDL to provide more classrooms and offices for the school to cater for its ever increasing population.

    Since the inauguration of the block of classrooms coincided with the 72ndbirthday celebration of the Onilogbo, it was as like a special birthday gift to him.

    With this, the company has displayed its commitment to giving back to its host community in a special way. The project was completed on schedule  in spite of prevailing economic difficulties and constraints.

    Managing Director, IDL, Chief Patrick I. Anegbe said the company believes that business is not just about making profit but also touching the lives of the communities where it operates in a positive way, hence its involvement in various CSR initiatives over the years.

    He said: “The gesture is a way of identifying with the progress of the Ota community. It is our hope that the project would go a long way in improving the standard of education in the community.” He however, advised the students to take care of the building, stating that it is theirs and that of their future generations.”

    The Oni-logbo of Ilogbo, Oba Dr Samuel Ojubele, who facilitated the project for the school, expressed gratitude to IDL. “I am happy and fulfilled that my wish for this school has become a reality. I felt for the children when I visited the school. Their classrooms were crowded with more than 100 of them, I decided to invite Chief Anebe, IDL boss who asked me to  relax that his company will award the contract and then the contractor came and this is the result. The project took only three weeks” he said.

    The monarch added at the tape cutting ceremony that he couldn’t have wished for a better birthday gift and that he is sure that with the new block of classrooms, pressure would be eased from the existing structures. Thanking the organisation for the love it had shown, he urged other companies to emulate gesture, stating that there are other needed facilities like toilet, library and a standard laboratory.”

    In the same vein, the principal of the school, Pastor Femi Awosode expressed gratitude tothe firm, adding that he was pleased with the new development in the school.  “This is a wonderful development happening in my time as principal of this school, IDL is a very responsible cooperate organisation and I am happy with their contribution to the school.” he said.

    An elated Olowolafe Abimbola, an  SS1 student, thanked IDL and the monarch for building a beautiful structure for the students. “This is the only beautiful structure we can boast of. We are indeed very grateful to the company who has done this for us,” she said.

    Abimbola added that the challenge of having to learn with 299 more students under the same roof has been overcome. “The learning condition here has not been friendly; sometimes some of us who sit at the back do not hear what the teacher is saying. Our Kabieyesi has promised to help us talk with more people that will transform our school and make it conducive for learning. I pray that the company that has started this good work will not collapse,” she added.

    For Afolabi Samuel, a JSS3 student of the school, this is one of the best things that has happened in the school. “Nobody has ever thought of doing this for us before now. At least, this building is going to make our school compound beautiful beautiful. I want to thank God for making this a reality for our school, tIDL and the Kabiesi himself,” he said.

    Before now, findings have it that the community was in a deplorable state and wasn’t functioning well enough to meet the needs of its residents, then  IDL immediately went into action, providing extension of treated drinking water from the factory to Igboloye Community in Ota and a borehole.

    The company donated a 500 kva transformer to the same community, a block of three classrooms and computers to Iganmode Grammar School, renovated a block of five classrooms for St. Michael Primary School, and renovated a block of three classrooms for St. Peters Primary School 2, all in Ota community.

    Apart from these donations, the company has succeeded in completing an assembly hall for Customs Secondary School, Idiroko, it has donated a set of computers and printers to the Special Marshal Unit of the Federal Road Safety Corp, Ogun State Command, a 5.5 kva generator to the National Identity Management Commission, N250,000 to Ogun State Sports Council towards the National Sports Festival. Now, the Ota community has been upgraded with the help of IDL.

    Today, IDL has grown to become the market leader in wines and spirits sub-sector of Food and Beverage industry in Nigeria employing over 800 staff directly and many more indirectly.

    The Chairman, Ogun State Teaching Service, Otunba Timothy Adebowale, has asked the students to take advantage of the new learning facilities to better themselves.

  • Guinea takes CSR to primary schools

    Guinea Insurance is committed to continually encourage academic and moral excellence from the grassroots through its Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) initiative (CSR), its Managing Director, Polycarp Didam,  has said.

    He spoke during the company’s second phase of its 2014 CSR initiative tagged “Engaging Tomorrow’s Leaders Today,” in Lagos.

    The schools, Fadeyi Primary School, Lagos Mainland Local Government (LMLG) Primary School and Onayade Community Primary School received educational materials ranging from note books, biros, school bags, among others.

    Didam said 45 pupils won the special prize  for excelling in academics, sports, morals, neatness, punctuality and creativity.

    He further explained that 41 academic and non-academic staff were appreciated for their astute presence of mind, high probity and dogged embrace of positive, organised teaching character and outlook, despite the numerous setbacks caused by lack of adequate infrastructural facilities in the schools. They also, received packaged prized gifts, each containing: note pads, t-shirts and key holders. On the whole, notebooks and biros were distributed across-board to all pupils of the three schools.

    Didam said this is in consonance with its CSR initiatives aimed at offering new lease of life to educational institutions at the bottom of the pyramid noting that the youths are tommorrow’s leaders.

    In appreciation, the Head teachers of Fadeyi Primary School, Lagos Mainland Local Government (LMLG) Primary School and Onayade Community Primary School including Messrs. Muritala Seidat Abosede, Shobande Benedicta Ekundayo and Ezeoke Philomena Ikwuoma respectively expressed gratitude for the company’s compassionate support which according to them, would greatly encourage both the pupils, academic and non-academic staff alike to strive for the very best at all times.

  • CSR: Cap Plc empowers unemployed youths

    Chemical and Allied Products (CAP) Plc., a subsidiary of UAC of Nigeria Plc. (UACN), has empowered some unemployed youths by providing them with skills to become  professional painters.

    The Dulux Painters Academy initiative, a six-week intensive painting apprenticeship, which was held in Lagos recently, was specially designed by the company to empower young people as highly skilled professional painters. The training covered areas such as Paint Application, Quantification, Colour Psychology, Common Paint Problems and Solutions, Professional Ethics as well as Site–Attachment with already established professional painters

    The Managing Director, Chemical and Allied Products, Mrs. Omolara Elemide, who was represented at the occasion by the Finance Director, Mrs. Adeline Ogunfidodo, described the Dulux Painters Academy as a high quality apprenticeship programme targeted at Secondary School Certificate holders and facilitated by experienced resource persons and professional painters.

  • NB Plc bags CSR award

    Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc has been named the Best Corporate Social Responsible (CSR) Company for this year. The company emerged overall winner of the award amidst stiff competition from other listed corporate organisations at this year’s edition of the annual Social Enterprise Report and Awards  in Lagos at the weekend.

    It bagged a total of four awards in categories including: Best Company in Infrastructure, Best Company in Supply Chain , CSR Practitioner of the Year and the overall Best Company in CSR.

    Its Managing Director, Mr Nico Vervelde said: “Nigerian Breweries will continue to pursue innovative social programmes aimed at lifting the society and enhancing the living standards of the citizenry.”

    Receiving award, its Corporate Affairs Adviser, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, said Nigerian Breweries Plc is delighted and humbled to have been voted the socially responsible company in Nigeria.

    He said: “We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of our humble effort in putting something back to a society we are very proud of. More importantly, we are humbled to have been voted the most socially responsible corporate citizen by the very articulate and critical jury of SERAs. This is a worthy recognition and an incentive to encourage us to do more.”

    Nigerian Breweries received the overall award as the most socially responsible corporate citizen in Nigeria in recognition of the company’s numerous CSR projects and undertakings across the country.

  • CSR: SERA Award holds tomorrow

    The Social Enterprise Award (SERA), otherwise known as the Nigeria CSR Awards is holding tomorrow at MUSON center, Onikan, Lagos.

    The annual ceremony has grown to become the epicenter of corporate social responsibility industry in Nigeria and rates, as one is the most credible award giving body in the country.

    The SERAs recognises the contributions of the most socially responsible organisations doing businesses in Nigeria.

    Over 64 entries were submitted this year and the verification of entries and projects took place from July to August, 2014.

    The 2014 winner of the Governor of the year is Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan – The executive governor of Delta State. Keynote is to be delivered by Senator Liyel Imoke- The Executive Governor of Cross River State. Others to be honoured as sustainability champions include Mrs Obioma Liyel Imoke, the First Lady of  Cross River  State; Mr Mukul Mathur- MD, Olam Nigeria; Mr Tony Elumelu – Chairman, Heirs Holdings.

    According to Mr. Ken Egbas, the Chief Responsibility Officer and Founder of CSR Nigeria and the SERAs, “This year is exciting for us as we embark on our eighth year and I would always equate the number eight to infinity. This is the start of more meaningful engagement of SERAs and all organisations that are giving back to the society. We have already set a standard in the industry and we strive to be better annually. The Social Enterprise Report- compendium of best practices in CSR and sustainability will also be launched at the event.”

    Nineteen organisations made the final nominees list across twenty categories. The list of finalist includes- Nigerian Breweries, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Airtel, Fidelity Bank, Etisalat, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, Cornerstone Insurance, Samsung, GT Bank, Promasidor, UBA, Access Bank, Oando Foundation, Total, Lafarge, Nestle, DHL and First Bank.

  • Fina Trust MFB restates commitment to CSR

    Fina Trust Microfinance Bank has restated its determination to impact positively on the society through its corporate social responsibility initiatives.

    As part of its five anniversary, the bank, which has grown its customers to over 5,000 since inception, reached out to the less-privileged people, including beggars and inmates of Old People’s Home, Yaba, Lagos on Thursday where they donated food provisions worth several thousands of naira.

    Explaining the rationale for the gesture, Managing Director, Mr. Deji Popoola, who led his team on the train said, “For us at Fina Trust, we’ve decided to take the less-privileged in our society as part of us. So, on a quarterly basis, we decided to pick a minimum of a thousand people. It is our desire that by God’s grace before the end of a financial year, we would have been able to reach out to over 50,000 people on a yearly basis. I know by five years, we would have been able to at least reach out to a quarter of a million people.”

    Besides, he said beyond this is the fact that the bank is also identifying with  the elderly people in the society by providing for their health care facility and also find out their other challenges with a view to alleviating their hardship and  make them much more comfortable.

    According to him, reaching out to the less-privileged is something the bank has been doing as a specific programme and initiative since its inception. “Last year we were at Modupe Cole where we identified with them.”

  • Unilever donates tools to hospitals

    Unilever donates tools to hospitals

    Unilever Nigeria Plc has donated 100 units of its Pureit water purifiers to selected hospitals across the country.

    The donation, which was part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) portfolio, was in partnership with the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN) to improve children’s health in Nigeria.

    Unilever’s Customer Marketing Director, Mr Kalpesh Palmer, led the company’s team to make the presentation.

    He said Unilever’s commitment to children health informed the decision to donate the purifiers.

    The director described good water as an essential ingredient to healthy leaving among children.

    Palmer expressed gratitude to the Medical Women’s Association for endorsing the product, after it had been tested and investigated to be of standard.

    The director promised that Unilever would continue to uphold best practices in production and packaging of its products.

    He traced the product’s origin to India, where it was conceptualised in 2008.

    This followed the discovery that over two billion people worldwide, comprising 80 per cent of Africans – among who 70 per cent were Nigerians – had no access to clean water.

    To meet market demand, Palmer said Unilever had made arrangement to make 500 million Pureit units by 2020.

    MWAN’s National President, Mrs. Valerie Obot, expressed appreciation for the gesture.

    She promised that members of the association would use the purifiers properly to save lives.

  • GTBank, others back Collective Social Investment Report

    GTBank, others back Collective Social Investment Report

    The Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, other financial institutions and corporate bodies have supported the launch of the Collective Social Investment Report, an annual publication on social investment initiatives in Nigeria, published by CSR-in-Action.

    The launch, which is billed to hold in Lagos, is the second in the series. The report highlights organisations committed to promoting sustainable initiatives in Nigeria. It noted that as against last year’s report, 23 more organisations within the private sector have been included to showcase increased collaborative commitment in promoting social change and development.

    Other new additions to the publication include special messages and interviews from CSR professionals, thought leaders and instrumental actors within the educational sector both in Nigeria and abroad.

    Speaking at a press conference to announce the launch of the report, Bekeme Masade, Executive Director, CSR-in-Action and Editor-in-Chief, revealed more features added to the report. She said: “In order to stimulate organisations to step up their game with respect to CSR and social investment initiatives, we coordinated a ranking that indexes organisations’ performance in respect to their social investment initiatives.

    “We hope that in coming years, this performance ranking will necessitate the kind of change we anticipate for stimulating developmental progress and increased private sector collaboration within the Nigerian economy.

    “The critical look at slum living within the Lekki Peninsula, in Lagos, in the report will also serve as a vital tool towards promoting collaborative efforts in pushing for more sustainable housing and living conditions within the metropolis.”

    Masade explained that these performance indices supplied in the report were totally unbiased and ranking criteria was well structured and thought-out.  She also reiterated that summaries of all the 117 organisations included in the report were free and more organisations not included in the present edition were welcome to send their information for next year’s publication.

    The publication sees an increase in interested organisations willing to show financial support. Due to these generous contributions from organisations such as: GTBank, Nigerian Bottling Company, Pan Ocean Nigeria, Forte Oil and Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC, this publication will be disseminated to a diversity of stakeholders across sectors both locally and internationally, including United Nations entities, embassies, state governments, fellow private sector practitioners, universities and lots more, she added.

     

  • Cornerstone partners FRSC on accidents eradication

    Cornerstone partners FRSC on accidents eradication

    orried by the high rate of road accidents and the vulnerability of children and young people, Cornerstone Insurance Plc has entered into a bilateral partnership with the Lagos Zone RS2 Headquarters of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to check the menace and its attendant fatality.

    Acting Zonal Commanding Officer John Meheux, who spoke at the inauguration of the Safe Route to School road initiative of insurance firm in partnership with FRSC, said the deal is in line with the commission’s mission statement and pillars of decade of action on promotion of stakeholders co-operations as articulated in its corporate strategic goal 2013.

    Meheux said the  project was initiated by Cornerstone as an integral part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with 2013 as a pilot phase.

    He said the Command entered into a five-year project implementation understanding with the firm with the concept for each year to be designed and implemented by the two bodies in line with the biddings of the corps and the strategic goal for the year.

    He noted that the project was designed with the laudable objectives of carrying the messages of road safety through motor parks, media advocacy like radio, TV and print media and handbills with series of road shows, all structured towards community based advocacy.

    He added that the implementation of the pilot phase which started with inaugural rally in April, last year started with a road show and consummated with motor park rally with the theme “Stay alive, prevent road crashes: Your intervention can make a difference”.

    He said: “It is my strong belief that the various successes recorded in the rallies and other advocacies, formed part of the achievements of the Zone in reducing road traffic crashes by 33.7 per cent as against the 2013 strategic goal mandate of 20.

    “Road accidents are the highest threat and have a tremendous impact on children and young people. Globally, road accidents are the leading cause of death for young people aged between 10 and 24 years, and is predicted that by 2015, it would be the leading cause of premature death and disability for children in developing countries from age five and above (WHO). It is therefore no coincidence that the UN Third Global Road Safety Week held in all FRSC formations, and in the 187 United Nation member countries had as its theme “Keeping Children Safe on the Roads”.

    “Our collaboration with Cornerstone Insurance for 2014 has as its theme ‘Safe Route to School’. This theme is very apt and is in keeping with global thinking. All children have a right to safe walk to and from school, markets, hospitals, places of worship, among others.

    He explained that FRSC Zone 2 comprising Lagos and Ogun states would assign Road Guard Marshals to assist our children cross the roads at designated points near their schools at peak periods between 7 am to 9 am and 12 noon – 2 pm and also teach our children on how best to use Zebra crossings, foot bridges, and other road signage, using the Road Safety Clubs in schools.

    Meheux encouraged other stakeholders to emulate the efforts of Cornerstone and appealed to all and sundry to ensure that school children and indeed all children are protected when they go to and back from school.

    General Manager, Cornerstone Insurance, Mrs Yinka Adekoya, said the company care about the environment and the community and the constant pursuit for innovative ways to respond to society’s biggest challenges drives their approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

    She said: “For instance, we are worried and disturbed by the soaring rates of road accidents in the country. In fact an account shows that road crashes claim more lives that HIV/AIDS and Malaria combined in Nigeria. This is a big challenge that requires both conscious and collective efforts.

    “Usually, as an insurer, you insure and you pay when people die; but for us the real test is: We don’t want people to die. We want people to live happily; we don’t want people to be maimed as an aftermath of road crashes. This is why we felt it is an opportunity to partner with one of the most credible agencies in the road safety value chain to touch lives and minimise the impact of road crashes.

    “This year, we are turning our attention to an important segment of the society; and that is the children. The kids are the most vulnerable member of the society, a respectable number of them walk to school every day under challenging circumstances, safety wise.”

    She said there is a report that a child is knocked down every other day en route to school by unwary driver and that 80 of children related causalities can be linked to lack of adequate safety road signs.

    “This is what informs the ‘Safe Route 2 School’ CSR project. From today into the next few months, we would be activating scores of schools across Lagos State. The plan is to put in place illuminated safety signs and zebra crossing markings with on the spot safety sensitisation on the use- of these facilities. The- exciting part of the- project is that, nomination of school for activation is opened to the public. If you want your school nominated; all you are required to do is to log on to our website.

    “Beyond this, we have also provided additional platform to give everyone the opportunity to take part in this project. If you want to endorse this project, please do not miss the opportunity to sign on to the pledge to help the children get to school safely. This banner would be on tour across Lagos. This way, we hope to speak to the inner persons of as much number as we contact to commit to the safety of a Nigerian child,” she said.