Leading Socially-Responsible Companies Awarded

Leading Socially-Responsible Companies in Ghana have been awarded at the just ended Ghana Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Diary & Awards 2014 held Thursday in Accra.

The Award scheme is endorsed and supported by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Ministry of Trade & Industry, Integriti PR and many local and international media organisations across the West African sub-region.

The Ghana CSR Diary & Awards launched 2011 by the then Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Hanna Tetteh and the former President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu-Afari seeks to reward outstanding companies who have distinguish themselves through CSR projects.

The Award remains Ghana’s leading and most influential CSR advocacy scheme to identifying, interrogating, propagating, and rewarding CSR initiatives and projects implemented by companies across the country.

Since 2011, more than 40 deserving corporate organizations across the country have been awarded through verification and impact-assessment by the award jury. In this years’ award, MTN Ghana, Huawei Technologies, Stanbic Ghana, Fan Milk Ghana, Nestle Ghana, McDan Shipping, Melcom Group, Wire Weaving Industries were awarded for their outstanding community projects.

Other CSR award winning companies for this year include; All Pure Nature, Latex Foam, New Crystal Hospital, Golden Sunbeam School, Mohinani Group, Olam Ghana, Interplast and Tech Need Girls ( ICT project for underprivileged female teenagers).

Mr. Kojo Williams, Lead Project Manager for the Ghana CSR Diary & Awards addressing the ceremony explained that the Awards scheme remains the most influential as far as Corporate Social Responsibility is concerned in Ghana.

“Few years ago, many companies reduced CSR to donations. But today, more corporate organisations understand that CSR includes issues relating to staff welfare, adherence to acceptable industry standards, good corporate governance, protection of the environment and many more.

We at CSR Diary & Awards secretariat therefore believe that we have contributed to the growing awareness on the importance of CSR to businesses and society in general.”

According to the Association of Ghana Industries' (AGI) boss, Mr. James Asare-Adjei in his address, encouraged companies to be socially-responsible and also allow their CSR activities to be evaluated so that value, impact and objectivity is enhanced.

The third edition of the glossy Ghana CSR Diary, Ghana’s leading free CSR magazine was also unveiled. The Diary catalogues the CSR activities of companies that were awarded.

The magazine will be distributed widely to government agencies, business associations, companies, civil society organisations, the media, selected university libraries, development partners and the general public. More than 10,000 copies have been printed and distributed freely since its maiden edition.

This years’ edition was attended by captains of industry, government officials, civil society organisations, international development agencies and a host of media organisations.