AGI president, GCCI, JICA, LAUD CSR award winners

The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr. James Asare-Adjei has lauded the commitment of Awards winners at the third edition of the Ghana CSR Diary & Awards, to doing business responsibly and implementing socially-responsible agenda as an integral part of their business plans.

According to the AGI President, ‘All award winners have done well to implement sustainable social responsibility activities last year. The recognition you have now, is a testament to your good corporate citizenship. I urge every Chief Executive Officer in Ghana to imbibe the culture of giving back to society responsibly.’

Leading socially-responsible companies in Ghana were awarded at the Ghana CSR Diary & Awards 2014 held on Thursday at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra. The Awards 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.

Mr. Koji Makino, Country Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said: ‘Society will get better with more partnerships from all stakeholders. I believe with more Public-Private Partnership in the area of development, Ghanaians will benefit immensely. Thank you for your good work and please continue the laudable tradition.’

This year, MTN Ghana, Huawei Technologies, Stanbic Ghana, Fan Milk Ghana, Nestle Ghana, McDan Shipping, Melcom Group, Wire Weaving Industries, All Pure Nature, Latex Foam, New Crystal Hospital, Golden Sunbeam Schools, Mohinani Group, Olam Ghana, Interplast, Tech Need Girls (an ICT project for underprivileged female teenagers), were awarded. The Ghana CSR Diary & Awards was launched in 2011 by the former Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Hannah Tetteh and the former President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu-Afari.

Mr. Kojo Williams, Lead Project Manager for the Ghana CSR Diary & Awards explained: ‘This Awards scheme remains the most influential as far as Corporate Social Responsibility is concerned in Ghana. A few years ago, many companies believed CSR ended with donation to the needy. 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 have contributed to the growing awareness on the importance of CSR to businesses and society in general.’

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 Diary is 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.

Picture caption: AGI President (James Asare-Adjei), JICA Country Director (Koji Makino), GCCI Vice Chairman (Frederick Alupiu), Director of CSR Productions (Katie Eavis), UK, launching the free Ghana CSR Diary magazine at the awards

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