VRA, Anglogold Ashanti & Vodafone Ghana Foundation, MTN Ghana Foundation win big at 6th Sustainability & Social Investment (SSI) Awards

…Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia receives SSI Disruptive Digital Pioneer Award

25 institutions and 12 individuals including the Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, have been honored for their outstanding performance and contribution to society through their remarkable sustainability and social programmes at the 6th edition of the Sustainability and Social Investment Award (SSI) held in Accra on Friday, November 18, 2022.

Organized by Ianmatsun Global Services on the theme: ‘Leading the Sustainability Transition through Partnerships and Collaborations’, the event aimed at creating awareness whiles encouraging companies, CSI/CSR foundations, NGOs, and other implementing agencies in delivering high impact CSI/CSR projects that align with governments focus on sustainable development goals.

Biggest winners of the night

At the well-organized event which attracted players within the industry and some government officials, Dr. Bawumia was honored with the SSI Disruptive Digital Pioneer Award which recognized his efforts over the past six years to digitalize the economy aggressively but sustainably.

This push has seen the introduction of several initiatives such as the Digital Addressing System, a centralized identification system called Ghanacard which is being linked to all systems and services, Mobile Money interoperability, digital renewal of National Health Insurance, electronic pharmacy platform, and several others.

The biggest institutional winners on the night were Volta River Authority (VRA), Anglogold Ashanti, Vodafone Ghana Foundation, MTN Ghana Foundation, and Absa Bank Ghana Limited with six, six, five, four, and four honors respectively.

A call for public-private partnership

Professor Gyan Baffour, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission of Ghana, who delivered a speech and received the honor on behalf of the Vice President, thanked the organizers for the special honor bestowed on the Vice President and charged business leaders to work closely with government and the public sector to stem the impact of climate change on the environment.

“The benefits of synergy between the public and private sectors cannot be overstated. There is a very tall list of instances and impacts of partnerships but the most practical example of this is the joint responsibility of both parties during the pandemic. It was a sharing of resources including time and strategies which brought out the best in us at a time when humanity was most under attack. We can extend this partnership to the people whom we serve, either citizens or customers to keep climate change in check,” he said.

The board Chair of the awarding committee, Dr. Diana Heymann Adu also urged organizations to embed in their organizational structure sustainable activities that will help in enhancing the organizations.

All award winners

Best Company in Charitable Giving, Fidelity Bank; Clean Water Provision Project, Vivo Energy; Climate Change Mitigation Projects, Volta River Authority; Economic Empowerment, MTN Ghana Foundation; Educational Sustainability Project, UBA Ghana; Employee Volunteering Initiatives, MTN Ghana Foundation; Environmental Sustainability Project, Ecom Ghana; Financial Inclusion & Literacy Project, Access Bank Ghana; Girl Child Education & Empowerment Programme, Golden Star Wassa; and Good Governance & Transparency in Sustainability Reporting, Anglogold Ashanti.

Project Promoting Arts & Culture, JRA Cosmetics; Promoting & Supporting Agriculture and Agribusiness, Advans Ghana Savings & Loans; Project Promoting Good Health & Wellness, Vodafone Ghana Foundation; Project Promoting & Supporting STEM Education, Absa Bank Ghana; Project Promoting Road Safety Education & Practices, Golden Star Wassa; Project Providing Educational Facilities, Golden Star Wassa; Project Supporting Educational Institutions, Anglogold Ashanti; Educational Sponsorship Project, MTN Ghana Foundation; Supporting Local Content, B5 Plus Group; Promoting Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Anglogold Ashanti; and Promoting Voluntary Blood Donation, Lister Hospital & Fertility Centre.

Community Development & Infrastructure Project, Vivo Energy Ghana; Livelihood Empowerment & Skills Development Project, Ecom Ghana; Stakeholder Engagement, Ghana Shippers Authority; Supporting Government Institutions, FBN Bank Ghana; Supporting Health Institutions, Vodafone Ghana Foundation; Supporting SMEs & Start-ups, TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana; Supporting Sports Development, Interplast; Women Empowerment Project, Absa Bank Ghana; Youth Development & Empowerment Project, Fidelity Bank Ghana; Mentorship Project, UBA Ghana; Health Awareness Education Programme, Anglogold Ashanti; Best WASH Initiative, Volta River Authority; and Disability Support & Employment Project, Opportunity International Savings & Loans.

SSI Innovative Project, Absa Bank Ghana (Absa Ready to Work Programme); SSI Project (Health), Access Bank Ghana (Fistula); SSI Project (Education); Karpowership Ghana; SSI Project (Environment), Volta River Authority (VRA Reforestation Program); SSI Project (Socio-Economic), MTN Ghana Foundation; SSI Team of the Year, Vodafone Ghana Foundation; Community Support Project, Ghana National Gas; Best Partnership and Collaboration, Ecobank Ghana; SME of the Year (Small Business; Big Impact), Baraka Impact Ghana; Net Zero Carbon Strategy, Volta River Authority (CFMP); Sustainability & Operational Excellence Award, Total Energies Marketing Ghana; Product Innovation Award, Bel-Aqua; SDG Pioneer of the Year, Volta River Authority; Providing Health Facilities, Anglogold Ashanti; SSI Foundation/Company of the Year, Vodafone Ghana Foundation.

Special Judges Award

Eco-Conscious Water Company, Bel-Aqua Mineral Water; Post-Disaster Rehabilitation Support Programme, Ghana National Gas; Climate Change Leadership Award, Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, CEO of VRA; Women Empowerment Leadership Award, Audrey Abakah, Head, SME Banking at Absa Bank; Female Personality of the Year, Ms. Benonita Bismarck, CEO of Ghana Shippers Authority; SSI Disruptive Digital Pioneer Award, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President, Republic of Ghana; and Social Impact Champion, Dr. Janet Amoanimaah Aggrey, CEO, Jaggreys Fertility Hospital.

CEO of the Year, Daniel Sackey, CEO of Ecobank Ghana; Stainability Professional, Emmanuel Baidoo, Senior Sustainability Manager, Anglogold Ashanti Ghana; Health Advocate, Dr. Edem K. Hiadzi, CEO, Lister Hospital and Fertility Centre; STEM Advocate, Naa Adei Dsane-Boateng, Executive Director, Youngstars Dev. Initiative Ghana; Disability Support Leadership Award, Kwame Owusu-Boateng, CEO, Opportunity Int. Savings and Loans; Humanitarian of the Year, Jane Reason Ahadzie, CEO, JRA Cosmetics; and SSI Exemplary Leadership Award, Rev. Amaris Nana Adjei Perbi, Country Head, Vodafone Gh. Foundation & Sustainability.