Government in partnership with the German Development Organization (GIZ-Ghana) and the Centre for Cooperation with the Private Sector, South Africa, has begun the process of developing a national policy on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

This policy will serve as a comprehensive national policy to guide business operations in the country.

In 2005, NEPAD’s African Peer Review Mechanism recommended the clarification of the concept of CSR in Ghana in an effort to promote it among all stakeholders involved.

In that regard, a stakeholders meeting was organized on Thursday in Accra to seek inputs for the development of thematic areas and gather appropriate inputs for the development of the road-map.

Participants at the event included business executives, donor partners and senior representatives from major businesses operating in Ghana as well as media representatives.

Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, said the concept of CSR in Ghana had developed gradually since the mid 1990s and has gained momentum in recent years due to the discovery of oil.

The climax of all these processes, he said, was the workshop which was to amongst others, dilate on the road-map for the development of CSR in Ghana, identify key thematic areas, as well as key stakeholders, and come out with a comprehensive policy before the end of the year.

He said the past few decades had also seen a radical change in the private sector’s relationship both with the state and civil society, whereas the effect of globalization, privatization, acquisitions, take-overs and mergers had led to the emergence of a new approach to business-society relations.

He said companies were increasingly recognizing that addressing the wider social and environmental challenges of the communities where they operated would be crucial in securing their long-term success.

The Deputy Minister said one principle that lies at the core of CSR was the conduct of businesses in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner, and weaving this principle into the intrinsic fabric of every company.

He said government clearly had a role to play and CSR should not be about relinquishing responsibility but about enabling and encouraging the market to take the lead and mainstreaming guidance.

Mr Vanderpuye, therefore, recommended that a platform should be created for effective collaboration among all identifiable stakeholders while information on CSR initiatives should be adequately disseminated throughout the country.

“As a lower middle income country that seeks to transform itself into an industrialized economy, Corporate Social Responsibility should be seen as a significant contributor to achieving sustainable development across its dimensions. Indeed, research has shown that companies which pursue CSR as part of their corporate strategic plan, are also able to achieve their corporate goals, benefiting from improved efficiency, cost savings, stronger branding, increased public trust, improved employee health and better market access.”

He commended the donor partners for their support and assistance to the initiative, and called on all private sector operators to come on board with their expertise and financial support, to conclude “the national assignment on time.”

Dr Dan Ofori, Senior Lecturer and Head, Department of Organisation and Human Resource Management, University of Ghana, and a Facilitator of the Workshop, said the meeting was to define the scope of activities, determine the time frame, identify stakeholders and resource persons for the whole policy formulation process and also to determine the associated cost and possible funding source for the CSR policy.

He said views and inputs collated from the participants would be compiled into a paper for further consultations, and inputs are expected from all stakeholders to enable us have a true national policy that would reflect our needs.