Entries for the Ghana Corporate Social Responsibility Diary and Awards 2012 are officially open to all companies registered in Ghana.

A statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday said last year, the Ghana Diary, which is the national leading and free corporate social responsibility magazine was published for the first time.

The publication attracted many good will messages from media (radio, television, print and online), government, business associations, international and aid agencies, social responsibility companies and institutions such as the Association of Ghana Industries, the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Graphic Communications Group, Barclays Bank, Millicom Ghana, Vodafone, SC. Johnson, Beige Capital, Wire Weaving, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Mohinani Group(Somotex, LG, Polytank, etc…), and Precious Mineral and Marketing Company (PMMC).

“This is a laudable initiative and I am glad that we are supporting it. Companies are doing their bit, but we all need to be more socially responsible in our activities. The Ghana CSR Diary and Awards scheme is a good yardstick to measuring how our companies remain socially responsible,” Ms Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry said at the launch of the Diary and Award.

The President of Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu-Afari also lauded the companies in Ghana that remember to give back to society and urged others that were not doing so, to start supporting society.

The Lead Project Manager of the Ghana CSR Diary and Award 2012, Kojo Olabode-Williams said CSR is not only a social obligation, but a business obligation, which could inure as a strategic competitive advantage.

“The CSR dynamic is getting demystified gradually and society is becoming better for it. The more companies implement socially responsible activities and projects, the more society benefit from them,” Olabode-Williams said.

The published Ghana CSR Diary and Award 2012 will be launched in May in this year at the award ceremony. Companies can therefore submit their records on CSR activities they executed in 2010 and now to be published in the 2012 edition of the magazine.

Application forms can be filled online at www.ghanancsrdiary.com.