Vodafone Ghana has been awarded the prestigious CSR Company of the year award at the Ghana Information Technology and Telecommunications (GITTA) Awards.

The company's Foundation was recognised for its passion in executing innovative initiatives to meet the specific needs of the communities in which its workers live and work.

Every company must stand and reflect an ideal that is intrinsic to its way of doing business. Vodafone recognises that the true test of a company is its relevance to the country in which it operates; beyond profits.

The foundation has, over the years, projected activities under the themes of Health and Education, with impactful programmes that address women, youth and children.

Under education, the company is looking to impact a total of 5,000 youth with basic and advanced skills in coding in the next five years under its National Coding programme.

The zero-rated digital education platform – Instant Schools – has received over 7-million visits on its website since its introduction in 2017.

Under health, Vodafone’s HealthFest initiative offers free medical screening, consultation and medication for deprived communities across the country. Since its launch in 2014, it has supported over 11,000 beneficiaries across all regions in Ghana. Homecoming, another health initiative, foots the hospital bills of insolvent patients due for discharge from hospitals throughout the country. Over 150 patients are discharged annually under this programme.

Moreover, in an effort to promote government’s public-private partnership agenda, Vodafone has entered into a partnership with the Ghana Statistical service and an NGO, Flowminder, to use mobile-derived customer insights to make better predictions for sustainable development. In what has come to be known as “Data for Good”, the initiative will use anonymised call data records to track population movements to make better migration, agricultural and health decisions.

The award is the latest addition to a long list of honours bestowed on the Foundation since 2009.

Commenting on the award, Dr. Joyce Aryee, Chairperson of the Vodafone Ghana Foundation said, “This is a true reflection of the concerted effort we have put in place to impact lives in Ghana. We have a duty to do good as a multinational company operating in Ghana - it is part of our ethos in all the markets where we are visible. Over the years, we have promoted initiatives that benefit society, under health and education, because we are committed to the communities in which our employees live and work. I dedicate this award to the staff of Vodafone Ghana and the Foundation for a job well done.”