Ghana Needs A Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

Ghana has no comprehensive way of measuring performance of organisations� Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and it is therefore urgent to have one for the country. Dr Dan Ofori, a Focal Person on the National Consultative CSR Policy workshops, said this during a regional workshop for representatives of organisations and institutions in Koforidua on Tuesday. He said there was the need for all concerned Ghanaians to help put together a comprehensive CSR policy to guide all organisations in the country to meet international standards. Dr Ofori said the sort of CSR being practiced in the country presently was poor and deceiving, saying, �most corporate institutions perceive CSR to be philanthropic but that mindset is wrong; it is only a quarter of what CSR should really mean.� �In practicing CSR, companies must look at things that seek to reduce poverty in the country; it must be positive, sustainable and must promote development,� he said. Dr Ofori said if organisations in Ghana would practice international standard CSR, then more investors would be attracted into the country. He said Ghana�s CSR policy would seek to create a set of guiding principles and common approach for effective CSR efforts that enables best practices in value creations and measurement among business, society and civil society organisations in the country. Dr Ofori added that the policy when drafted and approved would promote the contribution of business to the socio-economic development of areas in which they operate to yield positive and sustainable impact towards achieving the principles of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). �The policy would as well provide a framework and guidance to facilitate effective collaboration of all stakeholders to yield economic growth, competitive advantage and social benefits through the application of effective CSR practices based on principles of shared value and responsibility,� he added. Dr Ofori said the policy would ensure that CSR practices in Ghana would meet international standards and peer reviews to enhance the attractiveness of private investments and to solidify the overall social license of business and industry in the country. Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, urged corporate institutions to contribute immensely to the development of communities and to ensure that children of their catchment areas are put into schools. She lauded Newmont Golden Ridge Company Limited and the Obuasi Goldfields Company Limited for their efforts in contributing to the development of the people in their areas of operations. Nene Sakite II, the Konor of Manya Krobo, appealed to corporate organisations to involve traditional rulers in their CSR practices to ensure that the people felt part of the development process.