Global debates on climate, renewable resources, and the health of our environment have put pressure on businesses to adopt practices that enhance the sustainability of a healthy ecosystem. In the same vein, there have been increasing agitations for corporate entities to meet the models of work conditions and standard of living as set by ILO and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, respectively.
This means that in the modern global village, businesses must be more considerate, aware, and cautious towards their workers, host communities, and the environment. This oversight can be accomplished by adhering to the art and science of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Coming closer to home, the Nigerian private sector has been bullish in the past two decades, braving the storms of the country’s various economic challenges. In the face of relentless globalisation, multinationals and homegrown business hegemons have thrived, with a good number adhering to the unlettered principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Today, individual and corporate philanthropy have become entrenched in Nigeria, with some companies having well-laid strategies for the sustainability of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. Such have engraved the culture of “doing well by doing good” in the DNA of their organisations.
Within this ambit, Nigerian businesses and entrepreneurs have risen to prominence in various lists published by some acknowledged global business directories.
We have closely documented these developments for over six years through our periodical, CSR Reporters magazine, and our online platform, csrreporters.com. Since 2016, our reports have spotlighted trends in the industry and players who are playing by the rules and expanding the horizons of corporate responsibility.
We went one step further to catalyse growth through the Social Impact and Sustainability Awards (SISA), instituted in 2020. While the inaugural award received a modest reception, the next two instalments were a resounding success. In order to also capture the activities and celebrate the outstanding efforts of nonprofit organisations in our communities, this year, we added the Non-Profit Excellence Award (NEA), which was held on July 6 in Abuja.
Now, we are adding the CSR 50 Series publication, which will be unveiled at this year’s SISA on November 25, 2023.
CSR 50 Series is a compendium that showcases Nigeria’s leading Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability-compliant entities, and its importance as a stimulus to corporations and individuals alike cannot be overemphasised. The document is simply an annual list of 50 organisations and individuals that contribute to building a better society for all.
CSR 50 Series is in four segments and contains names of organisations that are documented to have enshrined the standards of sustainability and corporate responsibility in their activities, as well as individuals who have become the epitome of philanthropy.The first segment, which is Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, profiles frontline organisations that have embedded International Sustainability good practices in their approach to business. These organisations have approached their operations or part of their operations with recourse to the three pillars of Sustainable Business Practice: Social, economic, and Environmental.
The second is Corporate philanthropy, and it looks at the top companies that are involved in supporting the well-being of society, typically through charitable donations. The investments and actions here are more reactive and spontaneous, not necessarily engraved in the cultural DNA of such companies.
The third is the Non-Profit Impact section, which focuses on committed nonprofits that have remained focused on their core objectives. The research is on four metrics: Public perception, Media reports, Social and Fiscal responsibility.
The last segment of the compendium is Individual Philanthropy, which focuses on individuals who have displayed great awareness of how their actions affect society as a whole and how they are using their personal wealth to create a common good.
CSR Reporters has been analysing, reviewing, and reporting on the activities of these organisations over the years and therefore saw the need for an annual compendium that captures for the public the organisations, executives, and individuals who are doing so much to entrench and extend the frontier of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.
The compilation of the document was achieved via a systematic and transparent process to reflect the true state of the CSR complex in Nigeria. The eventual lists are the products of a thorough process that included a panel of sustainability experts who set the metrics for measurement, responses to questionnaires by a crosssection of stakeholders in the CSR spectrum, and independent research. We have worked assiduously these past few months to crystallise the responses into a compendium that will be taken as the annual compass for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability observers across Africa.
The CSR 50 Series will be unveiled at this year’s CSR Reporters’ SISA.
Save the date and be part of history.
