Leading socially-responsible companies in Ghana are gearing up for the third edition of the coveted Ghana CSR Diary & Awards on Thursday 8th May, 2014 at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra.

The Awards is endorsed and supported by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Integriti PR and many local and international media organisations across the West African sub-region.

The Ghana CSR Diary & Awards was launched in 2011 by the former Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Hanna Tetteh and the former President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu-Afari. Since 2011, more than 30 deserving corporate organisations that submitted their CSR activities annually and allow them to be subjected to verification and impact-assessment have been awarded.

According to Nana Owusu-Afari: ‘We encourage companies to be socially-responsible and ensure that CSR is not used as a mere PR tool but embedded as an integral part of their businesses.’

Vodafone Ghana, Samsung Ghana,Millicom, Wire Weaving Industries, Interplast, SC Johnson, Goldman Capital, Mohinani Group, Latex Foam, Ghandour Cosmetics, PMMC and a few others have been awarded in the past for their impact-driven CSR projects. In addition, they have had their CSR activities published in the Ghana CSR Diary, Ghana’s only free CSR magazine, published and distributed widely to the media, business executives, companies, government agencies, international development agencies, selected school libraries and civil society organisations.

Mr.Kojo Bode-Williams, Lead Project Manager for the Ghana CSR Diary & Awards explained: ‘The Awards scheme has helped in propagating the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility in Ghana. A few years ago and according to research, many companies believed CSR ended with donation to the needy. But today, more corporate organisations are beginning to understand that CSR includes issues relating to staff welfare, adherence to acceptable industry standards, good corporate governance, protection of the environment and many more. We have contributed immensely to the demystification of the concept of CSR in Ghana and the extant awareness. We are happy that the Ministry of Trade and Industry is currently considering a CSR policy for companies in Ghana.’

At the Awards, Nestle Ghana will share its unique ways of creating and sustaining ‘Shared Value’ with its stakeholders and the environment at large.

The Ghana CSR Diary & Awards is Ghana’s biggest scheme to identifying, interrogating, propagating and rewarding CSR initiatives and projects implemented by corporate organisations across the country. This year’s edition will be attended by captains of industry, government officials, civil society organisations, international development partners and the media.