Etisalat harps on CSR as key to growth

July 31, 2011

Corporate Social Responsibility is a phrase often misunderstood by some companies in terms of both concept and application. While some organisations think it is philanthropy, sponsorships, donations or giving out money to individuals and communities, others understand the concept to mean ‘investments or practices bordering on community development, especially at the grassroots level through various public and private alliances’.

Corporate social responsibility, as the name implies, covers a lot more ground to include corporate governance, ethics, accountability and responsibility to the environment. “CSR really means observing high standard in the core business of corporations in dealing with shareholders and clients and the communities they operate in”.

Sharing his experience on CSR with executives from various organisations at a Master Class at Pan African University last week, the Managing Director of Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans insists that corporate social responsibility is weaved around corporate business strategy.

Part of the objectives of Stevens’ one day lecture at the weeklong master class was to increase awareness for corporate social responsibility in the country and encourage more companies to properly incorporate it in their business model.

“The school has a weeklong CSR seminar where a number of executives from corporate organizations attend to study the concept and Etisalat sponsors the CSR Center in the school. So I think is important that I come along and explain why we believe that CSR is important to organisation’s growth”. The research centre CSR initiative of the GSM service provider that aims to create, disseminate and apply CSR knowledge.

Stevens said that the telecommunication company is one of the companies that is facilitating and encouraging wide spread and adoption of the concept. “One important part of this centre is that various senior executives come here for their training and we believe that part of that training should be the education and enlightenment on CSR and why companies should invest in it”.
For Etisalat, he said, CSR represents a complete and balanced relationship between the company and its stakeholders. It is a responsibility to create value to the society and shareholders through all products and services to benefit all in the society and ensure best ethical standards.

He told the master class comprising executives from Airtel, Total Nigeria, Fidelity Bank, Emel, Lagos State Government, Nigerian Bottling Company among others some of the benefits of CSR which include improved standard of living, increased global competitiveness, security, innovation and skills development.. He went on to highlight the company’s CSR achievements despite its being a recent entrant into the Nigerian telecommunications industry. He said, ‘Our CSR activities are designed to positively impact the various socio-economic levels with unique schemes ranging from education to health and environment.’

Chronicling the organisations expansive CSR activities, Evans explained how Etisalat had supported the Lagos State government’s drive to improve the educational sector through Etisalat’s Adopt-a-School initiative by adopting three secondary schools in Lagos state and by organizing a career counseling programme where company employees could volunteer their time to counsel students of secondary schools on which career path to pursue.

In the area of health, he mentioned the Fight Malaria initiative in which insecticide treated mosquito nets were distributed to boarding schools as a preventive measure against malaria. This initiative was supported by a dedicated drama series designed to educate listeners on symptoms and prevention of malaria and get them actively involved in the fight against it.

“At Etisalat, one of our goals is to expand the frontiers of Corporate Social Responsibility and we intend to use this opportunity to engage our peers in this singular goal. We believe in adding value in the societies in which we operate. This belief is borne out in our various interventions in education because we believe that education is the key to empowering and enriching lives,” Evans said.

He said that when Etisalat berthed in Nigeria, the company looked at socio-economic imperatives of the country and assessed primary areas of need, explaining that it drives its CSR strategy through bottom-up and up-down approach that empowers various socio-economic levels.

According to Evans, when the right approaches and initiatives are employed, sustainability which is at the core of CSR can be achieved, and then CSR becomes more than just a cost, a burden or a charitable deed.

He disclosed that Etisalat has spent over N11.3 billion on advertising in the last three years. According to him, Etisalat spends over $25 million dollars yearly on above the line adverting which include TV, Newspapers and billboards.

Daily Independent