THE practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has assumed a commonplace in business organisations around the world and has become an intrinsic part of their operations.It is widely believed hat CSR should represent the integrity with which a company governs itself, fulfills its mission, lives by its values, engages with its stakeholders, measures its impact and reports on its activities. It involves giving back to the operating environment, identifying with the community.It has been discovered that some companies promote an image of CSR whether or not they have a true strategy in place and the results to show for. In the time past, only the multi-national corporations are associated with CSR, however, in the present era of globalisation, local businesses have also seen the need to be socially responsible.Although in Nigeria, CSR now appears an important dimension of contemporary business activities, not quite many organisations are at the top of the game.Pan-African conglomerate, Dangote Group, appear to have taken the practice to a new level. Group.The CSR activities of the group are carried out through theDangote Foundation, which serves as the special purpose vehicle to actualise the CSR objective of the group. Dangote has invested several billions of naira to drive the project.The company has taken its CSR activities beyond the traditional building of boreholes, or provision of electricity poles, for example. The Group, as the most-diversified business conglomerate in the country, has interest in diverse sectors spanning cement, sugar, salt, flour, pasta, noodles, tomato paste, vegetable oil refining, logistics, real estate, food and beverages, telecom and steel. In the same manner, its CSR covers a wide range of activities across the country and beyond.From sectors like education, housing, security, health and activities covering donations to displaced victims of violence, flood disaster, women empowerment, youth employment, and community service, Dangote has made its imprint felt more than any other indigenous company.To reflect its status as a pan African company, the conglomerate has extended its CSR beyond the shores of the country by donating to worthy causes in the neighbouring Niger republic and Pakistan.In the area of manpower development, the Dangote Group has established a technical training institution known as the Dangote Academy, to address the dearth of skilled manpower, especially in the manufacturing sector, and to promote rapid industrialisation of the country, using local talent.About 100 young, talented and craft-oriented National Diploma (ND) holders are being exposed to intensive, free practical training and skill acquisition in various technical areas for a period of 12 months.The trainees are accommodated, fed and receive monthly stipends for the duration of their training.This programme is being implemented by the Dangote Academy in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).President of the Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said the Academy reflects the Group's commitment to nation-building, while explaining that a major challenge to the growth of the industrial sector in Nigeria is lack of skilled manpower equipped with the necessary technical knowledge, adding that the academy was established to address the situation.In the area of education, the Dangote Group has been in the forefront of its development. Recently, a sum of N200 million donations was made to Katsina University. The Group donated N500million for the development of Bayero University Business School, Kano, in addition to funding a 500-student-capacity hostel complex of the University of Science and Technology, Wudil.Dangote had earlier donated N118million for the construction of the squash complex at the main campus of the University of Nigeria,Nsukka, and N50million to the University of Port Harcourt, as part of its CSR initiatives targeted at some of the nation's universities.In August this year, the Dangote Foundation donated N100million to the proposed Otuoke University in Bayelsa State to enhance smooth take-off of the tertiary institution.Dangote Group also rose to be counted in the provision of succour for victims of natural disaster in some states of the federation.Last July, it donated N100 million to the Lagos State Government to assist in the rehabilitation of the victims of the flood disaster in the state, while two months later, Dangote moved to Ibadan to commiserate with victims and donate N60 million. Again, Alhaji Dangote, who led the management of the Group to Ibadan, said the donation was a humanitarian gesture, in line with the commitment of the family to positively impact the lives of the people, especially by rallying round victims of natural disasters.Sokoto State also benefitted with N100 million to resettle its flood victims.Earlier, the Dangote Foundation had moved to Kaduna, Bauchi and Gombe to put smiles on the faces of the post-election violence victims, who were being camped at various locations within the three states.In all, about N400 million was spent. This is without prejudice to other relief materials distributed to 2,265 families in Kaduna, 273 in Bauchi and 67 in Gombe. The materials also cost several millions of Naira.Products like Danvita, pasta, noodles, sugar and salt, spaghetti as well as mosquito nets, tarpaulins, wrappers, cooking pots, plastic buckets, blankets, tooth paste, tooth brush, petroleum jelly and others were distributed to the affected families to help them start life anew.In community service to the people, Governor of Lagos State,Babatunde Fashola, could not hide his feelings when Olakunle Alake, theChief Operating Officer of the Dangote Group, announced a donation ofN50 million to the State's Security Fund, in March 2011. He described the Group as the single largest donor to the fund, outside banks and oil companies, even as he gave the assurance that the State would continue to place high premium on security and collective safety of all residents.Last month, eminent persons, including the governor of Kano State,Emir of Kano, Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanunsi, and top government officials gathered at a flag-off ceremony of a women empowerment and poverty alleviation programme, where Dangote group, through its President, distributedN600 million to vulnerable women in the state's 44 local governments. The fund was to help them start off businesses, to reduce poverty and stem the growing rate of divorce in the state, which has been traced to lack of means of livelihood among the women.'Our research at Dangote Foundation shows that just a little push can help establish, sustain or grow several types of economic activities by our women,' said Alhaji Dangote at the occasion.'From experience in Kano and elsewhere, we believe these small grants will improve the women's businesses and the wellbeing of their families and communities. This is one of the goals of Dangote Foundation's Community Development Services', Dangote noted.The conglomerate also decided to boost the housing sector with a N2 billion revolving fund. This followed a disheartening disclosure that Nigeria is facing acute shortage of houses and would require about 18 million more to deal with the deficit. Dangote also reasoned that the group's contribution would rejuvenate the industry and lead to creation of more jobs for Nigerians.As the debate raged over how Nigerians die of cancer in foreign counries where they had gone to seek medical attention, the Dangote Foundation made a donation of N1billion towards building a world-class International Cancer Centre in Abuja, last year. It equally provided two dialysis machines to the Dialysis Center of the Lagos General Hospital, Lagos, in April last year to facilitate treatment of patients with acute and chronic kidney disease.In addition, the Foundation provides all the consumables used for the treatment. This has reduced the charges on the patients.Beyond the shore of Nigeria, Dangote Group has also made its impact felt. The group operates in 14 other African countries, albeit, itsCSR activities are not restricted to the countries of operation.
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