BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 5, 2014/– On Wednesday, 26th November 2014, the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce (EUACC) will host a gala ceremony to showcase the winning projects of the first edition of the “CSR in Africa Awards”. (http://www.csr-in-africa.eu). The EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the EU Commission and Afreximbank, will reward some of the best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The 8 shortlisted companies running for the final prizes, after more than forty expressions of interests received are: Cocopack, Deutsche DHL, Ecofund, Frigoken, Kakuzi, Mars, Newmont Ghana, Woolworths.
The EUACC “CSR in Africa Awards” aims to: (1) give a higher visibility to CSR best practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, (2) raise awareness and showcase CSR as a tool of performance and competitiveness, (3) encourage shared-value approaches and engage the private sector from Africa and Europe. Three main categories have been defined: The Sustainable Economy Award – The Environment Award and The Social Impact Award. Two distinguished categories have also been defined: The “EUACC – Promising Project” Award and The “EUACC – Be Inspired” Award.
“This gala ceremony will also mark the official launch of the 2nd edition of the CSR in Africa Awards and help us get ready for the upcoming European Year for Development 2015” states Serguei Ouattara, President and Executive Manager of the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce.
The European Year for Development 2015 (EYD2015) is planned to gather all existing development experiences; best practices and showcase them at European level. The coming year is crucial for the future of development: the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be reached, and the final efforts to reach the goals and targets set out will be assessed. Hence, the European Year for Development 2015, motto is: “Our world, our dignity, our future”.
Moreover, a recent Communication from the European Commission advocates for: “A stronger role of the private sector in achieving inclusive and sustainable growth in developing countries” introducing private sector engagement as a new dimension into EU development cooperation. The Communication’s “Action 10: Promote international Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) guidelines and principles through policy dialogue and development cooperation with promotion of sustainable consumption and production” encourages a responsible engagement of European companies in developing countries, by including social, environmental and fiscal standards, as well as their respect of human rights. This is in line with the implementation the EU Strategy on CSR.
“The EYD2015 is therefore an excellent opportunity to spread the message on Corporate Social Responsibility and the EUACC “CSR in Africa Awards” is a key way to engage the private sector both from Africa and Europe,” adds Serguei Ouattara.
The EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce has opened its office in Brussels in 2012. The EUACC truly believes that CSR is a key way to help ensuring inclusiveness and sustainability in the development of SSA. The EUACC sees its CSR Awards as an added value, to its mission which is: to promote a sustainable development of the African private sector, and to encourage win-win business partnerships between the European private sector and the African private sector.