Friday 30 July 2010

The relationship between CSR and policy

I’m not going to get into the specifics of South Africa’s mining policy environment, but I read Frans Cronje’s opinion piece in Business Day, “Engaging the State” with interest – and found a surprising take on CSR – not something I’d expected to come across within the topic.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has produced a report that looks at some of the challenges facing the metals and mining industry in SA, and how the policy environment made it difficult to try and split
Anglo American into international and South African assets to unlock value.

Without getting into the ins and outs of mining rights and politics, Cronje,
deputy CEO of the South African Institute of Race Relations, is making the point that the government should not be afraid to enter into dialogue with the private sector in these circumstances. So not to ignore or challenge reports that critique the system, but to welcome the views of an engaged private sector, given the common goal of setting South Africa onto a path of further, better socio-economic development.

What made me sit up was Cronje’s point that “The government would be wise to see the report as a refreshing example of true corporate social responsibility — so different from the cliched vegetable gardens or soup kitchens that have come to pass as corporate social responsibility for many companies.”

I don’t think that most company CSR policies come down to soup kitchens and vegetable gardens, there’s incredible work being done on a large scale, but his point that a business’ engagement with government on hard issues could be seen as CSR is an interesting one. For all the definitions of CSR, self-regulation, giving back and creating a positive impact, managing the impact of a business on society, policy is rarely included.

Should corporate social responsibility directly address and take actions to support or work towards policies that also aim to create a positive impact on the economy, as well as the community?

In many large organisations the CSR departments don’t even sit in the same building as the policy people. There are, however, businesses that have aligned the work they do within community to highlight problems and try to force governments to recognise where policy needs to change. The danger is extrapolating Cronje’s point too far, when business feels it can criticise and pressurise governments in the name of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ without fulfilling the actual social impact part.

Where there is a connection between CSR intentions and policy requirements, there is more impact and an opportunity for aligning economic and social agendas – if governments listen, of course.

Tuesday 20 July 2010

Africa needs more Mo Ibrahims.

I was with Mo Ibrahim yesterday, in the plush offices of his foundation. What a great man. Self-effacing, generous and very committed to advancing better leadership in Africa. I first met him in 2004, before he had sold Celtel. He was a businessman then, with an interest to make money and to help tell the world, particularly institutional investors, about the business opportunities that Africa was yielding for his company and an industry which he had been working in all of his adult life – telecoms. With the attainment of huge wealth after the sale of Celtel to Zain, Mo has lost none of his gentle charm and none of his big ambition either. ‘If you are going to do this’, he said to me, then ‘do it big’, in reference to an assignment that africapractice is supporting the African Union with.


Mo has an armoury of facts and anecdotes at his fingertips, built up over many years doing business across Africa and courtesy too of the research that his foundation carries out and the circle of friends that Mo now keeps. Combine this with his passion, his conviction and the respect that we accord any successful businessman (not bankers!) who take a risk and make a fortune (building a GSM business in Africa in the early 1990s was perceived as a big risk believe it or not; only Development Finance Institutions could be persuaded to share the risk), then you have a serious, straight-talking and effective spokesman for Africa. Africa needs more Mo Ibrahims.

Marcus Courage

Monday 19 July 2010

Africa Talks Climate

A new initiative has been developed to help communicate and advocate on climate change issues in Africa. Africa Talks Climate is a research and communications project undertaken by the BBC World Service Trust and funded by the British Council. http://africatalksclimate.com/

Africa Talks Climate recently launched a report about the public understanding of climate change in 10 African countries with the aim of identifying ways to engage, inform and empower Africans in local, national and international conversations about climate change. The report found that most Africans understood that their climate was changing but the term ‘climate’ is rarely used outside South Africa and francophone DR Congo and Senegal. There is also a strong tendency for people to hold themselves individually or collectively responsible for these changes, which they blame on local environmental degradation.

The report recommends that information and communication needs of African citizens need to be at the heart of any national response to climate change. The ability of African citizens to respond effectively to climate change will be determined by the quality of the information available to them and how easily they can access it. Increased public understanding of climate change will enable citizens and communities to discuss the issue, adapt to the effects of climate change, and make informed long-term choices about their future.

Africa Talks Climate suggests that local leaders from government and the community, as well as religious leaders should have more access to climate change information and that there is a need to increase the public debate on climate change and create more public spaces for example through TV talk shows, radio call-ins and other interactive media platforms. There is also a need to break down perceptions of climate change as an elite discussion and build a sense of immediacy to encourage the sharing of current examples of adaptation and mitigation to climate change.

In the absence of an understanding of global climate change, many people draw on their existing knowledge and beliefs to explain the unpredictable weather. Some Africans understand changes in the weather in relation to their spiritual beliefs – particularly women and rural populations, hence the importance of activating local religious leaders. Some opinion leaders compare the communication challenges posed by climate change to those formerly presented by HIV and AIDS. They emphasise the importance of using accessible terminology and discussing climate change in a locally relevant way.

The report also stresses the important role media and education can play. Media, and in some countries, schools, are the main sources of climate change information for most people. Media therefore need to improve their knowledge, resources and experiences about climate change in order to inform audiences more effectively. Some journalists perceive climate change exclusively as an environmental issue, which is not an audience or an editorial priority.

Overall, the report assumes that to improve environmental stewardship, Africans need to be educated more about the causes and effects of climate change in order to adapt to the damaging impact it creates. However, a main driving force for behavioural change in Africa relates to improving household incomes and creating more financially secure futures. What therefore also needs to be communicated is the short and long term economic benefit that can be accrued through different adaptive techniques. All activities related to mitigation and adaptation to climate change in Africa need to have a strong element of economic benefit for the citizens in order for Africans to be incentivised to undertake the activity and for African countries to alleviate poverty levels on a sustainable course.

The report can be downloaded here: http://africatalksclimate.com/research/africa-talks-climate-public-understanding-climate-change-ten-countries

Monday 12 July 2010

It's really over...

Today is the first day of 2010 that's not about the FIFA World Cup build up or football matches. What are we going to do? As a nation, are we left bereft, with the anticipation of nothing more in our future? Are we able to pat ourselves on our backs for a job well done? When will we know if it has been a success? What makes it a success? How did we do folks, how did we do?

First things first, I think we need to look internally, to ourselves for that evaluation. It isn't about what the rest of the world thinks, it is about what South Africa thinks. And from where I am standing, we did pretty darn well. But I would say that wouldn't I? So let me take you through my thinking...

Infrastructure and Organisation:
We got it up, we got it running and we HAD A PLAN if the wheels fell off. And they didn't. Despite all the naysayers the stadiums worked (and if you were lucky enought to attend a match at Soccer City you would know just what I am talking about), the transport worked, and the lights stayed on! We made it happen.

Crowd Control:
During the event there was not even one match disrupted by crowd violence and I believe our peacekeeping authorities (by this I mean the good old SAP) did a sterling job. We have shown the world that we are not about the stereotypes - this is not only a beautiful country, it is also filled with warm, welcoming people and incomparable experiences for those who venture forth onto African soil.

Soul:
If you haven't heard the call of the vuvuzela by now, or at least heard about it, you obviously haven't watched a world cup match. I am proud to say South Africa really got behind this one. Even when Bafana Bafana was knocked out, we all chose new teams and kept on celebrating this fantastic carnival of football. Were we sad when Ghana was knocked out and we lost our last African hope? Of course, but we rallied again, and again..... it's in our soul as Africans to pick ourselves up, look for the best and keep on singing!

So, although it is really over, the legacy remains. This African World Cup has shown international audiences that we really can do it. It has shown Africans that we have what it takes. And it has shown South Africans that with a little goodwill and a lot of energy we can use an event like this to make a difference for everyone. Thank you FIFA for choosing us to host your 2010 event, we did you (and ourselves) proud.




Wednesday 7 July 2010

Award winning journalism














I was in London last Thursday for the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards. It was a hot week in the city, and for some journalists who came over for the ceremony, the first time they had been to London.

It was great to put faces to names, and to have the opportunity to meet some of the leading journalists from around the world. Each had something insightful to say about the role of the media in Africa, their personal position, country, career.

Kerry Dimmer, winner of Best Infrastructure feature with ‘The Scramble for Blue Gold’ in African Decisions, South Africa, made a great speech commenting that these awards really help promote the journalists who win them. Uganda's Francis Kagolo from New Vision said the same of his award (Agribusiness / Environment feature) that it puts him in the field of greater journalists in Africa, all of whom should be working to put forward the best reporting.

When ‘Spark Africa Series’ by Peter Vlam and his team at Africa Interactive won Best Use of New Media in a Story, I didn’t quite realise the extent to how widely they work; 800 freelancers, mostly on the continent, so as well as creating content this is an exercise in capacity building and empowering local media.

Felix Dela Klutse of the Daily Guide Newspaper, Ghana, who won best business news story with ‘China Takes African Market by Storm’, got a great reception. Perhaps some fellow countrymen in the audience, or a general affinity with Ghana given their success in the World Cup (who were knocked out the next night, much to my dismay).

I was also privileged to meet with Oby Ezekwesili, the Vice President of the World Bank for the Africa region. Having been in conference calls and board meetings all afternoon, she arrived fresh and smiling, happy to have her photo taken with the finalists, after speaking about the economic opportunities on the continent.

Stephen O’Brien Permanent Under Secretary of State for International Development, who was born in Tanzania, talked about the role that government and business has to play, and the importance that the perception created by the media plays in investment decisions. He made the point that when sat round the boardroom table, looking where to put your money, you have about 3 minutes per country. Not long for in-depth analysis, therefore key indicators and headline reports are crucial.

Good to see some of the journalists represented at the awards last week already making that headline difference.