Food companies make it to CSR in Africa Awards finals

FOUR of the eight shortlisted companies vying for the first edition of the CSR in Africa Awards come from the food & beverage industry. Cocopack is a producer of fruit and fruit products from the Ivory Coast; Frigoken is one of Kenya’s largest vegetable processors; Kakuzi Limited which is a listed company trading on the Nairobi and the London Stock Exchange, grows tea, avocado, pineapple and macadamia, and is also into livestock farming and forestry development. Mars, known for chocolate brands Milky Way and M&Ms, as well as other products, is also a finalist. Other contenders are Deutsche DHL, Ecofund, Newmont Ghana, and Woolworths.

Established by the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce (EUACC), the 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. Including two distinguished categories: The “EUACC – Promising Project” Award and The “EUACC – Be Inspired” Award.

The EUACC , with office in Brussels, will host a gala ceremony to showcase winning projects on 26 November 2014. With support from the EU Commission and the sponsor of Afreximbank, EUACC will reward best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).