Corporate Citizenship in Africa

Book excerpt: Corporate citizenship is enmeshed in the debate about Africa's future. Africa is the continent where the social needs are greatest and where the benefits of globalisation have been least felt. What makes corporate citizenship in Africa not only fascinating, but also of critical importance, is that the continent embodies many of the most vexing dilemmas that business faces in attempts to be responsible, ethical and sustainable. This unique collection for the first time brings together in one publication the critical debates, perspectives, experiences and success stories in the emerging field of corporate citizenship in Africa. The book addresses a number of key questions: What research has been conducted on corporate citizenship in Africa over the past ten years? How are the concepts and challenges of corporate citizenship in Africa different, compared to other regions of the world? Which industry sectors are leading in the implementation of corporate citizenship in Africa? What are some of the dilemmas facing companies that are striving to be good corporate citizens in Africa? What are some of the best-practice case studies of companies' corporate citizenship programmes in Africa? What can Africa learn from the rest of the world about corporate citizenship, and what can it teach others? The book acts as a bridge in many ways: between academic theory and business practice; between notions of corporate citizenship originating in developed countries and emerging concepts incubated in a developing-country context; between the experiences of multinationals and the perspectives of small and medium-sized enterprises; between different countries and regions within Africa and around the globe. This publication marks a change in the tide – a groundswell towards a more vigorous debate and robust research agenda on corporate citizenship in Africa. It will be essential reading for all those involved in the rapidly growing corporate responsibility movement.