Saturday, October 8, 2011
CSRtelegraph: Establishing new frontiers: Cause Related Marketin...
CSRtelegraph: Establishing new frontiers: Cause Related Marketin...: Back on the issue of collaborations: NGOs and Corporate Organisations. l have been thinking about different ways value can really be created...
Establishing new frontiers: Cause Related Marketing
Back on the issue of collaborations: NGOs and Corporate Organisations. l have been thinking about different ways value can really be created, especially within the Nigerian local environment. Whilst NGO credibility may be at an all time low, with the discovery of N74 billion fraud grants processes, involving some notable Nigerian organisations by the Global Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, it is still very much possible to work with some credible non profit organisations in a way that is value adding to all and one way to do this is through Cause related Marketing (CRM).
Cause related Marketing is not new, however, just as the entire CSR terrain is still in its infancy in Nigeria, so is this form of marketing. Recently, Dr. Marinho of Educare has taken it upon himself to advocate for private organisations to get on board the Cause Marketing train and utilize their huge marketing budgets to raise awareness and funds for social issues; invariably 'doing well by doing good'.
It's interesting to see a few organisations who have recently jumped on this band wagon, makers of Nunu milk and lifebuoy (Unilever) are one of such organisations, Interswitch also did something in this regard sometime ago.
With a population and a country faced with immense social issues which does not seem to abate, Cause related Marketing is a highly strategic way of building Brands that drive sustainable development whislt making money.
Looking at the postulations of the 'bottom of the pyramid', the benefits associated with CRM in a country such as Nigeria which has most of its consumers at the base can really have a much more long lasting impact on Brand value, loyalty, recognition and acceptance. Brands built in this way, if done very well and in a sustainable manner will remain embedded in our memories for a while, especially if its associations are things that endear it to one's heart.
The trick, however, is not to build superficial marketing strategies along these paths and what l mean by this is that intentions have to be really genuine, the Brands must be utilised to make real changes, have real impact else the PR aspect of whatever CRM is done is quickly detected and people see no sense in it. The loyalty that is meant to emanate from such marketing also will not be activated and the entire essense for the venture will quickly fizzle out. It is instructive to know that whilst the values upon which Brands are built on must be genuine at all times, so must the value upon which CRM is built.
One question you need to ask yourself whilst designing your marketing strategy is whether raising funds through CRM is the most effective way to go in light of the low disposable income segments (this may be suited to particular market segments where the customer may be able to afford parting with some extra cash) or taking a certain % of the Brand's profit and donating it to a good cause. Care must also be taken not to pass the cost to the consumer but to depend on volume generated profits, this means that the strategy must be right to generate the margins needed, else profit is impacted and it becomes a failure.
l do believe that the developing nations should be the next home for Cause related Marketing. l, like Dr. Marinho see the value in it, both for the cause, the non profit and the for profit organisation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause_marketing
Oluwasoromidayo George
It's interesting to see a few organisations who have recently jumped on this band wagon, makers of Nunu milk and lifebuoy (Unilever) are one of such organisations, Interswitch also did something in this regard sometime ago.
With a population and a country faced with immense social issues which does not seem to abate, Cause related Marketing is a highly strategic way of building Brands that drive sustainable development whislt making money.
Looking at the postulations of the 'bottom of the pyramid', the benefits associated with CRM in a country such as Nigeria which has most of its consumers at the base can really have a much more long lasting impact on Brand value, loyalty, recognition and acceptance. Brands built in this way, if done very well and in a sustainable manner will remain embedded in our memories for a while, especially if its associations are things that endear it to one's heart.
The trick, however, is not to build superficial marketing strategies along these paths and what l mean by this is that intentions have to be really genuine, the Brands must be utilised to make real changes, have real impact else the PR aspect of whatever CRM is done is quickly detected and people see no sense in it. The loyalty that is meant to emanate from such marketing also will not be activated and the entire essense for the venture will quickly fizzle out. It is instructive to know that whilst the values upon which Brands are built on must be genuine at all times, so must the value upon which CRM is built.
l do believe that the developing nations should be the next home for Cause related Marketing. l, like Dr. Marinho see the value in it, both for the cause, the non profit and the for profit organisation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause_marketing
Oluwasoromidayo George
Saturday, October 1, 2011
CSRtelegraph: Creating sustainable value through CSR (1)
CSRtelegraph: Creating sustainable value through CSR (1): l seem to be pretty stuck on the term Corporate Social Responsibility and that may be due to the fact that l strive to create some s...
Creating sustainable value through CSR (1)
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Recently, l have seen a lot of clamour for collaborations between the private sector and the non profit to create some sort of value, what this value is though is yet to be clearly defined. My expectations to seeking for partnerships or creating viable operating space within sectors are often based on the ability to show what value additions we are likely to expect. So when a non profit organisation ask for collaboration my question is not usually on the collaboration but on what addition value they seek to create.
Creating sustainable value through CSR is far more than seeking collaborations or attempting to shift governmental responsibilities on corporation organisations. Whilst the 'suits' or corporates have huge responsibilities, the entire subject of social responsibility must be viewed holistically; there is government social responsibility, individual social responsibility, non profit social responsibility etc. Everyone and sector existing within a social sphere has a responsibility towards the sustainable development of that in which they exist. Therefore, the issue of collaboration must be pursued from this angle.
To collaborate is to find common synergies and identify areas for value building. Value building must be embarked upon with minimal backlash on the entire social system i.e. whilst we may seek to ask the corporates to fund everything on the face of the earth in a developing nation for instance based on a perception that they are entirely responsible for every negative issue, we must also be mindful of the fact that we seek to ensure that there is good governance within these societies, therefore, the responsibilities that we seek to quickly thrust upon these corporates may inevitably be that of the governing body. By diverting attention away from the rightful owners of the responsibility we are probably creating more disservice than adding value.
Oluwasoromidayo George
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tax evasion and good governance –The Nigerian Story
The Federal Inland Revenue Service announced a significant drop in its tax revenue collection in the first quarter of the year 2009 from a sum of N477 billion to N353 billion. This drop was according to a report by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS due to “Nigerians negative attitude to tax as a civic obligation, incomplete and inaccurate tax returns and under assessment by tax officials as well as submission of tax returns by quacks and non-professionals, collusion between tax consultants and tax officials to defraud the government of the needed revenue and diversion and conversion of tax payments by banks and other collecting agents like ministries” source: This Day, May 12, 2009. Taxes are imposed by a state, government or equivalent as dictated constitutionally by the laws of the land on individuals, properties, transactions or organisations. Taxes can be direct or indirect, they are used to support the government in the execution of its duties or responsibilities which are for the general well being of the citizens of a community, state or nation. It is not a voluntary contribution but enforced by the legislative authorities of the land. In developed countries, tax default is a serious offence.
“Funds provided by taxation have been used by states and their functional equivalents throughout history to carry out many functions. Some of these include expenditures on war, the enforcement of law and public order, protection of property, economic infrastructure (roads, legal tender, enforcement of contracts, etc.), public works, social engineering, and the operation of government itself. Most modern governments also use taxes to fund welfare and public services. These services can include education systems, health care systems, pensions for the elderly, unemployment benefits, and public transportation. Energy, water and waste management systems are also common public utilities. Colonial and modernizing states have also used cash taxes to draw or force reluctant subsistence producers into cash economies.”. Source: Wikipedia
The government in many countries is mainly dependent on this form of revenue generation to keep it going, hence, the reason why it is an offence. For instance, in the United States of America the tax payers money came in handy at the advent of the current global economic crisis, when it was used to fund bail outs for a number of organisations – the objective was to steady the economy, ease the crisis, assist the American citizens to get their lives back in order and minimize the effects of unemployment on the majority.
The focus for the utilization of government revenue accrued by means of taxation is always for expenditure that will support the people of particular countries. The effective utilization of such funds is usually dependent on the degree of good governance. Inefficient utilization borne out of massive and endemic corrupt practices usually helps in the under development of the country in question, this is evidenced by poor health care systems, bad roads, energy poverty and many more ills. The direct consequence is usually lack of trust by the people for its government which again is evidenced in consistent tax evasion. The citizens of this kind of country are often found questioning where the tax payers monies go and how is it used, due to lack of evidence and consistent impoverishment of the larger populace.
In this instance, we believe there is a direct correlation between the degree of tax evasion (not discarding the fact that tax evasive practices are also found existing in the countries where there is a large degree of good governance) and practice of good governance. If the people feel that their hard earned monies end up in private pockets, there is a likelihood, that there will be a reluctance to pay taxes.
Our recommendation, therefore, is improvement in the governance systems, introduction of transparency and accountability where Federal, State and Local governments clearly state how tax payers monies have been utilised, evidence of utilisation in the provision of basic amenities for the people of Nigeria plus continuous improvement in the standards of living. It is believed that once these basics are in place, tax collection will improve to a larger extent and enforcement of tax laws will prove to be more effective and justified when used to ensure compliance.
George
“Funds provided by taxation have been used by states and their functional equivalents throughout history to carry out many functions. Some of these include expenditures on war, the enforcement of law and public order, protection of property, economic infrastructure (roads, legal tender, enforcement of contracts, etc.), public works, social engineering, and the operation of government itself. Most modern governments also use taxes to fund welfare and public services. These services can include education systems, health care systems, pensions for the elderly, unemployment benefits, and public transportation. Energy, water and waste management systems are also common public utilities. Colonial and modernizing states have also used cash taxes to draw or force reluctant subsistence producers into cash economies.”. Source: Wikipedia
The government in many countries is mainly dependent on this form of revenue generation to keep it going, hence, the reason why it is an offence. For instance, in the United States of America the tax payers money came in handy at the advent of the current global economic crisis, when it was used to fund bail outs for a number of organisations – the objective was to steady the economy, ease the crisis, assist the American citizens to get their lives back in order and minimize the effects of unemployment on the majority.
The focus for the utilization of government revenue accrued by means of taxation is always for expenditure that will support the people of particular countries. The effective utilization of such funds is usually dependent on the degree of good governance. Inefficient utilization borne out of massive and endemic corrupt practices usually helps in the under development of the country in question, this is evidenced by poor health care systems, bad roads, energy poverty and many more ills. The direct consequence is usually lack of trust by the people for its government which again is evidenced in consistent tax evasion. The citizens of this kind of country are often found questioning where the tax payers monies go and how is it used, due to lack of evidence and consistent impoverishment of the larger populace.
In this instance, we believe there is a direct correlation between the degree of tax evasion (not discarding the fact that tax evasive practices are also found existing in the countries where there is a large degree of good governance) and practice of good governance. If the people feel that their hard earned monies end up in private pockets, there is a likelihood, that there will be a reluctance to pay taxes.
Our recommendation, therefore, is improvement in the governance systems, introduction of transparency and accountability where Federal, State and Local governments clearly state how tax payers monies have been utilised, evidence of utilisation in the provision of basic amenities for the people of Nigeria plus continuous improvement in the standards of living. It is believed that once these basics are in place, tax collection will improve to a larger extent and enforcement of tax laws will prove to be more effective and justified when used to ensure compliance.
George
Corporate Social investment
Without a doubt community development intervention by the private sector is and should remain voluntary. This is because the business of business is ensuring that business is conducted in a responsible manner that provides positive socioeconomic contribution for their different operating communities. The one way to do this is to continue to contribute a portion of their profits to the government in their operating communities through “accurate” tax payments. However, for a lot of communities in developing nations this is not enough. Successive years of corruption, wars and coups has led to gross neglect in development, leaving a large percentage of people in Africa wallowing in poverty, there is a dearth of infrastructure, massive energy poverty, illiteracy, poor health system, hunger and many more ills. What has happened is that the people have simply turned to the next best source of wealth for intervention – the private sector. In Nigeria for instance, whilst neglecting to demand for accountability and transparency in the “hows and wheres” of the use of tax money, lawmakers have simply turned again to the private sector to make community development initiatives compulsorily part and parcel of a business purview. By so doing most believe that they are further entrenching corruption, in a situation where there is no accountability, the tax payments made by these businesses will be added to the others that are diverted for the private use of a few.
The worst scenario painted in this instance has been that additional tax payments made by businesses simply means a hike in consumer goods, therefore, the cost of doing business will be transferred to the people, making them poorer still. The cost of doing business in the country will be more expensive, making investments in Nigeria more unattractive whilst other countries are doing all they can to make their countries attractive for foreign direct investments leading to the provision of more sources of employment and better living standards for their people. To this end we need to be extremely careful not to create laws that will make our socioeconomic situation worse.
George
The worst scenario painted in this instance has been that additional tax payments made by businesses simply means a hike in consumer goods, therefore, the cost of doing business will be transferred to the people, making them poorer still. The cost of doing business in the country will be more expensive, making investments in Nigeria more unattractive whilst other countries are doing all they can to make their countries attractive for foreign direct investments leading to the provision of more sources of employment and better living standards for their people. To this end we need to be extremely careful not to create laws that will make our socioeconomic situation worse.
George
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Who can help us?
Talking about sustainable development seems a misnomer from the Nigerian perspective and this is simply because all the indicators pointing towards a conscious or concerted drive towards the creation of a sustainable society seems to be pointing in the wrong directions.
Historically speaking, no society has amounted to much without consistently and please note that the word is consistency, driving an agenda which derives no pleasure from massive changes in policies that affects growth, one through which the livelihood of the ordinary Nigerian man or woman is grossly improved.
Economically speaking the indices that point towards economic growth all show signs of impressive improvement, that is until recently with the downward trend of the crude oil earnings and depletion of the nations foreign reserves, and it is true that in the last decade (especially with the socioeconomic reforms introduced by the entrance of a democratically elected government in 1998) we have seen major positive changes. We saw the influx of FDI which led to wealth creation, this time trickling down to the bottom of the pyramid, we got our debt cancelled and experienced massive reforms in different areas.
The NEEDS document painted a picture of hope, one which showed visionary leadership not perfect but yet still charting a concrete direction to lead us out of massive and unsustainable socioeconomic deprivation. The beauty of having such a document was to also see it come alive in real policy implementation. However, the fact still remains that a huge percentage of the Nigerian populace appears to be in a state of regressive socioeconomic status. The question then is how can we possibly ensure that there is sustainability in the sovereign state?
The successful and continuous development of a nation is dependent on several factors all of which must be activated in order to achieve a particular level of living standard for the general populace of any nation at any given point in time. Issues of quality health care, good infrastructure, sound education, employment generation, law and order must be tackled with aggressive intent which is bent on ensuring that people generally have access to the things that make good living, access to this must be by fair play and merit and not through a selective process that is based solely on who you know (or quota system, ethnic race) or who you are.
Years of self centred rule and a governance system that lacks the discipline of ensuring proper law and order plus a focus on self gratification as opposed to communal well being has left the nation in worst state than it ever was. The infrastructure especially as it concerns power generation and distribution, education, good roads, transportation, health care, provision of portable water supply is almost dead, leadership is comatose, point is right now there seems to be no hope for help. The living or aptly put survival state of the ordinary Nigerian man who earns meagre income such as selling his/her wares on the street is unimaginable, how people live from “hand to mouth” barely existing, living in appalling conditions with no health care to support and environment degradation that begs of attention which no one seems to be looking at. Question is who will help or who can help?
It seems oddly strange enough that the concept of corporate social responsibility has been painted in the same light as the issue of sustainable development, and this may not seem so far fetched to those who have perhaps turned away from the government to begin to look at the private sector to intervene in ordinarily what we have always known to be the purview of the state. However, there is some truth in this, if not in exactly the same way that it is currently been looked at.
There can be no sustainable development without effectively tackling these issues, the continued downward trend of living standards and development is simply a time bomb waiting to explode, the truth is that within any system whether democratic, military rule or otherwise you cannot continue to have some form of affluence in the midst of gross poverty – the danger and high possibility is that the people will turn against those that who say they rule and this is being seen today in a situation where people do not feel safe, where there is high crime rate. Lack of security is the worst thing that can affect development, it turns off foreign investors and stifles productivity in every way. There is simply no freedom and the high walls guarding homes and offices depict an environment where chaos as crept in.
What can the private sector do and why should they be concerned? The concept of CSR in its truest form simply means that organisations should be responsible in every way possible, it can be likened to an individual and this is why sometimes it is also referred to as corporate citizenship, who must in every way possible act responsibly within the society or situation in which it finds itself – therefore it must pay the right tax, not do any thing that contravenes the law, it should also act in a way and manner that will cause no harm to its neighbours – simple acts of responsibility which is carried out through corporate values and principles imbibed.
Looking at the economic terrain and livelihoods, it is not far fetched to see how much economic organisations affect everyone and also everything within the society – it affects education, it affects health, it affects the media, information, innovation, it affects the government, it affects the dynamics of relationships and the obligations that are borne by it. This has been shown in recent times through the effects of the global recession where almost everything has been turned upside because of the crash in Wall Street, in London, Tokyo and other developed nations. Families have been affected through job loss, spending habits have been changed both by people and the different governments, there are now a new set of priorities. This is the power of the private sector. It is therefore very easy to see how socio-political situations can be affected by economic woes or vice versa.
Looking inwards, here in Nigeria, it is very hard to see how far the private sector can go without good governance. Governance in this sense points to the government, however, with sound and sensible advocacy and right motives within civil society organisations much can be done.
The private sector is maverick, the sector is made up of organisations with professional individuals and systems that work within a set of rules and rules because it has been proven with the recent global economic downturn that the sector must work with proper governance or monitoring and not without. Complete deregulation or a completely free market simply leads to a throwing of caution to the wind and catastrophe in the making.
That the public sector in Nigeria for instance needs the skill and expertise that may be found in the private sector is without a shadow of doubt. Looking back at the intervention of the private sector professionals and their performance in the last administration, the likes of Charles Soludo and the bank mergers which brought some semblance of stability, accountability and the gradual re-emergence of the middle class, Dr Okonju Iweala and the debt cancellation, Mrs Due process, it is apt to say that skills transfer is very necessary for continued sustained development. This can be structured and facilitated by putting in place private public partnerships.
We may therefore, look at Corporate philanthropy in this regard, and not just as a give away to communities where it can not be sustained and where the impact will be little or nothing but as a highly strategic partnership between corporate organisations and organisations in the public sector especially government institutions such that there is a structured and systematic approach to supporting communities to develop.
In recent times we have seen a few organisations take up corporate social investment activities in different parts of the country. However, with no proper structure in place and very few having the genuine will power to make a real difference one can’t readily assess the impact of the investments. There is the perception that these organisations make more noise than act. These actions however can be harnessed to do good and support the nation in development. We can build and structure private public partnerships in a systematic way that can be used to empower and revolutionise different sectors of the economy.
There is no better time than now to begin to act, especially with the dwindling price of oil and a future which spells more doom for those economies that are overly dependent on petrol dollars. We need to act aggressively and focus on developing others areas – agriculture, youth empowerment, vocational training etc. If all the companies involved in community development investments will partner with the government and international organisations to zero in on developing agriculture in just a number of states in the next 5 years, do you know how much impact that will make and how these few areas could begin to make the nation self sustaining and even lead to greater and diversified export incomes? I believe this is an area worth looking at.
George
Historically speaking, no society has amounted to much without consistently and please note that the word is consistency, driving an agenda which derives no pleasure from massive changes in policies that affects growth, one through which the livelihood of the ordinary Nigerian man or woman is grossly improved.
Economically speaking the indices that point towards economic growth all show signs of impressive improvement, that is until recently with the downward trend of the crude oil earnings and depletion of the nations foreign reserves, and it is true that in the last decade (especially with the socioeconomic reforms introduced by the entrance of a democratically elected government in 1998) we have seen major positive changes. We saw the influx of FDI which led to wealth creation, this time trickling down to the bottom of the pyramid, we got our debt cancelled and experienced massive reforms in different areas.
The NEEDS document painted a picture of hope, one which showed visionary leadership not perfect but yet still charting a concrete direction to lead us out of massive and unsustainable socioeconomic deprivation. The beauty of having such a document was to also see it come alive in real policy implementation. However, the fact still remains that a huge percentage of the Nigerian populace appears to be in a state of regressive socioeconomic status. The question then is how can we possibly ensure that there is sustainability in the sovereign state?
The successful and continuous development of a nation is dependent on several factors all of which must be activated in order to achieve a particular level of living standard for the general populace of any nation at any given point in time. Issues of quality health care, good infrastructure, sound education, employment generation, law and order must be tackled with aggressive intent which is bent on ensuring that people generally have access to the things that make good living, access to this must be by fair play and merit and not through a selective process that is based solely on who you know (or quota system, ethnic race) or who you are.
Years of self centred rule and a governance system that lacks the discipline of ensuring proper law and order plus a focus on self gratification as opposed to communal well being has left the nation in worst state than it ever was. The infrastructure especially as it concerns power generation and distribution, education, good roads, transportation, health care, provision of portable water supply is almost dead, leadership is comatose, point is right now there seems to be no hope for help. The living or aptly put survival state of the ordinary Nigerian man who earns meagre income such as selling his/her wares on the street is unimaginable, how people live from “hand to mouth” barely existing, living in appalling conditions with no health care to support and environment degradation that begs of attention which no one seems to be looking at. Question is who will help or who can help?
It seems oddly strange enough that the concept of corporate social responsibility has been painted in the same light as the issue of sustainable development, and this may not seem so far fetched to those who have perhaps turned away from the government to begin to look at the private sector to intervene in ordinarily what we have always known to be the purview of the state. However, there is some truth in this, if not in exactly the same way that it is currently been looked at.
There can be no sustainable development without effectively tackling these issues, the continued downward trend of living standards and development is simply a time bomb waiting to explode, the truth is that within any system whether democratic, military rule or otherwise you cannot continue to have some form of affluence in the midst of gross poverty – the danger and high possibility is that the people will turn against those that who say they rule and this is being seen today in a situation where people do not feel safe, where there is high crime rate. Lack of security is the worst thing that can affect development, it turns off foreign investors and stifles productivity in every way. There is simply no freedom and the high walls guarding homes and offices depict an environment where chaos as crept in.
What can the private sector do and why should they be concerned? The concept of CSR in its truest form simply means that organisations should be responsible in every way possible, it can be likened to an individual and this is why sometimes it is also referred to as corporate citizenship, who must in every way possible act responsibly within the society or situation in which it finds itself – therefore it must pay the right tax, not do any thing that contravenes the law, it should also act in a way and manner that will cause no harm to its neighbours – simple acts of responsibility which is carried out through corporate values and principles imbibed.
Looking at the economic terrain and livelihoods, it is not far fetched to see how much economic organisations affect everyone and also everything within the society – it affects education, it affects health, it affects the media, information, innovation, it affects the government, it affects the dynamics of relationships and the obligations that are borne by it. This has been shown in recent times through the effects of the global recession where almost everything has been turned upside because of the crash in Wall Street, in London, Tokyo and other developed nations. Families have been affected through job loss, spending habits have been changed both by people and the different governments, there are now a new set of priorities. This is the power of the private sector. It is therefore very easy to see how socio-political situations can be affected by economic woes or vice versa.
Looking inwards, here in Nigeria, it is very hard to see how far the private sector can go without good governance. Governance in this sense points to the government, however, with sound and sensible advocacy and right motives within civil society organisations much can be done.
The private sector is maverick, the sector is made up of organisations with professional individuals and systems that work within a set of rules and rules because it has been proven with the recent global economic downturn that the sector must work with proper governance or monitoring and not without. Complete deregulation or a completely free market simply leads to a throwing of caution to the wind and catastrophe in the making.
That the public sector in Nigeria for instance needs the skill and expertise that may be found in the private sector is without a shadow of doubt. Looking back at the intervention of the private sector professionals and their performance in the last administration, the likes of Charles Soludo and the bank mergers which brought some semblance of stability, accountability and the gradual re-emergence of the middle class, Dr Okonju Iweala and the debt cancellation, Mrs Due process, it is apt to say that skills transfer is very necessary for continued sustained development. This can be structured and facilitated by putting in place private public partnerships.
We may therefore, look at Corporate philanthropy in this regard, and not just as a give away to communities where it can not be sustained and where the impact will be little or nothing but as a highly strategic partnership between corporate organisations and organisations in the public sector especially government institutions such that there is a structured and systematic approach to supporting communities to develop.
In recent times we have seen a few organisations take up corporate social investment activities in different parts of the country. However, with no proper structure in place and very few having the genuine will power to make a real difference one can’t readily assess the impact of the investments. There is the perception that these organisations make more noise than act. These actions however can be harnessed to do good and support the nation in development. We can build and structure private public partnerships in a systematic way that can be used to empower and revolutionise different sectors of the economy.
There is no better time than now to begin to act, especially with the dwindling price of oil and a future which spells more doom for those economies that are overly dependent on petrol dollars. We need to act aggressively and focus on developing others areas – agriculture, youth empowerment, vocational training etc. If all the companies involved in community development investments will partner with the government and international organisations to zero in on developing agriculture in just a number of states in the next 5 years, do you know how much impact that will make and how these few areas could begin to make the nation self sustaining and even lead to greater and diversified export incomes? I believe this is an area worth looking at.
George
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