Promasidor’s Boss Lists Keys for Successful CSR

Mr. Keith Richards, managing director and chief executive of Promasidor Nigeria Limited has listed five key areas for a successful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

Richards who made a presentation entitled Giving Back to Society: Issues & Challenges at the Annual Giving Back Conference organised by Business Day Newspaper in Lagos recently listed the key areas as consistency, sustainability, credibility, relevance and affordability.

He told the distinguished audience of corporate executives and senior officials of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that for a corporate organization to achieve a successful CSR programme, it was imperative that it built a consistent approach to it and stick to it.

The corporate organization should ensure that its programmes could be relied upon by its partners as well as the need to create programmes that have long duration, Richards said, adding that the personal credibility of the chief executive officer, board, senior managers, programme champions and product quality of such a company were also important.

He said there was also the need to review the programmes to see if they were relevant to the stakeholders and affordable by the company because such programmes needed to be developed in line with budget availability, not just now but in the future.

Richards listed some of Promasidor’s core CSR programmes to include the Cowbell National Secondary Schools Mathematics Competition (NASSMAC), Rewards for Excellence in Primary Schools, Partnership with Africa Leadership and Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Orile-Iganmu Community and Mother & Child Support among others.

He reiterated the intention of the company to sponsor two most successful students in its just concluded National Secondary Schools Mathematics Competition to the 2012 Pan African Mathematics Olympiad.

The chief executive said the company would work with the National Mathematics Centre, Abuja to realize the plan.

The Cowbell National Secondary Schools Competition (NASSMAC) started in 1998 in Lagos . By 1999, the scope was expanded to other states, Lagos , Anambra, Kaduna and Plateau while Oyo and Imo were added in 2000.

In 2001, NASSMAC became a national competition covering the 36 States of the Federation including Abuja .

Promasidor was incorporated in Nigeria in 1993 to manufacture, package, market and   distribute fast moving consumer products. Since inception, it has been offering quality and affordable products to its consumers.

It revolutionized the dairy industry with the introduction of sachet packaging of its Cowbell milk, a development which has become the norm in the industry presently. Its products range includes Cowbell milk, Cowbell chocolate, Cowbell flavoured milk drink, Loya full cream milk, Miksi, Onga food seasoning, Top Tea and Amila instant fruit flavoured powdered drink.

The company has a factory in Lagos and depots all over the country from where its products are packaged and distributed to consumers nationwide. The company has recorded remarkable growth over the years and it presently employs more than 1,000 Nigerians in various aspects of its operations.