WINDHOEK: The first ever annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference Namibia will be held in the capital next Month.
The conference which will take place from the 6th to the 7th August 2012 at Safari Hotel will outline how CSR impacts and fosters innovation, and provide delegates with practical insight into how to build innovation through CSR in their own companies or organisations.
The two day conference is hosted by Excel Business Consultancy in partnership with the publishers of Who´s Who Namibia publication and is endorsed by the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Speaking at the informal press conference on this high-level CSR conference on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Excel Business Consultancy Colen Masunda said there is a need for corporate social responsibility to find respectability in Namibia.
¨CSR is no longer just a risk management tool, where you can just use it for image building and reputation building purposes. It can be more,¨ Masunda said.
Masunda believes that if approached strategically CSR can add value and assist companies to create more products and be more innovative and thereby be more competitive.
Another motivation for this conference Masunda said is the current challenge of unemployment in the country.
¨What are companies doing from a CSR point of view to assist government in efforts to create employment. These are the specific links we would like to interrogate and discuss during the conference,¨ The CEO said.
By the end of the CSR conference Masunda said delegates should re look at their CSR programs and evaluate if they have been responsive to the societal challenges that are facing the country.
The Minister of Trade and Industry Hage Geingob will open the conference and address the delegates on how to achieve a greater return on CSR for Namibian companies and at the same time promote Namibia as a favorable investment destination.
Geingob will be joined by a panel of speakers from Namibia and South Africa such as Advocate Vekuii Rukoro CEO of First National Bank Namibia, Ruth Cogging CEO of QUO Vadis Communications South Africa.
Other speakers will be Sven Thieme Chairman of the Olthaver & List Group, Tim Ekandjo Corporate Communications Manager of MTC Namibia, Saki Nicodemus CEO of True Lead, Juanita Von Wieligh Executive Manager of Namdeb Foundation.
Company CEO´s, directors, managers, representatives from social enterprises, Non- Governmental Organisations, socially responsible investors, government representatives as well as students and academicians can attend the event.