The Zambia Business in Development Facility (ZBiDF) working with the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) and the CSR Training Institute held a series of events dubbed “ ZACCI Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Week”  in the first week of June i.e. from 6^th-10^th June 2016.

The events were primarily aimed at promoting the development of multi-stakeholder CSR Partnerships as a means of contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Facility researched and sourced a renowned expert on the subject with vital experience in Africa to be the main speaker, Professor of Practice at McGill University, Wayne Dunn the President and co-founder of the CSR Training Institute of Canada. It was also a chance for the CSR Training Institute to look at the opportunities that Zambia presents to them.

Radio Interview

The week started with a radio interview on Monday 6^th June, the interview was done by Professor Wayne Dunn (CSR Institute) and Mr. Geoffrey Sakulanda (ZBiDF’s Champions and Advisory Group Chairman) to set the tone for the entire week.

CEOs CSR Breakfast Meeting

On June 7^th, there was a CEOs CSR Breakfast meeting, the meeting attracted over 35 CEOs and Heads of Operations from some of the leading companies in Zambia and there was good representation from the private sector who are ever seeking to conduct sustainable CSR programs in the communities they operate. The meeting was an engagement to see what companies are doing in the CSR space and what could be done to collaborate in order to have a greater impact. The afternoon of 7^th June was spent sharing knowledge with students from various learning institutions on the topic of CSR, there was an interactive session with the professor.

Company Visits 
On 8^th June, Professor Wayne Dunn and ZBiDF’s National Director Mr. Ernest Muwamba conducted company visits so that the professor could sample CSR programs of different companies in an effort to better understand and appreciate how CSR is conducted in Zambia, the companies visited included;

• Institute of Directors
• Konkola Copper Mines (KCM)
• First Quantum Minerals Limited
• Zambian Breweries/Sabmiller

CSR Master Class

Professor Wayne held a Master Class on 9^th June, 2016, he incorporated some of the things he had learnt about the way some companies in Zambia conduct their CSR programs. The class had 21 participants, professor Wayne provided an in-depth training with group work, he also engaged the participants in discussions from time to time. At the end of the training, all the participants got certificates.

CSR Training Institute and ZACCI Sign MoU

On 10^th June, 2016 the CSR Training Institute and Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a Memorandum of Technical Corporation and Partnership with the overall objective being; ‘to support the development of knowledge and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility in Zambia.’

The two institutions have pledged to work together with regards to fostering CSR programs in Zambia as well as driving the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in relation to business.

Overall, the week was successful and the companies that were approached have shown interest in furthering the discussions so as to create multi-sector CSR Partnerships and contribute to the SDGs. It was generally agreed that there is more that can be done in CSR to make it sustainable and an investment instead of handouts as it is seen and done by most companies in Zambia.