MALAWI: ‘Regulate Corporate Social Responsibilities in the Mining Sector’ – A Call
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
There is a great need to regulate Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) from the Mining Sector in Malawi to ensure that the activities benefit local communities. This was said by Mr. Martin Chiphwanya, the National Secretary for Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP-Malawi).
Mr. Chiphwanya who made a presentation on Local Communities Welfare and Corporate Social Responsibility in Malawi during the 2nd International Conference on Extractive Industries, held in Nairobi between 4th and 5th October at Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR) said that generally, it is accepted that companies have moral responsibility to respond to societal issues.
However, in Malawi the mining sector, CSR is faced with a number of hiccups among them lack of consensus on the nature of responsibilities that a company should assume in a given community, lack of legal and policy provisions to regulate mining companies Corporate Social Responsibilities activities and limited community participation in the choices of CSR activities of various investors as such there is no community ownership of such developmental activities
“There is need for an overarching CSR legislation and policy for all mining investors in Malawi to regulate and guide the implementation of CSR interventions,” Chiphwanya pointed out adding that there must be an ensured citizen participation as well as proper consultations with stakeholders before engaging in CSR initiatives.
Finally, he said that there is need for Community Development Agreements between communities and mining companies in order to tie parties to a bond that is legally binding. Chiphwanya said that Malawi’s draft mines and minerals bill had proposed this.
∽End∽
