MTN urges SMEs on CSR

MTN has urged small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to take Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seriously, saying that is what gives them the social right to operate in their environment.

Its Chief Corporate Services Officer, Tobechukwu Okigbo who joined other experts to upskill SMEs on stakeholder and crisis management at The Revv Programme masterclass. The masterclass had: “The Resilient Small Business – A Stakeholder and Crisis Management Perspective” as its theme, said CSR is simply a company giving back to the community in which it operates.

He said: “CSR is used to earn the social right to operate. Where you have embedded yourself in the community through CSR programs, your corporate social responsibility (CSR) becomes corporate social investment (CSI), because the community will help you transition and survive the crisis.“

Other experts at the masterclass included Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Beyond Clothing, Principal Consultant, Necci Consulting, Prince Arthur Uche; Nkechi Ali-Balogun; Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Peter Bankole; and Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, MTN Nigeria, Cyril Ilok. The masterclass was moderated by General Manager, Regional Operations, MTN Nigeria, Amina Dambatta.

With almost three decades’ experience in corporate service management, Tobechukwu Okigbo provides leadership for stakeholder management solutions and practices aimed at driving corporate brand equity.

The Revv Programme was created to reach over 10,000 small business owners using a four-prong approach, which includes masterclasses, access to new markets, productivity tools support and expert advisory. Through the programme, MTN Nigeria aims to help entrepreneurs rethink and retool their businesses in order to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.