Corporate volunteering in Sub-Saharan Africa: Drivers, trends, and contributions towards Africa's sustainable futures

• In Event: Volunteering and the World of Work

Abstract

Corporate volunteering in Sub-Saharan Africa has been on an upward trajectory despite the widespread lack of legal and regulatory frameworks to incentivise or regulate the same. What is driving this phenomenon? Drawing on desk reviews of corporate sustainability reports of publicly listed companies in the various bourses across the continent, as well as in-depth interviews with representatives of non-governmental organisations promoting or involving volunteers, and staff of corporates and their foundations, this paper attempts to answer this question. In addition, it attempts to map contemporary trends and patterns of corporate volunteering in Africa with a view to showcase its complexities and contributions towards the creation of sustainable futures for Africa.
The study findings indicate an entanglement of employee volunteering with corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes across Africa with an over concentration of the same among companies operating in South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria and Mauritius. This is explained by at least two factors. First is the mandatory CSR requirements and codes of corporate governance aimed at protecting the public and ensuring corporate accountability especially in South Africa and Mauritius (Ramdhony, 2017; Doane, 2002; Wachira & Berndt, 2019). This suggests the importance of regulatory frameworks, while also raising questions on their voluntariness. Second, in the countries where the practice has been taken up voluntarily (in the absence of corporate regulatory policy decrees), it is a product of a convergence of emergent norms of “shared value” approach to doing business (Porter & Kramer, 2011). This is especially informed by corporate‘s embrace of voluntary global development policy frameworks, especially Sustainable Development Goals, as well as existing prosocial cultural traits and African philosophical worldviews (e.g. Umuganda, Harambee and Ubuntu) invoked especially in mobilisations against humanitarian crisis such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, Ebola crisis in West Africa, and droughts in the Horn of Africa (Mati, 2023; Perold, et al, 2021; Muthuri & Gilbert, 2011). This suggests altruism (Cheruiyot & Tarus, 2016), as well as moral-ethical (Garriga & Melé, 2004) drivers. Consequently, while contributing to corporate’s self-reproduction, employee volunteering in Africa, especially since 2015, has been heavily directed towards contributing to Sustainable Development Goals, as well as national development and humanitarian challenges. The findings further suggest that despite relatively lower levels of penetration compared to other parts of the globe, internet is playing a significant role in aiding delivery of corporate employee volunteering programmes. In terms of strategy, a good number of senior company executives are leading from the front, with many organisations setting special periods (days, weeks or even a month) when their employees are expected to participate. These findings offer important starting points for envisioning how corporate employee volunteering can be tapped towards a shared sustainable future for Africa.

References

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Authors

• Jacob Mwathi Mati, Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment, University of the Witwatersrand

• Wycliffe Nduga Ouma, Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment, University of the Witwatersrand