Procter and Gamble Nigeria (P&G), leading consumer goods manufacturing company and large social and economic investor in Nigeria, won the prestigious SERA (Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility) Award for ‘Best Company in Provision of Clean Water and Sanitation’. They were nominated in the category along with other global giants such as Guinness and Exxon Mobil. The awards ceremony was held on Friday the 11th of November at MUSON Centre, Lagos.
The SERAS – CSR Awards is an annual project which aims to promote as well as raise awareness about the roles organizations play with emphasis on their responsibility towards stakeholders and the social development of Nigeria and Africa. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability is an approach whereby companies embed economic, social and environmental concerns into their corporate culture.
Managing Director for P&G Mr. George Nassar said, “P&G is honoured to receive the award for Best Company in Provision of Clean Water and Sanitation at the SERA Awards. We are committed to philanthropic endeavours as we believe that we have a responsibility to give back and empower the communities in which we operate”.
P&G has been operating in Nigeria for over 20 years. Investing in communities in which they live, work and serve has been one of their main goals since inception. Some of their corporate social responsibility footprints in Nigeria include: the Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program which provides clean drinking water to disadvantaged communities through a water purifying technology developed by P&G. The program has delivered over 10 billion liters of clean water globally.
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In 2014, P&G adopted 10 project schools in Lagos State thereby improving the health and hygiene status of over 30,000 school children and community members directly and indirectly through the provision of water, sanitary and hygiene systems; low cost hand washing facilities and the construction and distribution of safe drinking water stations.
Since 2009, the Always School Program has accompanied and empowered young girls through better understanding of their bodies and the complex, transformative time of puberty. The Program reaches up to 1 million girls annually while their Pampers Hospital Program reaches over 1.5 million Nigerian mothers and their babies annually with baby care, hygiene education and basic health checks across the country.
In 2011 P&G were the recipients of another SERA Award for Best Company in Community Involvement and Development (involving interventions covering the MDG’s): Child Focused CSR, as well as being finalists in categories including the ‘Best Company in Labour Practices’ and ‘Best Company in Health’. The company was also nominated in the categories of; ‘Best Company in Promotion of Gender Equality’ as well as ‘Best Company in CSR/Sustainability West Africa’, at the SERA Awards this year.
