A Critical Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility in Ghana’s Telecommunications Industry

Abstract

While there has been extensive research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) across disciplines, there is still a dearth of research on CSR in Africa, south of the Sahara, which is one of the socio-economically marginalised regions in the global economy. Through in-depth interviews of employees at the management, mid and entry levels of the top four telecommunications companies in Ghana, this article explores the corporate sector’s commitment to CSR by critically analysing how mobile service providers manage CSR projects in their communities of operation. Specifically, this study examines how telecom companies utilise CSR to contribute to educational, economic and social development in the Northern Region, one of the most developmentally marginalised regions of the country. Using a development communication approach, our study assesses how multinational corporations (MNCs) can prioritise marginalised communities over profit in their approach to CSR management. We argue that telecom companies need to actively involve community members, employees and stakeholders in decisions about CSR management if they are to make any impact in their communities of operation. From these findings, practical and theoretical recommendations are presented to contribute to the development of CSR epistemologies and praxes in the Global South.

Keywords:

• corporate social responsibility
• development communication
• Ghana
• Global South
• management communication
• sustainable development
• telecommunications