A Senior Educational Manager and Strategy Consultant, Prof. Martin Gyambrah, has asked companies to develop foresight as the global business landscape is rapidly changing post-Covid-19.

At the 10^th edition of the National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability Conference organized by the Centre for CSR, West Africa at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, Prof. Gyambrah spoke on new world imperatives for business sustainability post COVID-19, outlining the factors driving the focus on sustainability in the wake of COVID-19 and highlighting key business and individual issues.

The corporate advisor, who has extensive experience in institutional development, leadership and administration in international contexts noted that: “Sustainability has been a top priority in boardrooms and corporate agendas due to numerous worldwide initiatives and agreements that support ethical business conduct such as the Global Sustainable Initiative (GSI), which strives to promote sustainability across all sectors, the Paris Climate Agreement which tries to combat climate change, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations which gives a comprehensive framework for addressing global concerns.”

He emphasized that it was important to build resilient business models, develop reputation and trust and put sustainable practices in place to help mitigate risks associated with environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.

Prof. Martin Gyambrah explained that the new world imperatives for business sustainability would mean that an organization would make new changes to how things used to be done. He recommended a new way of management and managing people, re-examination of resource allocation practices, a re-invention of marketing practices and an emphasis on resetting corporate governance.

“More than ever before, we should place more emphasis on changing organisations to become more efficient, mobilizing every ounce of intelligence because the skills required of managers are diverse and continuously expanding. We need to create “Merchants of Foresight”, who would develop a model for reporting on intellectual capital around customers, processes, resource mobilization, human factors and finance. Businesses should leverage data analytics to understand customer needs better, personalize their services and create seamless omni-channel experiences that will retain and grow customer base.”

He concluded that companies would have to reset their corporate governance framework by asking critical questions about their sources of funding or critical resources for the pursuit of the mission of the organization, the enabling technologies, applications and systems in place for the pursuit of the mission of the organization, what actions and systems exist to ensure or guarantee the sustainability and continuity of critical resources for achievement of corporate objectives. Organisations, according to him, need to institute audit and risk management systems such as competitive intelligence-gathering, subversion detection and failure-proof systems.

The Conference, organized by the Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), West Africa, a leading CSR and Sustainability advocacy organization, in collaboration with the Association of Ghana Industries, brought together, many leading socially responsible companies and organisations who rendered accounts of their impressive and excellent social stewardship, demonstrating a stella commitment to their impact on the broader society and environment within which they operate.

Prominent sustainability-inclined businesses and organisations such as PwC, RYTHM Foundation, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), World Vision, Volta River Authority, Vodafone and VIVO Energy delivered speeches and presentations about how they imbibe the tenets of social responsibility and ultimately contributing their quota to the achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prof. Martin Gyambrah is currently the President of the University of Applied Management-Ghana. This follows his international education with a Master’s and Ph.D. focused on the Policy, Strategic and Organizational Applications of Technologies and Excellence in Business from the University of Munich, Germany.

His professional career activities has spanned for many years in educational management and corporate advisory, with a current focus on Innovations in Business and Education, Education for Sustainable Development, International Educational Systems and Quality Assurance, Human Capital Development and Corporate Governance. He is a Senior Associate Consultant and Advisory Board Member of Consulting firm Bureau of Market & Social Research (MSR), Ghana and representative for the International University Network (IUN), Germany an international Service and Consulting Support Facility. He has been a provider of capacity-building, business turnaround, organisational development, market, social and complex governance control insights for multinational private-sector and public organizations.

GOIL, Ghana’s leading marketer and distributor of oil and petroleum products represented by its Public Relations Manager, Mr. Robert Kyere and Madam Jamilatu Mohammed, RYTHM Foundation represented by the Head of the Foundation, Santhi Periasamy, PwC, represented by one of its Partners, Mr. Richard Ansong, World Vision represented by Mrs. Agnes Obeng and Mr. Joseph Appiah supported the Conference as lead sponsors, creating a platform that enabled businesses to give account of their societal stewardship, network, partner and collaborate for business sustainability and the greater good of society.

Other notable companies and organisations that participated in the Conference include Toyota Ghana, Promasidor, Republic Bank, CBL West Africa, Imperial General Assurance, SIC Ghana, Ghanaian German Economic Association, Societe Generale, Consolidated Bank, Blay and Associates, Fruveg, Rivella Enterprise, J.A. Abrahams & Sons, Bosomtwi Industries, Amla Foundation, and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Other dignitaries such as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Ghana Industries, AGI, Mr. Seth Twum-Akwaboah, Director of Finance and Administration of the AGI, Mr. Nathaniel Quarcoopome, the Chief Representative of JICA Ghana, Madam Suzuki Momoko, Madam Ramya Chandrasekaran, Chief Communications Officer for the QI Group attended the event.

Speaking at the Conference, Mr, John Kojo Williams, Co-Founder of the Centre for CSR, West Africa said: “Since 2013, we have been at the forefront of creating awareness on CSR and sustainability issues and matchmaking companies to create sustainable impact. We are happy that this Conference is a huge success and that companies were provided the much-needed platform to render their CSR account, network and partner for more sustainable projects that will keep their businesses alive and make society better. This Conference brought together, companies, business associations, regulatory agencies, international aid organisations, academia and the media.”

Mr. Williams announced that a magazine to compile CSR activities of companies in Ghana would soon be published. He also announced that entries for Ghana CSR Excellence Awards 2024 are now officially open. More than 30 media houses attended the Conference.