Mr. TesfaMariam speaking at the conference
Government has been urged to widen tax incentives for private businesses in order for them to get fully committed in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
According to players in the private sector, it would be a win- win situation for both government and the private sector if tax incentives were awarded to companies as a result of participating in CSR activities.
The Greater Accra Regional Chairperson for the Association of Ghana Industries, Tsornam Akpello, who made the call recently, said “my proposal is that there should be a legislature that allow private sector to commit part of its tax money to be channeled into the CSR, that way there will be proper motivation for them to pursue activities in favor of the CSR”.
He added that calling for government to create tax incentives was not a new thing because it was being done in some parts of the world but it should rather formalized in the country to enable the private sector to be obliged in giving back to the society.
He was speaking at the seventh National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference in Accra themed: ‘Harnessing Local Partnership for CSR and Sustainability’.
Country Director of Plan International, Solomon TesfaMariam, speaking at Conference said Plan International was an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organization that advances child’s rights, equality for girls and all-round community development.
“We support the realization of children’s right from birth until adulthood because we believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination”.
Mr TesfaMiriam noted that Plan International Ghana have been building powerful partnerships for the past 80 years and was involved with more than 75 countries including Ghana, using its reach, experience and knowledge to drive change in practice and policy at local, national and global levels.
“Economic Security, Water, Hygiene and Education are 4 thematic areas that Plan International operates”…. through child-centered, family and community-oriented development interventions, Plan International Ghana has sponsored close to 30,000 children and indirectly reaching 2million children”, he stated.
He added that Plan International Ghana has several projects that it was working on.
Reaching and Teaching out of School Children (REACH) in partnership with Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service amongst others would address the issue of out-of-school children in the country.
The project aims to enroll 90,000 girls and boys who are dropout from five regions through the Complimentary Basic Education and transition 70 percent of the graduates to formal primary schools.
Plan International Ghana in the health sector is working on the Strengthening Health Outcomes for Women and Children (SHOW) Project in underserved locations and implementing Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) project to improve health in some eight hard to reach districts in Ghana.
He also noted that in order to increase access to safe, affordable and sustainable drinking water to 30,000 beneficiaries, Plan International Ghana through its Rural Water and Sanitation Hygiene Project (RWASH) is contributing to the reduction in illness and deaths among children through good access to safe, affordable and sustainable water and improved sanitation and hygiene.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri & Nimako Nadia