Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria

The purpose of this study is to explore how corporate social responsibility is practiced and understood in Nigeria. The Paper adopts a qualitative research design. A literature search is undertaken to situate the theory and practice of corporate social responsibility in Nigeria. A detailed content analysis of the annual reports and accounts of some selected companies quoted in the Nigerian Stock Exchange is undertaken to ascertain the current practices of social responsibility across sectorial divides as well as glean the perception of company management about corporate social responsibility in Nigeria. Areas of external social responsibility interventions are mainly in the field of educationEducation, health and security. The dominant view among corporate management is that corporate social responsibility is a means of “uplifting the well-being of the immediate community around their operational sites and participation in credible programmes in the general societySociety”. Thus many companies see CSR as mere philanthropy. As a result only very few of the companies had a well thought out strategy for their CSR interventions. A highly neglected area in respect of CSR practices is in respect of the environment. We document a weak institutional environment which offers no incentives for companies to scale up their CSR practices. Few of the companies are, however, beginning to see a nexus between good CSR practices and employee loyalty and performance. Also some companies are beginning to imbibe the idea that CSR, apart from philanthropy, should be targeted at helping the wider society ameliorate its daunting developmental challenges. Our study has implication for CSR regulation and practice in Nigeria.