Luanda - Social responsibility should be one of the focuses of companies, in addition to profits, in order to dignify local communities, the minister of State for the Social Sector Carolina Cerqueira has said
Speaking at the opening of the First Seminar on Corporate Responsibility, Carolina Cerqueira said that although companies have profit as their objective, they must do much more and ensure creation of job.
The official underlined, in the “reflection” promoted by the Auxiliary Bodies to the President of the Republic, that organisations can actively contribute to the progress of the communities where they are located or installed.
"Companies must have social responsibility issues as a concrete programme, and not an occasional activity, and such actions add value to local communities", stressed the Minister of State for the Social Sector.
The official recalled that people must be the center of the entire business organisation, in the promotion of concrete actions that reduce social inequality, generating well-being for the populations.
As example, she pointed to the Angolan companies, with stresse to the banking sector, which have been providing the population with social infrastructure such as schools, health posts and small water supply systems.
“In addition to the actions of this kind, and as planned in the National Development Plan (PDN 2018/2022), companies are called to intervene in the various activities that promote well-being, as partners of the Government”, she said.
Carolina Cerqueira explained that in order to boost this commitment, Angola counts on the Patronage Law, which reserves tax incentives to business organisations with intensive social responsibility activities.
In her speech, at the one-day event, the minister also said that, despite the Patronage law, companies can develop actions aimed at promoting sport, education, the environment, health and scientific and technological research.
The seminar, which took place under the motto "Social Responsibility is to dignify the community", aimed to promote debate on this theme and boost the participation of companies in the implementation of social projects in favour of communities, as partners of the State.
