Etisalat Nigeria has urged businesses in the country to develop sustainability strategy if they are to add value to the society.

This was one of the success tips disclosed to Nigerian business executives at the just concluded corporate social responsibility training series, organised by the Etisalat CSR Centre, in partnership with the Lagos Business School (LBS).

Speaking on the third day of the workshop, Director, Sustainable Business Initiative, University of Edinburgh, UK, Dr Kenneth Amaeshi, said for companies to drive innovation and sustainable economic growth, the concept of creating shared value must be adopted.

To achieve this, he added, “companies must invest in long-term business competitiveness that simultaneously addresses economic, social and environmental objectives. “

“The primary reason why companies are in existence is to be responsible, and they do this by adding value to their stakeholders,” he said, pointing out that the public had a social obligation to ensure that these companies do not misuse their social license to operate.

Speaking in the same vein, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Ismail Omamegbe, said it had become imperative for businesses in Nigeria to practice responsible business models that were innovative as well as sustainable.

He explained that the training, now in its second year, was aimed at giving managers and practitioners in CSR an overview of the relevance of corporate social responsibility in today’s socio-economic sphere.