Special recognition for excellence in corporate philanthropy has been
paid to Roshan, Afghanistan’s leading telecoms operator, and the Aga
Khan Development Network. The prize was created to mark Roshan’s
investment in the social and economic rebuilding of Afghanistan.
The award was made by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
(CECP), an international forum of senior business executives.
Among other things, the company established 800 businesses to provide
new jobs, trained medical technicians and sponsored soup kitchens
serving more than 10,000 meals a month to homeless Afghani children.
Roshan is part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, one of
the network’s nine private non-denominational agencies, which
concentrate on improving opportunities and living conditions in the
developing world, particularly Asia and Africa. Roshan’s own CSR
efforts are directed towards education, healthcare, arts and culture in
Afghanistan, with a special emphasis on women and children.
Karim Khoja, Roshan’s chief executive, said: ‘From the start, Roshan
has consistently integrated social development with the way we do
business, by, for instance, expanding coverage to remote areas that may
not be economically viable today, creating jobs directly and
indirectly, or using communications to help improve lives with
innovations such as mobile-based money transfer or telemedicine.’
The prize was presented at the CECP’s seventh annual awards ceremony in
New York. The jury was drawn from corporates, non-profit bodies,
consultancies, the media and academia.
