In the wake of the increased foreign business activity in Africa, especially from China, the need for a forum for cross cultural dialogue has resulted in close cooperation between China Enterprise Confederation (CEC), Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE).
In 2007 FUE joined the already existing cooperation between CEC and NHO, resulting in a series of seminars and meetings in all three countries. This communication has established a common ground for discussions of opportunities and challenges concerning labour relations, occupational health and safety, human resource management, cross cultural management practices and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Heidi Østbø Haugen
CEO of Mestergrønn Flower Company Erling Ølstad gave a presentation on Mestergrønn’s focus on fair trade and working conditions as an example of a successful juxtaposition of CSR and business development. Ølstad emphasized, like several of the other speakers, the profitability of a high degree of social responsibility in investments and production, and how a long term perspective renders CSR a good investment for any type of business.
University of Oslo researcher Heidi Østbø Haugen highlighted the dual impact of the trade on several groups and on the increasing lack of control of the number of individuals and amounts of money involved in exports to Africa. An important concluding remark was the need to find a balance between not challenging legitimate Chinese interests in Africa at the same time as upholding some humanitarian principles within the rapid development.