Ahold Sustainable Assistance Program Ghana

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Ahold Sustainable Assistance Program Ghana

• LEI/LNV Workshop Corporate Social Responsibility
• January 30, 2003

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Ahold Sustainable Assistance Project

• 1. Ahold vision on social responsibility
• 2. Ahold vision on trade and aid
• 3. AKK - Ghana sustainable horticulture export
  project
• 4. Preliminary conclusions

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Social responsibility is much more than charity

• Food safety
• Product issues
• origin, environment, labor conditions, ethical
  trading
• Reducing our own direct environmental impact
• good housekeeping, innovation
• Labor relations
• human rights, equal opportunity, diversity
• Positive contributions, opportunity creation
• education, health, local investment

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Vision Ahold and Development

• Our business is evolving to a few leadership
  companies. Leadership brings responsibilities.
• As one of the largest food providers in the
  world, Ahold wants to make a small but meaningful
  difference in the parts of the world that do not
  yet have the same opportunities we have had,
  particularly Africa.
• I believe that we have capabilities that, when
  matched with local capabilities, can make a
  difference.
• Cees van der Hoeven, 10/26/00

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Trade and Aid Development Driven Business
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Ahold Sustainable Assistance Program Ghana

• Vision
• No commercial ambitions in Africa
• Impact on hunger, poverty and food distribution
  in Africa
• As a global food provider, Ahold feels compelled
  to help to provide opportunity for better access
  to better food in Africa
• Ahold wants to develop a new approach to
  corporate charitable involvement in Africa, in
  projects that are repeatable and sustainable
• A pilot project to contribute to better food
  distribution, using Ahold know-how, manpower and
  resources

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AKK project Sustainable Horticulture Export Chain
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Competitive Benchmark study (1)
Objectives - Strengthen the competitive position
of Dutch retail and wholesale industries by
expanding the global sourcing programs to
Ghana - Strengthen the Dutch coordinating role
and logistical service provision - Assist the
Ghanaian fruit export sector by designing and
establishing a competitive sustainable export
chain for selected tropical fruits - Developing a
duplicable chain business model for export
promotion in Africa that can be used by the Dutch
food industries.
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Competitive Benchmark study (2)

• Partners
• Ahold, KLM Cargo, Bakker Barendrecht, HAG,
  SPEG, EFEG, LEI, Ghana National University, MSU
• Approach
• supply chain benchmark study pineapple mango
• fresh and fresh cut scenarios
• comparison with best practices from Costa Rica,
  Ivory Coast, South Africa

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Preliminary conclusions

• Time is ripe for CSR it provides great
  opportunities for the development of new business
  models that enhance sustainability,
  internationalization and development
• The industry is ready for PPP but is facing a
  hesitant and risk-averse public sector
• Platforms and facilities like - AKK sustainable
  supply chain development - have already proven to
  be good wedding markets for new partnerships