We see a future where more and more companies will come forward with an active
social purpose.” – Mohammad Muntasir Hossain, Head of Corporate Responsibility and
Social Impact, Corporate Affairs, Grameenphone Ltd
What challenges did you face while working in CSR around communities in Bangladesh?
Grameenphone will soon be stepping into its 25th year of operation. We will continue to work with connectivity at our core and relentlessly work to empower society responsibly. Being responsible corporate citizens, we try to scale up our social impact initiatives to ensure that they benefit the masses, thus staying true to our purpose of empowering the nation. However, in the fast-paced world of telecommunications, vibrant and dynamic policies are essential ingredients to success. In addition to that, the ecosystem and all our stakeholders should be ready to embrace this cause. We believe that our initiatives could touch the lives of an even greater number of people if we can gather more support from the ecosystem.
How can other sectors help Grameenphone create more effective change for our communities?
Coalition and collaboration among various stakeholders such as the government, corporate sector, development sector, academia, and media is the key to creating sustainable impact. Time and again, we have partnered with media, regulators, development partners and the private sector, and have witnessed that collaborative efforts from multiple stakeholders create a far better impact as each of these players has unique roles in the eco-system. Therefore, it is not possible to make an effective change without this kind of collaboration. Our world gets more complex every day, and so do our social challenges, hence it is required that we include all these players and create a multi-stake arrangement from the very beginning to ensure that we can create the right impact in society.
What are your thoughts on the future of CSR in Bangladesh?
We believe that Bangladesh as a country will go through a tremendous journey of growth in the coming decades having recently graduated from its LDC status. However, on this journey, we have to address major social challenges which will require greater commitment and collaboration from multiple sectors. Leveraging our demographic dividend, by equipping them with future-fit skills and utilizing the ongoing digitalisation will enable us to achieve our Vision 2041. At the same time, we should be wary of the increased exposure to online vulnerabilities. We should collectively address these upcoming challenges and opportunities in our future efforts. We see a future where more and more companies will come forward with an active social purpose, which will help us create a better society where businesses and communities can thrive together.
