Chikodi Okereocha Teaching and research in corporate governance got a major boost last week, when a new centre for corporate social responsibility, CSR was created at the Lagos Business School, LBS of the Pan-African University, PAN. The centre, which was launched courtesy of a partnership between LBS and Etisalat Nigeria, fifth GSM operator, is designed to focus on teaching and research in corporate governance, work-family balance, business ethics and other issues related to CSR. The centre would be governed by an advisory board made up of LBS and Etisalat representatives and some recognised experts in the field Juan Elegido, professor and vice-chancellor, PAN, noted that since 1991, LBS has been known for teaching and carrying out research in business ethics, CSR and corporate governance. “We are not seeing this new centre as a new thing, but as an opportunity to do more of what we were already doing,� he said. Chris Ogbechie, a member of the LBS faculty is the director of the centre. Steven Evans, chief executive officer of Etisalat Nigeria, said that the objective of partnering with LBS was to provide both leadership and a vehicle for publicising the importance of CSR in Nigeria. “We believe that focusing initiatives on those at the top socio-economic levels could also help create the desired impact and drive sustainability in the right direction. It is for this reason that after a lot of soul searching, we decided to provide leadership on the development of a CSR centre here in LBS,� he explained. Ogbechie disclosed that the key functions of the centre are knowledge creation, knowledge dissemination and knowledge application. In terms of knowledge

application, the centre, he said, would assist organisations in developing and implementing CSR strategies. It would also organise seminars on CSR as well as CSR modules in the Masters in Business Administration, MBA, and Executive MBA programmes. Over 70 dignitaries from private, governmental and non-governmental organisations witnessed the ceremony. Among them was Omolara Erogbogbo, permanent secretary, Lagos State ministry of education. Evans: Partners LBS