Our CSR policy

The West African Development Bank was created to accelerate economic and social development in the 8 countries of the sub-region. It has long incorporated the requirements of sustainable development into its strategy and operating methods.

Over the past decade, this theme, also known as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), has undergone significant international development, notably with the publication of the ISO 26 000 standard in 2010 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.

In order to maintain its leading position in these areas and to play an increasingly important role in promoting CSR, BOAD has carried out an assessment of its CSR maturity, conducted by an independent third-party organization in 2019. The result is an ambitious CSR policy and strategy designed to enhance the bank’s performance in this area.

CSR policy is the general framework for action. It is structured around 5 main pillars that cover all the requirements of ISO 26 000 :

Pillar 1: Responsible corporate governance

Pillar 2: respect for human rights and regional development

Pillar 3: reducing our environmental impact

Pillar 4: Respect for customers and suppliers

Pillar 5: Developing our human capital.

Within these 5 pillars, 31 areas of action have been identified.

The strategic plan brings together a series of projects designed to make progress in all these areas over the next 5 years. It is entrusted to a dedicated structure attached to the President’s office. The bank is due to achieve full compliance with ISO 26 000 within 18 months.

The policy breaks down CSR into areas of focus and areas of action (or challenges), providing a comprehensive overview of the issues on which the Bank is taking action in the field of CSR. Some of these issues have been addressed by the bank for a long time, others will be in the future.

CSR policy is the general framework for action. BOAD’s ambition is to create sustainable value for the entire sub-region. To achieve this, our CSR policy is based on five pillars:

Pillar 1: Responsible corporate governance

The first pillar is Governance, which aims to integrate CSR into BOAD’s strategy and all its activities by following the requirements of ISO 26 000 and contributing to the SDGs.

Pillar 2: respect for human rights and regional development

The second relates to Territories and Human Rights. It aims to contribute to local development through dialogue with stakeholders and respect for human rights.

Pillar 3: reducing our environmental impact

The third pillar is dedicated to the Environment and aims to contribute to the fight against climate change in the projects financed, while reducing BOAD’s environmental impact through an effective management system.

Pillar 4: Respect for customers and suppliers

The fourth pillar is Customers and Partners. Its aim is to take into account the expectations of BOAD’s customers and suppliers, while at the same time promoting CSR in their practices, through increasingly stringent requirements.

Pillar 5: Developing our human capital

Finally, the last pillar is devoted to Human Capital and aims to maintain and improve the working environment within the BOAD by enabling everyone to develop their skills.

Politics is fairly invariant over time.