CSR – Chamber for Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), Ghana

Corporate Social Responsibility Activities

CBOD Supports Special Needs Education Through Meaningful ESG Action

The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) is calling on corporate organisations to diversify their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives to ensure that marginalised and vulnerable groups also benefit meaningfully from social investments across the country.

Speaking at the commissioning of a renovated hygiene facility, including 12 washrooms, for the Dzorwulu Special School in Accra, the Chief Executive of CBOD, Dr. Patrick Ofori, emphasised the Chamber’s commitment to supporting communities within its operational environment. He noted that CBOD is ready to invest in impactful projects that improve living conditions and promote dignity for vulnerable population

The renovation project was undertaken with the support of Matrix Gas (Ghana) Limited and other member companies of the Chamber, as part of CBOD’s broader social investment efforts. Prior to the intervention, the sanitary facilities were in a deplorable condition, posing significant health risks to students and staff.

Speaking at the commissioning, Dr. Ofori highlighted the need for corporate Ghana to rethink and expand the scope of their ESG programmes.
“As part of our commitment towards ESG, we have been planting trees and giving out food items, but this year we took a different approach. Since we operate within the same community as this school, we decided to support them in a way that creates lasting impact by providing a safer, cleaner, and more hygienic environment,” he stated.

Dr. Ofori also encouraged organisations to deepen their engagement with institutions that cater to persons with special needs, stressing that support should go beyond donations of food items during festive periods. “In as much as we talk about diversity, we shouldn’t only focus on gifts during birthdays and Christmas. We should also take an interest in their dormitories and facilities to ensure they have a healthier and more dignified environment,” he added.

We are immensely grateful to Matrix Gas (Ghana) Limited, the Abdulkabir Aliu Foundation, Dzorwulu Special School, and all our partners.

The Chamber reiterates its dedication to championing inclusive, people-centred ESG as part of its mandate to contribute to national development and improve the wellbeing of communities connected to the downstream petroleum industry.

CBOD members plant resilient trees to mark Green Ghana Day

The Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) is proud to contribute to the national effort of restoring Ghana’s forest cover. In commemoration of Green Ghana Day, 50 members and officials of the Chamber participated in a tree-planting exercise at the Chipa Forest Reserve near Agomeda.

The Chamber’s members planted a diverse range of trees, including acacia, cassia, and mahogany, all of which are well-suited for environmental restoration efforts. These resilient species not only contribute to increased forest cover but also promote biodiversity and soil health.

After planting the trees, the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patrick Ofori said: “We are dedicated to ensuring the long-term success of this initiative. We are committed to a “maintenance culture” for the planted trees. In collaboration with the Forestry Commission, the Chamber will revisit the planting site every quarter to monitor the progress of the trees and implement any necessary maintenance measures.”

The Chamber believes that planting trees aligns perfectly with Ghana’s national goals for environmental sustainability and public well-being. Healthy forests provide numerous benefits, including improved air and water quality, reduced soil erosion, and increased habitat for wildlife.

Through this initiative and others like it, CBOD strives to be a responsible corporate citizen, contributing to a greener and healthier Ghana for future generations.

CBOD plants one thousand trees in support of Green Ghana Initiative

The management and staff of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Distributors (CBOD) have planted 1,100 trees in the Chirapa Forest Reserve in Agomeda in the Greater Accra Region as part of the Green Ghana initiative.

The chief executive of CBOD, Dr. Patrick Ofori, says the chamber is in full support of the initiative and took the decision to plant the trees to help offset its members’ carbon footprints.

“It is something we want to encourage our members to adopt as a way of enhancing their carbon credit,” Dr. Ofori said. “This is also something we want to continue doing to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of what we do and the products we sell.”

He said the chamber will encourage its members to contribute in diverse ways towards the Green Ghana initiative to protect the environment for future generations.

The Tema Manager of the Forestry Commission, Winifred Ohene-Wiafe, commended CBOD for supporting the Green Ghana Initiative and promised that the young trees will be nurtured to maturity to encourage the chamber and its members to plant more trees in the future.

CBOD donate projectors to University of Ghana Business School

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The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) has donated projectors to the University of Ghana Business School to support effective teaching and learning at the institution.

The presentation which took place at the University of Ghana, Legon campus on 14 April, 2021 was done to show CBOD’s appreciation for a developing partnership between the UGBS and CBOD.

Head of Corporate and Executive Affairs at CBOD, Daisy Edem Gyabaa who presented five projectors said: “We know that UGBS is a centre for excellence and a lot of great people have passed through here. Helping and supporting you is our way of saying ‘thank you’.”

The Dean of the University of Ghana’s Business School, Professor Justice N. Bawole who received the projectors said the gesture is one that will help the school in the long-term, ensuring students get the best education.

“On behalf of my team, I want to say a big thank you for coming through. As a public university, there is a lot of expectation for us but our ability to respond to the expectation is overwhelmed by the numbers that we deal with,” he said.

“We are a business school and we are very passionate about providing the best quality to our students but you are often confronted with these realities on the ground. So when we get institutions like [CBOD] coming through, what [CBOD does] is almost like picking us in [their] arms and helping us across a river that we have been struggling to cross. This is a very very great support and it will go a very long way in helping us to be able to respond to the needs of our students.”

Professor Justice Bawole, encouraged CBOD to nourish the partnership with the UGBS in order to further improve the education the students and to keep them inspired and focused.

“We are always open to conversation to see how we can help move education forward,” Mrs Gyabaa replied.

Watch video of the presentation:

CBOD partners Sompahemaa Foundation to provide free health screening in Suame constituency

The Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) has partnered with Sompahemaa Foundation to provide free health screening for residents in the Suame constituency in the Ashanti Region.

Unlike previous years, the health screening was organized at both Suame and Kronom in the Ashanti Region.

CBOD supported the Foundation with an amount of GHS15,000.

Mrs Irene Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, the Chairman of the Foundation expressed gratitude to CBOD for supporting residents in Suame, Makro, Bremang, Tarkwa, and Kronom with free health screening.

Many patrons who participated in the health screening were diagnosed and given medication while others were referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for further examination.

Medical personnel and other volunteers attended to children and adults who participated in the event.

CBOD donates laptop computers to UG Business School

The Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) has donated laptop computers to the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) in support of their online teaching and learning initiatives.

CEO of CBOD, Senyo Hosi, presented the computers on behalf of the Chamber to the dean to the UGBS, Prof. Justice Nyigmah Bowole, at a short ceremony in Accra.

Mr Hosi said the donation was in “support of the novel projects” the UGBS had embarked on to promote and enhance effective online teaching and learning.

He expressed the hope that the devices will be particularly helpful for “undergraduate students who for some socio-economic reasons have not been able to join their colleagues online or are struggling to do that.”

He commended the UGBS for “adapting to the times,” referring to the changes that have occurred in educational delivery as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. “That’s what we need [in] preparing for the future,” he said. “ICT is going to be at the heart of it all and it’s impossible to have students without computers.”

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Receiving the donation, the dean of the UGBS, Prof. Justice Nyigmah Bawole, expressed his gratitude to CBOD for the gesture. He pointed out the devices will enable “some otherwise brilliant” students to participate in online learning programmes.

“When Covid struck and we had to move teaching and learning online, we found that a significant number of our students were disadvantaged because they did not own a laptop,” he said. “Some didn’t even have a smart phone and so it was difficult to have them join teaching and learning online. And so we are extremely happy that you have come through [after] we reached out to [the Chamber].”

The Business House JCR President, Emmanuel Yaw Obi, expressed the gratitude of the students for the donation from CBOD. “To have support from the outside world is really a great thing,” he said. “We are very appreciative of this gesture.”

Watch video of the presentation.

CBOD sponsors Sherock Female Accelerator Program

Accra, November 19, 2020―The Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) has provided support to the 2020 Sherock Female Accelerator Program.

The event which is organised by SHETech BW in collaboration with Abeyie Innovation Studios seeks to empower women across Africa with digital skills as a way of refining their skill set to reposition them for greater relevance, whether in traditional or non-traditional work.

The maiden program will cover digital skills trainings, business sense series, entrepreneurship, leadership and personal branding, getting back to work, non-traditional job opportunities, mentorship sessions and fun activities.

Notes to Editors

Sherock is a 6-week female accelerator program powered by Abeyie Innovation Studios. It is designed for professional career women in Africa on career breaks due to child bearing and caring responsibilities.

The objective is to help women refine their skills, strategies and focus to enable them reposition themselves to be attractive to employers or even pursue other non-traditional work opportunities.

The result will be to keep being relevant to the world and being fulfilled doing that. This initiative supports our efforts at Abeyie Innovations Studios in the UN Sustainable Development goals 5 and 10 – Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities.

CBOD VIRTUALLY DONATES GHS100,000 TO KUMASI CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH (KCCR) TO SUPPORT CORONAVIRUS TESTING

PRESS RELEASE
CBOD MAKES VIRTUAL DONATION OF GHS100,000 TO KCCR VIA VIDEO CONFERENCING TO SUPPORT CORONA VIRUS TESTING
April 1, 2020. 13.00 GMT

The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) has donated an amount of GHS100,000 to the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research (KCCR) on Wednesday April 1, 2020 via video conferencing, in line with the government’s social distancing directive.

CBOD Chairman and CEO of Cirrus Oil Services Ltd. Ivy Apea Owusu made the virtual donation on behalf of the Board and Management of CBOD.

“The Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research (KCCR) has indeed been at the forefront of this fight since the first few Covid-19 cases broke out in Ghana. As the Health minister mentioned in the press briefing this morning, KCCR has already conducted approximately 335 tests covering the middle and northern parts of the country and that means there is a lot of pressure on the center’s resources.”

“We are therefore pleased to donate one hundred thousand Ghana cedis (GHS100,000) to KCCR towards the acquisition of sampling and testing items which we understand are of pressing need to the center at the moment.”

Director of KCCR Prof. Richard Phillips expressed gratitude to the CBOD on behalf of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the KCCR. He said that more resources are needed with the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

“On behalf of the KCCR board Chairman Prof. J.S.K Ayim and the Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Prof. Kwasi Obiri-Danso and the KCCR family, I wish to express my profound gratitude for this generous gift of GHS100,000 from the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors. This support will help KCCR improve and upscale testing of Covid-19 in Ghana. And as you know laboratory confirmation is key in the control strategy for Covid-19.”

Prof. Phillips said the donation would make it possible for KCCR to process 300 patients’ samples in 24 hours He added, he was excited the donation was done over the internet. Mrs. Apea Owusu shared similar sentiments, saying the virtual donation ensured strict observance of social distancing.

“At least one thing about the current crisis is that it has pushed us to innovate and here we are doing this donation virtually; the very first digital donation that I personally have ever witnessed or been part of. I believe it is also a prudent and creative way of maintaining social distancing protocols.”

Chairman Apea Owusu thanked the KNUST, the KCCR and all the medical practitioners, health officials and front-line staff in the fight against Covid19.

The CBOD’s Head of Finance and Industry Operations Richard Kissi assured that the donated amount would be immediately paid into the designated KCCR account.

Signed
Ivy Apea Owusu
Board Chairman