The influence of corporate social responsibility on sustainable development: Case of Zambezi Valley Development Fund

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to establish sustainability of corporate social responsibility activities of Zambezi Valley Development Fund (ZVDF) in one of the ten districts it serves. The study focused on ZVDF’s corporate social responsibility and was carried out in NyamiNyami district. A sample of 106 participants from NyamiNyami district was used for this study employing a survey method for data collection. The study sample included all headmen, councilors, VIDCO chairpersons and WADCO chairpersons in NyamiNyami ward. Use of statistical tests such as correlation and regression aided in analyzing the data findings to come up with meaningful conclusions. The results pointed that the Fund consulted the community leaders in its activities, the activities were executed in a transparent manner, initiatives improved livelihood of the communities where they were implemented and introduced sustainable development. Community involvement and community ownership of development projects was found to be instrumental in ensuring sustainability of developmental projects. The study concluded that sustainability has a linear causal relationship with community ownership and community involvement in development projects. The study also concluded that ZVDF consults community leaders and involves communities in their corporate social responsibility projects. The study recommended that ZVDF should prioritise community engagement as a way of ensuring that the development which they brought was sustainable. It also recommended that the organization conducts baseline studies before each project to ensure that it was relevant to the communities’ needs. Further studies can be carried out to develop a framework for cooperation among development agencies to enable sharing of resources and thereby delivering sustainable development more rapidly.