Many people struggle with churning out ideas, but that wasn’t the case for Rita Ojieh when she had a brainwave about the just concluded Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The idea began to take shape by collaborating with an ad hoc sub-team consisting of Linda Ezeani, Mobi Chukwunalu and CribMD’s seasoned medics.
Reliable statistics helps inform a conclusion that the CSR practice by indigenous Nigerian companies is still at its infancy stages.
A 2007 study by Åsa Helg shows that it started as a response by MNEs to remedy the effects of their extraction activities on the local communities.
So it is understandable if the CSR concept hasn’t gone mainstream in the business sphere of Africa’s most populous nation.
Noting the need for one, as it aligns with CribMD’s vision and mission, Ojieh launched out with her team to create a remarkable experience for the inhabitants of Dugbe, a town in the heart of Ibadan.
“The planning of the event wasn’t much of a big deal for me. Because, way back in my university days, I had planned events and concerts, so for this, it was just a case of using my acquired knowledge. It wasn’t difficult, really.” she remarks.
Furthermore, Ojieh highlights that a data-driven approach she applied when carrying out a popularity survey influenced her choice of Ibadan.
And she goes ahead to laud the efforts of Linda and the other members of her team for their commitment to the program’s success.
In extension, Ezeani believes that as with every life venture, the minor hiccups experienced were expected and would help inform better decisions in subsequent editions.
Executing the Plan
The town of Dugbe, best known for the famous Cocoa House, was a very strategic choice made during event planning because of its lively nature and being home to a beehive of activities. Little wonder the “reception of the people at Heritage Mall were welcoming and warmhearted”, as Ojieh asserts.
As further gathered, the nature of this CSR took the form of free Rapid Testing – for Hepatitis B, Malaria, Blood Sugar Level, Blood Pressure etc. – and free consultations – done by the medical team.
As expected, the team created awareness with the CSR. It convinced the participants of CribMD’s value propositions, taking a good number of them on the seamless signing up to becoming subscribers.
It’s also noteworthy that “we were meticulous about observing the COVID-19 safety precautions during the event. In addition, we ensured that the patient-doctor consultation was done a couple of meters away from the main arena, in bid to uphold the privacy standards expected of any such consultation”, Ezeani firmly adds.
Ojieh highlights the critical takeaway as the need for more payment options on the CribMD platform to cater to a section of the market that wouldn’t prefer cardless payment for the different product offerings available. In all, for her, she got closer to CribMD’s target audience, and she got insights into their needs.
Final Thoughts
Speaking about subsequent events, Ezeani, nodding emphatically, gives a YES, though refusing to give spoiler alerts about it. We will check our fingers crossed as the CSR train journeys to the next unknown city.
From the reports given, the event was a success, although Ojieh opines that there is much room for improvement, and the lessons learnt from this would be used to make subsequent ones better.
We at CribMD commend the brilliant work done by Ojieh, Ezeani and the rest of the team. It further bolsters CribMD’s drive for employee growth and individual/subgroup ingenuity, as it aligns with its vision.
