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Effective engagement of project host communities is key to sound environmental and social performance of the Project
Stakeholder engagement is a deliberate action by companies to create a platform to discuss proposed projects with people and institutions which may be affected by the companys proposed or ongoing activities get to know their concerns, fears and suggestions and come up with actions that can mitigate such concerns and fears.
Most stakeholder engagements are conducted during the planning phases of the project and seldom continue during the implementation phase. Understandably, engaging stakeholders during the project planning phase enables the developer to harness local knowledge, understand the fears and concerns of stakeholders and use the information to improve the design of the project for improved environmental, social and economic performance. However continuous engagement of stakeholders is critical during the life of the project. This is because each phase of the project has different impacts and as the dynamics of the project change during implementation so do the impacts. Therefore creating platforms to engage stakeholders throughout the life of the project is critical for the projects success.
For stakeholder engagement to be meaningful, stakeholders need to be given all the necessary information about the project and its context, given the freedom to freely discuss issues which they think affect them and suggest how best such issues can be addressed. The developer must sincerely listen to the stakeholders concerns and suggestions and should be able to give feedback on the actions the company plans to implement to address the concerns. Without feedback, stakeholders think their views are not respected and that demoralises them from further participating in the company engagement programs.
Effective stakeholder engagement builds trust between the company and its stakeholders, helps companies to build strong relationships with host communities and other stakeholders and thus puts companies in a better position to deal with social and environmental challenges which may come along the way.
The true hallmark of effective stakeholder engagements is judged by how companies treat the marginalised groups living in or near the proposed project locations or areas of operations. Companies must take a keen interest in these groups and create platforms where they are free to express themselves and listen to their views and concerns. Often most development projects are implemented in rural areas where the literacy levels for members of the surrounding communities may be very low. Effective stakeholder engagement demands packaging the information in the simplest way possible for the targeted stakeholders to understand and using the language the targeted stakeholders understand. Engaging host communities provides an opportunity for project developers to understand the potential project impacts from the perspective of host communities thus improving the chance of proposing and implementing mitigation measures which will work.
References
IFC. (2007). Stakeholder engagement: A good practice handbook for companies doing business in emerging markets. Washington, D.C: International Finance Corporation.
Vanclay, F. (2015). Social impact assessment. Guidance for assessing and managing the social impacts of projects. Queensland: International Association for Impact Assessments.