bat south africa - Socio-Economic Development

BAT South Africa's commitment to making a difference in communities across the country has resulted in many lives being changed for the better over the last decade. Our approach to giving back has also fundamentally changed. We have realised that in order to make a real difference, a hand up is always better than a hand out.

As a business with a large operational and commercial footprint in South Africa, we take our role in effecting change very seriously, especially given the levels of inequality and poverty that persist in our country. As a country with a unique past, we believe that business has an important role to play in the socio-economic development of the country.

BAT South Africa’s approach to giving back is centred around four focus areas, namely Empowerment, Civic Life, HIV/AIDS and Sustainable Agriculture. Our primary goal is to assist communities to become self- sustaining through creating various opportunities for individuals and groups to access the formal economy. In the last year, we have specifically engaged the communities where we operate to better understand how we can make a relevant difference.

Funding and Applications

In our constant quest to ensure that our funding has the intended impact, we have reduced the number of projects supported to be able to more acutely focus on building sustainable communities in those areas in which we have a major commerical or operational footprint. As such, we are currenlty not considering any new applications for funding at this time. However, should you have a query with regard to our approach as well as our current programmes and projects, please contact lanaine_abrahams@bat.com for further information.