MARK-SINO STONE LIMITED AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN AWI COMMUNITY, AKAMKPA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
Abstract
Quarry operations, companies and their inclusivity have had an enormous impact on Nigeria's socio-economic landscape. Unfortunately, available literature shows that host communities that harbour the mineral deposit responsible for the quarry economy have been neglected in the share of benefits. The study interrogates the activities of Mark-Sino Stone Limited, a quarry company operating in the Awi Community of the Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State. The study examined the socio-economic and environmental impact of the Company's corporate social responsibility initiatives on the host Awi community. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the research employs qualitative and quantitative methodologies, drawing on data from stakeholder informant interviews, field observations, and content analysis of government reports and academic publications. The research evaluates Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare, employment and environmental management. Findings reveal Mark-Sino’s CSR projects in school renovations, road rehabilitation, and scholarships that have improved access to services and local human capital, as well as direct employment, skills training, and small-scale business initiatives that influence income generation, livelihoods, and community development. However, these benefits do not translate into sustainable developments in Awi, and they coexist with adverse socio-environmental consequences. Issues that have been overlooked by the Company and the Cross River State government include severe water scarcity, power outages, disease, and air pollution. The study recommends that Mark-Sino’s localised CSR should prioritise social needs in its corporate social responsibility practices, as well as sustainable mining, and that the terms of contracts between the company and the community should be made public for accountability.