Socapalm strives to improve community relations by working to contribute to the economic and social development of the regions in which it operates.

Socapalm participates in the economic development of the local communities within its plantations, in particular by purchasing bunches from village planters. The volumes purchased in 2021 are 200 569 tons of bunches for a total amount of FCFA 14 007 414 000. In addition, neihgbouring communities have free access to Socapalm’s medical services which, although not hospitals but medical centers, intervenes in emergencies, provides first aid and logistics for medical evacuations to external referral hospitals. Around 1 600 people, neighbours and others who are not part of Socapalm, have benefited from first aid care in our medical centers or health outposts in 2021.

Neigbouring communities also have access to free education for their children in schools built by Socapalm.

Socapalm financed the installation of power lines, wells and boreholes, and community buildings such as market places.

Furthermore, Socapalm ensures the excavation and re-profiling of roads, construction and maintenance of bridges connecting the villages to each other and to the urban centers.

Socapalm takes into account, within the framework of the win-win partnership with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), ICGs (Inter-Community Groups) and local communities, their effective involvement in projects. They are very usually consulted or even invited to take part in meetings organized by the Company or by departmental authorities. Socapalm regularly engages its stakeholders with whom it interacts on a daily basis. These stakeholders include public administrations, NGOs, smallholders and local communities. Socapalm is involved in permanent tripartite dialogue platforms between its plantations, the neighbouring communities of these plantations and the State of Cameroon. During these platforms, the concerns raised by all stakeholders and the resolutions or recommendations envisaged are discussed and recorded in reports and followed up by the State of Cameroon, which plays an “arbitration” role.

For the year 2021, which is still heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, 60 bipartite and 11 tripartite meetings were held.

This regular engagement of stakeholders, in this case the local communities, is a practice that allows Socapalm :

• Assume its responsibility for the social, economic and environmental impacts it causes and work to avoid, mitigate or repair them;
• To participate in the improvement of the living conditions of the populations located in its zone of influence;
• Lending an attentive ear to stakeholders in order to understand and properly manage the associated risks.