UK BAT.COM - Development in Africa

Our former chairman Jan du Plessis (left) played a key role in the Commission

Our companies have operated in Africa for over a century and today we do business in over 40 African countries.  We have contracts with over 50,000 farmers in four African countries to source tobacco leaf.

Like other multinational businesses, we contribute to development in Africa through tax payments, employment, investment and training local talent. 

We are also responsive to the particular issues facing Africa, so our companies invest in other ways to support communities and development.  These include training farmers, providing small business support and skills training, tackling child labour and AIDS, funding scholarships and supporting sustainable agriculture, environmental and wildlife conservation projects.

Commission for Africa

Our former Chairman Jan du Plessis took a keen interest in Africa and led British American Tobacco’s involvement as one of the businesses contributing to the Commission for Africa, established by the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair.  The Commission addressed sustainable development and new ideas for a strong and prosperous Africa, during the 2005 British presidencies of the G8 and the European Union.

Jan participated in the Commission’s consultation with businesses investing in Africa and initiated one of its most successful business work streams.  This addressed the problem of how trade, which could grow prosperity for Africa, is blocked from expanding by major customs issues of bureaucracy, delays, corruption and high and unpredictable costs.

The work helped to inform the Commission for Africa’s major report, ‘Our Common Interest’, which amongst many proposals, agreed that without significant customs improvements, Africa will not be able to exploit the full potential of trade across the continent or overseas.

‘Our Common Interest’ was welcomed by business leaders involved with the Commission as an “opportunity to shake up the way the global community views and acts on Africa”.  While supporting more aid to invest in health, education and infrastructure, they said “a renaissance in productive business activity is the key to sustainable growth”.

 Download the business leaders’ statement

Moving to action

British American Tobacco and Unilever went on to set up Business Action for Improving Customs Administration for Africa (BAFICAA), a flagship trade facilitation programme run through Business Action for Africa.  BAFICAA is working with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and local stakeholders on an action plan for further Customs improvements in the East Africa Community.

Business Action for Africa is an international and African network that works to influence policies for growth and poverty reduction, to promote a more balanced view of Africa and to develop and showcase good business practice.

Africa Investment Forum

Jan du Plessis also spoke about sustainable development in Africa at the African Investment Forum in Johannesburg in 2004, which aimed to unite governments and business in increasing investment in Africa.

In a video interview at the event, Jan spoke about corporate responsibility and the need to stamp out bribery and corruption to help encourage investment in Africa. 

Watch the Jan Du Plessis interview

In his speech, he said sustainable development needed constructive co-operation amongst business, NGOs, communities, governments and development organisations, and that support projects should be sensitive to local cultures, not based on “west knows best”.

Download Jan’s speech, ‘Achieving sustainable development - building partnerships'

Find out more:

• Our Standards of Business Conduct prohibit bribery and corruption
• Find out how we tackle illicit trade
• Our community programmes include empowerment and sustainable agriculture in Africa
• Find how we support farmers through our leaf growing programmes
• The Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation that we helped to found runs several community-based programmes in Africa to tackle child labour
• Our Biodiversity Partnership has projects in Africa to conserve and promote biodiversity
• Our significant endemic disease programme addresses AIDS in several African countries.