LEGAL PATHWAYS FOR ENFORCING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN WEST AFRICA’S EXTRACTIVE SECTOR

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has emerged as an important mechanism for addressing the social, environmental, and developmental impacts of extractive activities in West Africa. Despite the substantial natural resource wealth of Nigeria, Ghana, and Guinea, extractive operations in these countries continue to contribute to environmental degradation, conflicts with host communities, poverty, displacement, and inadequate infrastructural development. These challenges highlight the limitations of existing CSR enforcement frameworks, which remain largely voluntary and are often weakly implemented. This paper examines the legal pathways for enforcing CSR to promote sustainable development within West Africa’s extractive sector. It evaluates the effectiveness of existing legal and institutional frameworks governing CSR and identifies enforceable mechanisms capable of strengthening corporate accountability and advancing sustainable development in the region. The study adopts a doctrinal research methodology, examining relevant statutes, regional and international instruments, journal articles, and policy documents relating to CSR and extractive-sector governance. The paper finds that, although CSR initiatives have contributed to selected community development projects, CSR practices in the countries examined remain inadequately regulated and insufficiently effective in achieving sustainable development objectives. Weak institutional capacity, limited community participation, inadequate enforcement mechanisms, and other regulatory challenges continue to undermine corporate accountability. The study recommends, among other measures, the adoption of mandatory CSR legislation, stronger environmental liability regimes, enhanced community participation, and more effective institutional enforcement mechanisms to ensure that CSR obligations contribute meaningfully to sustainable development in the extractive sector.