Sohar Aluminium (SA) was awarded the Excellence Award in Social Responsibility 2013 by the Arab Social Responsibility Organization. This prestigious award is given to establishments that deliver exceptional performance in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Arab World. The awarding event that took place on May 24, 2014 in Burj Al Arab, Dubai, was held under the auspices of Sheikh Mohammed Al Mane’, Chairman of Nasser Al Mane’ Award for Social Responsibility, and attended by ambassadors, representatives of winning institutions and high profile dignitaries from the Arab World.
The Arab Social Responsibility Organization aims at promoting social responsibility in the Arab World by honoring exceptional performance in this matter and encouraging institutions to make social responsibility a strategic objective. SA is the only Omani company to win this trophy this year, and the first since 2010.
SA firmly believes in supporting and giving back to the local community it operates in through maximizing positive impact in community services, supporting downstream job creation, supporting and encouraging employees into community volunteering. These commitments establish Corporate Citizenship as one of the core Business Pillars of SA’s Business Strategy.
SA well-established CSR framework ensures the execution of a number of projects that impact various sections of the society in a positive manner; Some of these projects include: construction of Al Noor Association building for the blind in Sohar, establishing a training centre at Sohar Hospital, visit the hospitals during Eid days, Ramadan Charity campaigns, launching awareness campaigns for community, especially students on safety issues, organizing summer internship programs for students, providing life-saving equipment to fishermen in Sohar, cleaning coral reefs, organizing community events, and supporting local craftsmanship and local SMEs through maximizing their local purchases.
SA has also ventured with the collaboration of Vale and Orpic to form a collaborative Social Responsibility foundation that can translate their commitment to the community where they operate into social projects that touch the needs of the people. This vision was realized in 2011 with the formation of “Jusoor”.
Moreover, SA has always been a leader in its volunteering activities, where a large number of its employees had a big role in launching excellent awareness campaigns and addressing community needs in deeply impactful ways. Due to this high interest in volunteering activities, SA recently launched its SA Volunteering Program which will be tailored around the skills and talents of SA staff to support communities build their capabilities and deliver growth and long-term value for the community of Al Batinah Region.
Sohar Aluminium was formed in September 2004 to undertake a landmark Greenfield Aluminium smelter project in the Sultanate of Oman and is jointly owned by Oman Oil Company, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC - TAQA and Rio Tinto Alcan.