Earlier this week the corporate representative of Russian Federation aluminium titan U.C. Rusal in Guinea received the Guinea Best Company Award in recognition of its contribution to fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The award has been given yearly since 2010 by COPE-Guinée (Coordination of Guinean non-governmental organizations for the promotion of excellence) to fifty firms each year that have demonstrated significant positive achievements in industry, economics, personal life, and elsewhere.
COPE-Guinée recognized Rusal’s general director in Guinea Alexander Larionov as one of the region’s top 50 managers of commercial enterprises. Among the criteria in which Larionov stood out were compliance with high standards of Corporate Social Responsibility during the pandemic, including the preservation of jobs, wages, social payments, investment projects, and combating the spread of COVID-19 in Guinea.
High Representative of the Head of State Claude Kory Kondiano elaborated upon the importance of the award in a speech during the award ceremony.
“Entrepreneurs and businessmen play a leading role in the development of Guinea, which has made significant progress in many areas over the past 10 years under the leadership of President Alpha Conde. Today’s ceremony is a great opportunity to pay tribute to the best of those who create jobs and support the national well-being of our country.”
“For 20 years, RUSAL has been successfully developing its business in Guinea and has always helped the country’s residents in difficult times,” commented Yakov Itskov, Director of Rusal’s Alumina Business. “In 2015, we built a state-of-the-art epidemiology center in Guinea to fight the Ebola epidemic, and in 2020, we opened another multi-functional infectious disease treatment center to counter COVID-19. We will continue to provide systematic support to Guinean healthcare, guided by the principles of social responsibility of business.”
Rusal notes that it was the first private company to assist in the fight against coronavirus. In addition to last year’s efforts against the disease, Rusal also aided in combating the Ebola virus outbreak in Kindia six years ago.