ABSTRACT
Royal Ahold started a project with just the general idea to contribute 'something' to poverty alleviation in Africa. The corporate social responsibility (CSR) department became responsible for the project and ideas began to run as widely as providing funding to hospitals or other institutions, but never with an intention to start commercial operations in Africa. Core competences, efficiency and synergy effects are all important elements in business society. Setting clear targets and focusing on what each person and each organisation does best results in greater efficiencies. With the foundations of the model in place for the Africa Sustainable Assistance Project, the multinational was able to show how it was going to reach its main objective: 'To utilise the know-how and expertise of Ahold's people around the world to make a positive impact in Ghana by creating sustainable business relationships with suppliers'.
