ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the book and specifically introduces the nexus of business, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable development in Africa. In doing so, it highlights the poor state of socio-economic development in the region and recognizes the important role the private sector is increasingly expected to play in mitigating sustainable development challenges in the continent. It also synthesizes the debates about business–society relationships and critically appraises the divergent perspectives on the link between business and development. This chapter notes the value of CSR in Africa, but it also acknowledges the limited, fragmented and often controversial impact of CSR on communities. Aiming to probe whether CSR can be part of the medicine for underdevelopment in Africa or whether it is simply another placebo, this chapter presents and critically analyzes the nine contributions in the book. While the potential of CSR for development in Africa is uncontested, there is broad consensus across the contributions that CSR must shift from philanthropy to institutional works and be underpinned by a strong moral lens if it is to achieve its full potential. Hence, CSR appears to straddle the placebo and medicine boundaries, with several recommendations in the book aimed at generating momentum towards the latter boundary.
