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To many corporations around the world, Corporate Social Responsibility may be a relatively new concept. Many CSR initiatives are typically launched as a sideline activity, designed to garner goodwill or as exercises in public relations. To us at Americana Group, however, CSR is an intrinsic part of our business model. As a company engaged in the food industry, we realize that our very business depends on quality products and quality service. This is why we perceive investing in our communities and our environment as investments in our own business. As the MENA region’s most populous nation, located in the heart of the region, Egypt is a launch pad for some of our most important CSR drivers.
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 Empowering individuals with special needs |
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| Since the mid-1990s, Americana Group has been actively involved in efforts to assimilate individuals with special needs into the work force, empowering them to become active members in their communities. One of the Group’s landmark initiatives in this area was the launch in 1994 of Egypt’s first restaurant to be completely operated by hearing-impaired individuals. Helping staff overcome the challenges of deafness, Americana Group commissioned the creation of a special signage system, which facilitated communication between staff and patrons. |
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| The system includes a visually descriptive menu, which is easy to read both by staff and customers. In addition to patrons of all ages, the pilot outlet attracted social welfare organizations and celebrities, who often used it as a platform for campaigns aimed at raising awareness about people with special needs. |
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Creating jobs, careers and a sustainable talent pool |
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| Although the MENA region has plenty of vocational institutes, which prepare graduates for employment in the hospitality industry, none of these institutes had acknowledged the importance of the Quick Service Restaurants industry or offered related training. With a limited talent pool, Quick Service Restaurants were finding it hard to meet their expansion needs while maintaining quality standards. As a result, their contribution to the economy and their communities remained limited. |
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Being the regional leader in the Quick Service Restaurants sector, Americana Group rose to this challenge. Capitalizing on its long experience with some of the world’s most reputed Quick Service chains, Americana Group worked with multiple government and academic bodies in Egypt to create training programs specifically designed for this segment of the hospitality industry. In 2006, Americana Group collaborated with Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education, yielding a partnership with the Al Mattaria Technical Institute for Tourism & Hotels, whereby the company helped create and fund programs dedicated to training and qualifying candidates for the Quick Service industry. The success of the programs launched at Al Mattaria led to similar initiatives with prominent educational institutions throughout Egypt, such as the University of Helwan, where the Faculty of Tourism & Hotel Management embraced the concept in 2008 and integrated Quick Service-related training into its curricula. As of September 2009, young candidates from high schools around the country had the option of enrolling in programs at various institutions of higher learning that would prepare them for careers in the Quick Service Restaurants industry, including a five-year Advance Diploma Program.
Americana Group’s investments, which will benefit the entire Quick Service sector and the community as a whole, are now posed to yield no less than 1,500 graduates each year. In addition to class-bound tuition which prepares students to meet certification standards adopted by international brands, Americana Group also hosts students as paid trainees in its restaurant network, giving them the opportunity to earn while gaining valuable practical experience. When they graduate, students are offered career opportunities with Americana Group, but they also retain the option to work with any other employer of their choosing. |
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Enhancing job prospects for youth through the FGF partnership |
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| Employing over 45,000 people across 14 countries in the Middle East & North Africa, Americana Group is one of the region’s biggest employers. Like all major businesses, though, the Group often faces a challenge in finding qualified recruits to fuel its growth. This is due to the disparity between the outcomes of the region’s educational systems and the actual needs of the job market. Most public university graduates, despite their excellent academic background, are often lacking in basic business skills required by most industries. |
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To address this disparity, Americana Group joined forces in 1998 with other business leaders in various industries and established the Future Generation Foundation (FGF). Operating as an independent private sector initiative, the FGF conducts market surveys to identify the skills needed in the job market, and then builds appropriate training programs to equip fresh graduates with the required skills, thus helping enhance their job prospects. The FGF’s training programs are offered to fresh graduates who lack the financial means necessary to enroll in skill-enhancing programs at private institutions. The Foundation also provides trainees with an alumni support network, and helps them find employment through job fairs held regularly.
In the course of ten years since its inception, the FGF has positioned itself as a model human resources development organization. To date, the Foundation has qualified over 40,000 fresh graduates through its Basic Business Skills program. Of those, 97% have been able to secure gainful employment. With Americana continuing to play an active role in the Foundation, FGF programs have been expanded and now offer high quality training locally and regionally to executive managers, communications and information technology specialists, in addition to programs aimed at empowering young women leaders. |
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Protecting consumer health by promoting food safety standards |
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Nothing is more critical to our industry than maintaining rigorous food safety standards. While we at Americana Group apply the most stringent practices to protect consumer health, we also realize that any food safety scare in our sector could negatively impact our business even if it emanated from the wrongful practices of a competitor. With this in mind, Americana Group launched a drive aimed at promoting high standards of food safety throughout the industry.
In Egypt, food safety control is a function carried out by multiple government entities, led by the Ministry of Health & Population (MOHP). Inspectors from the Ministry’s Food Safety & Control Administration are responsible for conducting regular assessments of food industry sites to ensure compliance with health regulations. However, until recently, such inspections and assessments lacked uniformity, and inspectors applied outdated criteria and techniques that had not kept pace with recent advancements in the sector. |
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| To help modernize and standardize food safety regulations across the food industry in Egypt, Americana Group established a partnership with the MOHP, whereby Americana-developed training modules would be made available to the Food Safety & Control Administration, helping train health inspectors and enable them to use up-to-date testing equipment and methods. During the initial phase of this project, the targeted number of trainees included some 1,200 inspectors. |
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| Group Highlights FY2010 |
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USD 2.4 Billion in Sales
USD 162 Million in Profits
45,000 Employees
21 Nationalities
1200+ Stores
17 factories |
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