A robust stakeholder relationship strategy is crucial for securing local support, addressing socio-economic development responsibilities, and meeting economic development obligations.
Before any energy project can begin, it is essential to identify and engage with key stakeholders. These include key local community structures as well as municipal and regional governments surrounding the project site. Strategies should also include communication measures to keep landowners informed of project activities before, during, and after construction. The relationships built during stakeholder engagement will impact the project throughout its lifecycle, making it essential to secure buy-in and establish strong relationships from the outset.
A comprehensive community relationship management programme should form part of the risk mitigation process and a pre-construction plan, to ensure that all parties are on the same page. This programme should focus on socio-economic development responsibilities, which are essential for ensuring that the community reaps maximum benefit from the project.
This includes community upliftment initiatives to ensure local communities benefit not only from employment opportunities, but also enterprise development and corporate social investment that goes beyond job creation.
It is also important to design an appropriate recruitment strategy that ensures the prioritisation of local hires, providing much-needed employment and skills development in the area. This extends to local procurement and ensures that community-owned businesses are considered for supplying goods and services to the project. Regular monitoring of job creation and procurement targets helps ensure the project adheres to its economic development obligations, as failure to do so can result in significant setbacks, including community opposition or even shutdown of the project.
Written by Donné Nieman (sales director) and Michael Montgomery Le Gassick (regional director) at Workforce Staffing.
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