Roshan Earns 'Best Private Company' at Third Annual Ethical Corporation Awards

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, Afghanistan's leading total communications provider, today announced it has been named the "Best Private Company" by the Ethical Corporation for its transformative impact on the country and its people by implementing a myriad of sustainable corporate social responsibility programs. The award was announced Monday at the third annual Ethical Corporation Awards Ceremony, held in London, where many world brands competed for this prestigious award.

The award recognizes Roshan's demonstrated commitment to serve as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contribute to Afghanistan's long-term development through the company's commercial operations and dedicated corporate social responsibility arm, Roshan Community.

This year marked the highest number of applicants for the Ethical Corporation Awards, with more than 260 entries submitted worldwide. Roshan beat out four other finalists for the title of Best Private Company.

"Social responsibility and high ethical standards have always been more than just a commitment at Roshan; they are part of our DNA," said Karim Khoja, Roshan's chief executive officer. "Since 2003, it is all about our endless quest for quality in everything we do, to harness the power of mobile technology to fill infrastructure gaps, foster commerce and economic growth, build human capacity and, equally important, to improve the well-being of communities through sustainable community programs throughout Afghanistan."

Roshan is Afghanistan's largest investor, private company and taxpayer, with investments of more than $500 million in bringing mobile phone services and socio-economic development programs to Afghanistan.

Last year, through Roshan Community's efforts across Afghanistan, Roshan:

• Served 526,924 meals, through a partnership with Afghan NGO ASCHIANA;
• Built 19 playgrounds and constructed three new schools, in addition to Roshan's work with Save the Children;
• Constructed more than 100 wells throughout the country benefiting more than 75,905 people;
• Expanded its Telemedicine Project to connect the Faizabad hospital with the Bamyan Hospital in central Afghanistan, the French Medical Institute for Children in Kabul and Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, expanding medical care to the most remote regions of Afghanistan and enabling remote diagnosis and media personnel training.

The company's main shareholder, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and building successful private companies in regions that historically lack foreign direct investment. Under AKFED's direction, Roshan was set-up with a clear mandate to serve the communities in which the company operates, not only as a for-profit enterprise, but through direct investment via Roshan Community.

Building human capacity is a key driver for Roshan. The company is deeply committed to investing in local, Afghan talent, to build its workforce and to develop Afghanistan's leaders of tomorrow. Roshan invests more than $1,500 per employee each year in training and skills development for its Afghan workforce.   With over 1,350 employees, the company is focused on actively recruiting women, which constitute 19% Roshan's workforce, a unique figure in Afghanistan's traditionally male dominated business landscape.

Khoja said, "It is the people of Afghanistan, as our customers and our dedicated employees, who have made Roshan a true Afghanistan success story."

About Roshan
Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading total communications provider with over 6 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 230 cities and towns in all of the country's 34 provinces.

Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, serving as a catalyst for economic growth and actively contributing to the country's long-term development. Since its inception eight years ago, Roshan has invested over $500 million in Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and taxpayer, contributing approximately 5% of the Afghan government's overall domestic revenue. Roshan directly employs more than 1,200 people, 20% of whom are women, and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people.

Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to the country and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

Media Contact
Elizabeth Z. McElroy
Director, Marketing Communications and Public Relations
Roshan
Office: +93(0)79-997-5477
Email: elizabeth.mcelroy@roshan.af 
Web: www.roshan.af

Maggie Edinger
Account Executive, Corporate
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Office: +1-212-885-0370
Email: maggie.edinger@hkstrategies.com 
Web: www.hkstrategies.com