Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development in Sierra Leone. This chapter therefore argues that CSR practices, initiatives and policies when ethically and normatively executed can lead to sustainable development, especially in countries with weak corporate governance system, corrupt practice, weak institutions and leadership challenges like Sierra Leone, which has been in the vice grip of poor CSR necessitating unsustainable relationship between wider stakeholders and the companies operating in this country. This proposition is based on the premise that CSR when well applied can decrease stakeholder criticism, enhance trust between companies and wider stakeholders, increase organisational legitimacy and promote social licence to operate. The methodology used is secondary data, which will help to have a more nuanced understanding of the centrality of CSR in promoting sustainable development in spaces with limited institutional virility, poor CSR and unsustainable relationships between relevant, key stakeholders.