Protecting People, Environment and Assets

Corporate responsibility for Svenska means leading by example and engaging society in safeguarding quality of life. We believe that we as license partners make a difference in joint efforts to safeguard the wildlife and communities where we operate. 

We always strive to be a part of the development of our host countries, not only through the discovery and development of our assets, but also by delivering on social commitments to our host communities.

Our Health, Safety & Environmental pledge

We respect the rights of people our operations might affect, and we seek to avoid adverse human effects.

In our work we are not only obliged to comply with all the relevant statutory and regulatory requirements, we also aim to exceed them. 

Our joint venture agreements with business partners include an evaluation of available industry practices and technologies to best protect human health, safety, the environment and quality of our operations (HSEQ). 

Clear HSEQ standards in daily operations contribute to operational excellence and systemic integrity. Committing to that vision, Svenska maintains an HSEQ culture and organisation to oversee operations. As a responsible co-venturer in licences, Svenska uses its competence to assist the operator to improve project execution and secure operations.

The safe, responsible business we have run reflects a high level of corporate awareness that spans our various operational theatres. 

The development of health and safety oversight and practices is core to Svenska’s strategy of increasing our operating capability. HSEQ considerations remain a top priority in our own organisation and in the licences where we are a co-venturer.

Local Support for Sustainable Growth

We always have social commitments that are part of our licence obligations, and in addition Svenska wants to support the local communities where we are present.

In an attempt to give back to the communities near our operations Svenska has successfully cooperated with SOS Children’s Villages for more than 10 years. The organisation focuses on family-based, long-term care for children who are unable to grow up with their biological families, in order to provide a much-needed sense of safety and stability. The goals of the work of SOS Children’s Villages are to end poverty, ensure quality education for all and to strive for peace, justice and strong institutions. The villages Svenska supports are located in Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

Our cooperation with Tostan organisation means that Svenska is also supporting empowerment programs in 21 villages in Senegal. Tostan is an Africa-based charity focused on human rights, sustainable development and positive social transformation in West Africa. They distance themselves from female genital mutilation, forced marriage and child marriage. Tostan focuses on the people in the villages and lets them decide how they want to work and which areas they want to put efforts into.

SOS Children's Villages and Tostan's work focus on supporting the local society which is clearly something Svenska supports.

Investments for the Future

Apart from such direct support for organisations Svenska continues to work closely with our licence co-venturers to support various social projects relating to education, healthcare and sustainable growth. Most lately, in fall 2019, we initiated a project to supply a school for disabled children with school desks, the same school that we participated in rebuilding in 2018. Over the past years, we have had the opportunity to re-open schools that have been refurbished as well as a new recreation/cafeteria hall for the paediatric ward and the refurbished Emergency Care Unit and operating facilities at Simão Mendes hospital in Bissau.