STAKEHOLDERS’ WORKSHOP ON OPERATIONALIZING SUSTAINABILITY & CIRCULAR ECONOMY: MEASURING, MONITORING, REPORTING, IMPACT INVESTING, ESG RATINGS.
A sustainability report provides information on an organization’s health, including economic, environmental, and social performance against set guidelines or an established framework. Over the past few decades, business performance is increasingly being approached from a multi-dimensional perspective. This is because a pro-active corporate sustainability reporting system for assessing the performance of an organization should address impacts within and beyond the organization on stakeholders, including the host community, supply chain actors and resulting or associated impacts on people, planet and profits.
The reporting of the business implication of climate change in sustainability reporting becomes even more significant as we celebrate Earth day on April 22nd. The potential financial implications of climate change are receiving increasing attention and recognition, with investors and other stakeholders encouraging companies to identify, assess and report publicly on the financial implications of climate change on their businesses.
This is evident in numerous forums and initiatives, for example the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and other initiatives of the World Economic Forum (WEF). With the Increasing public awareness and concern, taking action on climate change is also starting to become a reputational and strategic issue for companies. This then behoves on organizations to be intentional about ensuring the Sustainability reporting is all encompassing.
In other words, sustainability reporting is an instrument capable of helping companies become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, better manage corporate risk, improve regulatory compliance, innovate and identify potential synergies and interdependencies across their value chain and supply chain.
The Nigerian Corporate Governance Code includes a comprehensive section on sustainability, and requires that Boards “establish policies and practices regarding its social, ethical, safety, working conditions, health and environmental responsibilities as well as policies addressing corruption.” Boards are also responsible to monitor the implementation of these policies. Sustainability also takes the form of “ESG Ratings”, “Circular Economy Initiatives” and “Integrated Reports”, which introduce environmental, social and governance KPIs to enhance the positive impact that companies have on society. Specifically, the Institute of Directors Nigeria and Afrikairos have been involved in advocating for the adoption of sustainability reporting, and the operationalization of sustainability across business functions, as a core part of the tenets for good corporate governance.
With sustainability becoming more institutionalized as part of the corporate governance best practices, and with the Institute of DIrectors (IoD) Nigeria having a significant role to play to raise awareness and build the capacity of its members and non-members to set high standards for sustainability governance in Nigeria, the Institute has partnered with Afrikairos GmbH, supported by Circular Economy Innovation Partnership (CEIP) and Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF), to bring together corporate Nigeria and relevant regulators in a half-day stakeholder workshop. The aim is to provide insight into levels of adoption, interests as well as capabilities within corporate organizations on sustainability reporting. This webinar introduces a range of perspectives on sustainability , circular economy, ESG Ratings and Integrated Reporting and paves the way for a series of future workshops to be delivered by IoD and Afrikairos in Q3, 2021.
Learning Objectives
- To introduce, identify global trends and emphasize the importance of sustainability reporting, circular economy, integrated reporting and ESG Ratings to Nigerian corporates and corporate governance.
- To provide tools for directors to meet their sustainability responsibilities
- To explore how sustainability reporting can be useful to build organizational resilience
- To gain insight on the requirements and benefits of sustainability reporting
- To understand the level of adoption of sustainability reporting by stakeholders in Nigeria
- To gain insight on board practice of sustainability reporting: lessons from domestic and international perspectives
- To be able to apply concepts of sustainable reporting to address sustainability challenges in organisations
- To be able to identify, act on, and evaluate professional and personal actions with the knowledge and appreciation of interconnections among economic, environmental, and social perspectives
- To have a deeper understanding of social responsibility and impact, both as directors and citizens
- To be able to embrace and improve sustainability and business performance
- To be able to motivate and engage directors and management towards adopting sustainability reporting and ESG Ratings
Target Audience/Participants
- Chairmen, CEOs, COOs, Executive and Non-Executive Directors
- Company Secretaries, Chief Regulatory Officers and Legal Heads
- Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), Chief Value Officers and Heads of Audits & Compliance
- Chief Human Resource Officers, Chief Marketing /Sales Officers
- Corporate Affairs Executives and Head of Foundations
- Sustainability Executives and Heads of Risk/Compliance, etc.
- CEOs of Supply Chain companies to sustainability-driven corporates
Program Structure and Agenda
Theme:
Stakeholder Workshop on Operationalizing Sustainability & Circular Economy: Measuring, Monitoring, Reporting, Impact Investing, ESG Ratings.
Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Time: 3pm-7pm
Venue: Zoom (Registration link to be provided)
Expected no. of Participants: 600 participants (Members & Non-Members)
Program Agenda
3pm – 6.30pm
| Time | Activity | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| 15.00 – 15.05 | Opening Remarks | Moderator/Host: Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien Partner, Afrikairos & Chair, Circular Economy Innovation Partnership, Growing Businesses Group |
| 15.05 – 15.15 | Welcome Speech | Chief Chris O. Okunowo F.IoD, President/Chairman of Council, IoD Nigeria |
| 15.15 – 15.45 | Goodwill Messages | Dr Dolapo Fasawe DG Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) Saeeda Sabah Rashid Lead Governance Specialist, World Bank, Nigeria Prof K. Amaeshi University of Edinburgh/President, Association of Sustainability Professionals, Nigeria Iheanyi Anyahara, PhD FCAActing Executive Secretary/CEO Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Dr Innocent Okwuosa Chairman, Nigerian Integrated Reporting Committee Dr Innocent Onah Climate & Green Growth Expert, AfDB; Coordinator, Nigeria Circular Economy Working Group |
Session I (Corporate Perspective) | ||
| 15.45 – 15.55 | Keynote Address | Oscar Onyema DG/CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) |
| 15.55 – 16.55 | Panel Discussion | |
| Panelist-1 | Uto Ukpanah Company Secretary, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc | |
| Panelist-2 | Eunice Sampson GM/Head, Sustainability, Dangote Cement Plc | |
| Panelist-3 | Amaka Onyemelukwe Director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria | |
| Panelist-4 | Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan Head of Sustainability, Access Bank Plc. | |
| Panelist-5 | Doerte Weidig CEO, IPC GmbH | |
| Panelist-6 | Clem Ugorji CEO, Circularium Africa Advisory | |
| Session II (Investors’ Perspective) | ||
| 16.55 – 17.05 | Keynote Address | Patrick Kabuya Convener, Africa Integrated Reporting Council, Senior Governance Specialist, World Bank. |
| 17.05 – 18.05 | Panel Discussion | |
| Panelist-1 | Kola Aina General Partner, Ventures Platform | |
| Panelist-2 | Agharese Onaghise Executive Secretary/CEO, Food and Beverages Recycling Alliance (FBRA) | |
| Panelist-3 | Dr Oliver Everling CEO Rating Evidence, GmBH, Europe | |
| Panelist-4 | Benedikt Hoffmann Managing Partner, Afrikairos | |
| Panelist-5 | Gerritt Ledderhof Team Lead, Climate and Responsible Investment, Aegon Asset Management, Netherlands | |
| Panelist – 6 | Folashade Ambrose-Mebedem Rising Tide Africa, Sustainable Development Director, Lafarge | |
| 18.05 -18.25 | Comments, Questions and Answers (coordination of chatroom) | Dr Natalie Beinsich ED CEIP |
| Way forward | ||
| 18.25 -18.30 | Prof Nat Ofo F.IoD, Chairman, Research & Advocacy Committee, IoD Nigeria | |
| 18.30 – 18.35 | Saeeda Sabah Rashid World Bank Representative | |
| 18.35 -18.40 | Prof Kenneth Amaeshi Chair in Business and Sustainable Development, University of Edinburgh | |
| 18.40- 18.45 | Prof Chukwumerije Okereke Professor of Environment and Development in the Global Development Research Division and Department of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Reading, United Kingdom | |
| 18.45- 18.50 | Prof Serge Miranda Professor of Computer Science at the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France | |
| 18.50 – 18.55 | Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien Partner, Afrikairos & Chair Circular Economy Innovation Partnership | |
| 18.55 -19.00 | Closing Remarks/ Vote of Thanks | Dele Alimi M.IoD Director General/CEO, IoD Nigeria |
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