Society for Corporate Governance Conference Places Environmental Rights on Front Burner

Nigeria is the first African country, to adopt the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The ISSB Standards build significantly from existing reporting frameworks and standards. At their core, the ISSB standards will enable investors and other capital market participants to make informed investment decisions, by providing information about companies’ sustainability-related risks and opportunities. This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), Ambassador Shuaibu Adamu Ahmed, at the 2023 Annual Corporate Governance Conference. Speaking under the theme “ESG and Corporate Governance: Aligning Strategies for Sustainable Success”, Amb. Ahmed, the Guest Speaker, said that the world of corporate governance has undergone tremendous change due to the emergence of Environmental, Social, and Governance, better known as ESG. He stressed that with the ESG, the Corporate Governance world has now taken a look at issues of the environment, and labour, and has looked at social responsibility more seriously. He further disclosed that, a road map for the implementation of ESG in the Nigerian public sector will soon be launched. 

Also speaking at the event, the Keynote Speaker, Dr Jackie Chimhanzi, noted that human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption are problems associated with Corporate Governance which ESG addresses, together with the present-day challenges. 

Speaking earlier, the President of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria, Mr Muhammed K.A. Ahmad, stated that issues around environmental responsibility are no longer a thing of choice for corporate organisations, because it affects them. 

Discussants at the event, Mark Hoffman, Mrs Chioma Afe, Ngozi Edozien, as well as Adebayo Amzat. The event was attended by the Director General/ CEO of the Institute of Directors, Alhaji Tijjani Borodo, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, and Ibrahim Dasok Arabi, amongst others.