By Dipo Olowookere
On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) will launch its Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines.
This would be done during a half-day workshop on sustainability reporting organised by the NSE and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) at the Exchange House in Lagos.
Business Post reports that recently, NSE secured approval of its Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines from the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).
The Guidelines set out recommendations for good practice in 13 thematic areas under four core principles in ESG reporting. With the implementation of Guidelines, investors can look forward to a consistent approach to ESG reporting from Issuers listed on The NSE.
At Tuesday’s workshop, C-level executives, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability experts, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders would be under a roof for an interactive session to share insights on the imperative of good sustainable practices and reporting.
The conversation at this workshop will seek to address the implementation of sustainability reporting, key metrics in the new GRI reporting standards, reporting process and enhancement of corporate transparency and ultimately performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
Speakers at the event include – Bola Adeeko, Head, Shared Services Division, NSE; Bekeme Masade-Olowola, GRI Board Member and Executive Director, CSR in Action; Olumide Orojimi, Head, Corporate Communication, NSE; Godstime Iwenekhai, Head, Listing Regulation Department, NSE. The panel discussion will feature Temitope Oguntokun, Country Lead, Sustainability and Stakeholder Management, International Breweries Plc; Ken Egbas, Founder/CEO at TruContact CSR Nigeria; Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head, Sustainability, Access Bank Plc on sustainability and Emilia Asim-Ita, Practice Director, AML.
Commenting on the planned workshop, the NSE image maker stated that, “A wide range of investors and other stakeholders are increasingly demanding more disclosure of information and data from issuers on how they are addressing sustainability issues, including ESG factors and other non-financial risks and opportunities.
“As a sustainable Exchange, we are committed to helping organizations within our ecosystem implement reporting structure in line with global practices and their business peculiarities. This event will spotlight corporate social responsibilities beyond just practices and reveal how companies can create value through sustainability and reporting”.
GRI Head of Capital Markets Engagement, Eszter Vitorino, added, “Ensuring the sustainability of development in Nigeria can only be achieved through the proactive contribution of all members of the investment chain. We, therefore, give a warm congratulations to the NSE for walking the talk and driving corporate sustainability disclosure, which is the pivotal building block of responsible investment decisions”.
Adedapo Adesanya