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Tag: Sustainability

  • Cement firm unveils 2022 sustainability report

    Cement firm unveils 2022 sustainability report

    Building solutions company, Lafarge Africa Plc, has released its 2022 Sustainability Report.

    It highlights the company’s dedication to sustainability and showcases its commitment to fostering a better future for both people and the planet.

    The report details Lafarge Africa’s achievements across its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives during the period spanning 1st January 2022 to 31 December 2022.

    The report emphasises the company’s performance across four sustainability pillars: climate and energy, circular economy, nature, and people, underscoring its comprehensive approach to sustainable business practices.

    Chairman of Lafarge Africa, Prince Adebode Adefioye, said: “Our latest sustainability report highlights our steadfast commitment to sustainability and our ongoing journey towards a greener future

    “The theme of this report, ‘Shaping a Greener Future through Innovation and Collaboration,’ encapsulates our dedication to fostering positive environmental and social impacts while upholding strong governance practices.”

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    Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, stressed that sustainable practices are critical for delivering shared value and building a resilient future, particularly in the light of a challenging business environment.

    “With the unwavering support and collaborative efforts of our shareholders, employees, customers, and communities, we were able to innovate in the areas of manufacturing, supply chain and service delivery to create value for all our stakeholders while preserving our planet for the future generations.

    “Our 2022 Sustainability Report highlights the milestones we have achieved on this journey.”

  • Zenith Bank wins sustainability award

    Zenith Bank Plc has emerged as the ‘Best Institution in Sustainability Reporting in Africa’ for the second consecutive year.

    The bank won the award at this year’s Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAS) held on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos in recognition of the publication of its 2017 Sustainability Report.

    Zenith Bank’s 2017 Sustainability Report titled “Sustaining the Strong Momentum” is written in accordance with the new Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards. The new Standards is designed to replace the older GRI G4 reporting guidelines and was unveiled in October 2016 by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB).

    The time frame set by the GSSB for institutions to comply with the new Standards is July 2018. Zenith Bank however used the GRI Standards for its 2016 Sustainability report, thereby emerging as one of the first institutions in the world to have mastered and adopted the new Standards one year ahead of schedule.

    As shown in the reporting database of the GRI, about 545 reports and 480 companies out of the over 50,000 reports by over 13,000 organizations that are hosted on that database have so far adopted the new GRI Standards worldwide. Zenith Bank is one of these exceptional organizations and is among the first 100 global early birds.

    Sustainability reporting provides a great tool for measuring progress in the adoption of sustainable business principles. These principles require organizations to adopt responsible environmental and social policies and practices, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards, and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Sustainability principles, among others.

    Sustainability reporting compels transparency, accountability and good corporate governance. It is also a major self-assessment tool that enables reporting institutions to see the gaps in their sustainability implementation with a view to closing them. This is why reporting has become a key performance indicator, especially among leading global brands.

    As a responsible corporate citizen, Zenith Bank takes seriously, its environmental and social responsibilities in all the communities where it operates. And reporting progress in the adoption of these best practices to stakeholders, is also a major corporate responsibility.

  • NEPC canvasses sustainability in local commodity export

    The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), said sustainable  export of local commodities will  boost the nation’s economy.

    It said, Nigeria as a major resource centre of raw materials for foreign  countries, has the capacity to increase output of agricultural products and other productive base materials that can contribute to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    The South-South Regional Coordinator, of NEPC, Mrs. Azuka  Ikejiofor, stated this in PortHarcourt, during a stakeholders export  interactive forum on “Exporting Non-Oil Products from Nigeria .

    To achieve the target, she called for more focus in agriculture through empowerment of  farmers.   “ The way to revamp the economy is to diversify it through productive base. There are so many sectors in the productive base,” sying the first should be the development of agriculture.

    She said government should focus in empowering farmers and the farmers in turn, should form cooperatives and engage the services of government agencies to facilitate proper development of the local products, so that the products will gain international recognition.

    “When the productive base of the economy is developed and expanded, it will create jobs for the  unemployed youths and through it, funds will be generated that will further  improve the livelihood of the people and also contribute to the national GDP.

     

  • ExxonMobil bags Sustainability Malaria Programming award

    ExxonMobil has received the Champion in Sustainability Malaria Programming award in recognition of its contributions to the fight against malaria in Africa.

    The award was presented at the West African Corporate Malaria Award Ceremony, which recognises private sector companies that take extraordinary steps to protect their employees and communities from the disease.

    According to Manager, Media and Communications, Oge Udeagha, the award is administered by the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA).

    The award was presented by Dr. Keziah Malm, National Malaria Programme Manager for Ghana, and accepted by Dr. Effiem J. Abbah, ExxonMobil’s General Manager of Medicine and Occupational Health in Nigeria. Dr Abbah noted that in addition to protecting its workforce, the company supported a range of organisations working to strengthen health systems, distribute bed nets, diagnostics and antimalarial treatments, and conduct research into new malaria innovations.

    “We are honoured by the recognition of ExxonMobil’s efforts to combat malaria,” said Kevin Murphy, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “Through our company’s workplace programme, 2,000 cases of malaria have been averted since 2007. Our support to communities has helped distribute almost 15 million bed nets and train 650,000 health care workers since 2000,”he said.

  • Sustainability: Lafarge Africa positions for next decade

    Sustainability: Lafarge Africa positions for next decade

    Cement manufacturing giant, Lafarge Africa Plc., is positioning itself ahead of competition in the next decade.

    Last week, the firm, with over 50 years of operating in the country, launched its 2030 Plan, aimed at tackling the planet’s biggest issues for the next decade, set new standards and be the leading example of sustainability.

    The plan, the firm explained,  supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and consists four pillars: Climate, Circular Economy, Water & Nature, People and Communities. Each pillar comes with a set of quantitative targets such as reducing emissions, deriving energy from waste and developing initiatives that will impact 75 million people across the world. The theme for the 12-year plan is “Building for tomorrow”.

    Resource scarcity alongside urbanisation, climate change and housing needs are some of the challenges the world faces today, especially in emerging economies like Nigeria. This perhaps explains the position of the firm.

    According to the firm’s Director of Communications, Public Affairs & Sustainable Development, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem,  “at Lafarge, sustainability is a core value and business strategy. It’s part of what we do wherever we operate. Some of world’s biggest challenges like urbanisation, housing and climate change are visible in Nigeria. The 2030 plan is our way of providing sustainable solutions to these challenges within and outside our operations,”she said.

    Similarly, Lafarge Africa Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Michel Pucherchos said: “LafargeHolcim, of which we are a subsidiary, is not only the world’s largest building solutions company, but one with a rich history of sustainability. This enables us to adapt quickly and proffer sustainable and innovative solutions in markets like Nigeria, where the growth potential is immense but must be sustained for future generations.”

    Housing and Sustainable Development Director at the University of Lagos, Professor Timothy Nubi, said Lafarge should be applauded for its initiative and effort in sustainability development in the country. This, according to him, is because sustainable development is still at its infancy in Nigeria.

    “Few companies are still doing what we see as significant in this area; majority of firms still see it as oh they are asking us to spend money. Only very few like Lafarge see it as part of their DNA. It is a way of being responsible. Such initiatives give both economic and social benefits to the country and its people,” Nubi explained, adding that what the company has done has led to “an inclusive economic growth”.

    Stakeholders in the industry agreed that the cement maker is threading on a familiar ground in terms of its sustainability agenda. For instance, they explained that the cement maker has either adopted or sponsored sustainable innovations within and outside its operations, one of which is the use of alternative fuel in its operations and the Lafarge National Literacy Competition.

    Ambrose-Medebem explained that as part of its alternative fuel strategy, Lafarge uses local alternative energy sources at its plants across the country. At its Ewekoro plant, for instance, almost half of the energy generated in one of its production kilns comes from palm kernel shaft and shells. Last November, it concluded the fourth literacy competition, an annual competition for only public primary school pupils from across the country. Two pupils from Edo State won this year’s competition.

  • Sustainability, structure and leadership

    I attended  the 90th  birthday   ceremonies  of a quiet  but great Nigerian at Ile  Ife  and  Lagos and what I learnt at a unique birthday event  is what I want  to share  with the public  at large today and that is what has dictated  the topic  in this column. The  celebrant is Chief Iyiola Omisore, a  structural  engineer and doyen of  engineering in Nigeria and I went to Ife in the company of his relation, the debonair and calmly dignified business  mogul  and   barrister  at law,  Chief  Alex  Duduyemi, the Aro  and Asiwaju of Ife.

    Let  me state  clearly  here that at  Ife  I saw how a community  shows  appreciation and gratitude for services rendered  selflessly, to one of its own in the  large   turn out    of    people  at both the  church service  and the reception to  mark this birthday. At   the  Church  service  there  were  about  30  Obas  wearing  their  crowns  and they  were  led by  the Oni  of  Ife himself  Oba Enitan Ogunwusi. The  Oni,   whose royal stool is the pride of Yoruba race was in the church  service  as well  as the reception  where in a rare   but very   royal    mixture  of youth and age,  he,   in silent  dignity   sat   by the side  of the 90 year  old celebrant.  I  confess  to being carried  away by the spectacle  which  I still  recall  with great pleasure and crave indulgence   and   understanding   of   any trait  or accusation  of exaggeration  or   hyperbole. This is because in a society where the traditional  society and modern polity  are always at each  others  neck, and at a weekend where in Ibadan 20  Obas  were being installed  and the Olubadan stayed away , one can  be excused at being  so fascinated  by the beautiful sight of the foremost  Yoruba Oba, the Oni leading  a huge show of communal   gratitude to an  illustrious  son of  the land  Chief  Iyiola Omisore  at his 90th  Birthday reception.

    However,   it was the birthday   symposium at  the prestigious  Yoruba Tennis Club in Onikan  Lagos  that  I got  the meat  or ammunition for  today’s  topic. The  title of the symposium was  ‘Sustainability    in  a built  –  environment, the Nigerian  perspective’,  and it was a very educative and intellectually rewarding event,   not  in terms of the usual academic rhetoric but in terms of practical  suggestions  to move the Nigerian society forward   on  infrastructure  and improved  quality of life  which is the kernel  of the concept  of  sustainability in the first instance. Obviously  the choice  of sustainability  in the built  environment  came from the fact that the celebrant is a structural  engineer  who  felt  that education matters in developing the Nigerian  environment  as demonstrated  by his own life.  He  had  grade  one for his school  certificate  and he won  a prize  of five guineas for being the best student  at his school  abroad  in   England and was given  the  prize by  the city’s Mayor  at a civic reception.

    The  Chairman  of the occasion was the law guru Alhaji  Femi  Okunnu, also  Chairman of the Board  of Trustees of the YTC, whose  current Chairman  Professor Tokunbo  Fabanwo ,was the host. The  discussants were Professor  Ibidapo  Obe, former Unilag  VC, Professor Peter Okebukola   former  Executive  Secretary NUC, and Ayodele  Aderinwale, Deputy Coordinator  of the Obasanjo Presidential  Library.  Setting the ball  rolling was Professor Fabanwo who asked  the non  professor  amongst  the discussants  Aderinwale to  seek  a professorship in a humorous but pedantic manner to a huge applause. I  will  proceed now  to  what  the discussants said in brief and comment  on these.

    Professor  Ibidapo  Obe spoke  on the theme – Rome  was  not built in a day –  and that really  captured the  essence of the topic  as he illustrated  with the way  the ancient  Romans built facilities that endured and were tailored to enable Rome  to attack it enemies  while providing security  for   its   citizens. He  also   analysed  the  topic  in terms of the hope of continuous improvement with regard  to set  tasks  till  the set goals and objectives  are achieved  and  stressed that education  matters in  all  human endeavors. Professor  Okebukola  insisted that all  that needs to be done to make education improve the lot of the Nigerian  society have  been made  available in different resolutions and papers on education such that he has refused to take on proposals for such projects again. He  cited surveys that showed  that the standard of education  has fallen   generally  in  Nigeria. He called  up his former school mate at Remo  Secondary  School, Otunba  Ladi  Solanke  who he said was the best student in Arts during their HSC and  noted  that if he had represented the NUC  as  the lawyer    as he did  during his time there  would be no  ASUU  strike  like  the on going one that has paralysed  the Nigerian university  system. The  third  discussant   Aderinwale  identified leadership as the bane of the quest  to achieve sustainability in the built environment  in the Nigerian  context. He  lamented  the poor state and dilapidation of our cities as well  as the shame  and insecurity  of  the  numerous slums and shanties  all over Nigeria.

    In  rounding up, the Chairman of the occasion and  former  Federal  Works  Minister  Alhaji  Okunnu  also identified  ethnicity  as a major  obstacle  to  the achievement  of sustainability in a built  environment. He  lamented the absence  of a Nigerian leader  and gave the historical example of former President Nnamdi  Azikiwe  an  Igbo, born in Zungeru  and who  was elected  as the First  Lagos  member for Lagos, a Yoruba city  as the prime example   of a non ethnic  and Nigerian leadership  that has since eluded  our political  system  now  convulsed  by tribalism  and ethnicity  making sustainability  in a built environment difficult. Really  as a former Federal  Works  Minister  and as a  foremost  lawyer Alhaji  Okunnu is well placed to know where the shoe  pinches on sustainability  and stated that  education under our constitution is  a state  matter  and has been usurped by the federal  government even with regard to his alma mater, his beloved Kings  College. I  know that if he had time Alhaji  Okunnu  would  have dwelt on land matters  and castigated the   take  over of some sea shore  land in Lagos  state by the federal  government   as well   as  the high  emoluments of our law makers,   and he would have linked both as  obstacles  to the attainment   of   sustainability in a built  environment and he would be right.

    With  regard  to the non  professor’s submissions on lack  of leadership  I found his presentation quite professorial  and educative. But  since  he hailed  professionally  from the Obasanjo  Leadership  Forum  and  is now  Deputy  Coordinator  at  the Obasanjo  Presidential  Library, he  should be  reminded of the saying that – we  have seen  the enemy  and the enemy  is us. Which means that on leadership, charity  should begin at  home at the heart of Abeokuta where the beautiful Obasanjo  Presidential  Library  is located. Again  on the issue of the absence  of a Nigerian leader,    as claimed  by Alhaji  Okunnu, I beg  to disagree as I think  former President Olusegun  Obasanjo  would fit that  bill  or vacancy easily. That  was  what   his  pal    former General    Theophilus    Danjuma  was saying when,   before the 1999  presidential campaign he vowed that if  Obasanjo  lost  the presidential   election,   he   –   Danjuma -would leave  Nigeria because  Obasanjo  was  so  Nigerian, his people  the Yorubas  hated him ,  which also  was cruelly  but debatably true. Once  again, happy  birthday to Pa  Omisore at 90  and long live the Federal  Republic  of Nigeria.

  • Lagos lauds Sterling Bank’s sustainability campaign

    Lagos lauds Sterling Bank’s sustainability campaign

    Sterling Bank’s sustainability campaign known as Sterling Environmental Makeover (STEM), senior officials of the Lagos State Government have paid glowing tributes to the initiative, saying it is in line with the state government’s vision of encouraging residents to show respect for the environment.

    Addressing the mammoth crowd at the flag off of the mega cleaning exercise which took place at the Computer Village in Ikeja at the weekend, Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Babatunde Adejare, commended Sterling Bank for its outstanding show of commitment to the campaign for a livable environment.

    Adejare said, “We need to have more respect for our environment than we do now. The state government cancelled the monthly sanitation exercise because it believed that cleaning the environment should be part of our daily lives and not just a monthly routine.”

    The commissioner disclosed that the state government recently introduced the Cleaner Lagos Initiative in a bid to better manage solid waste. He urged participants in the cleaning exercise to extend the practice to their different homes as part of their contribution to the emergence of a cleaner Lagos that is fit for human habitation.

    Adejare enjoined residents in Lagos not to block drainages with their refuse but to put them in bags and tie the mouths before leaving them in front of their houses for officials of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to pick up.

    In his welcome address, Mr. Yemi Adeola, Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Plc, disclosed that the STEM programme was being held simultaneously in eight other locations across the country. These include the seven state capitals of Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Rivers, Enugu, Plateau, Kano and in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

  • ‘Political will needed for environmental sustainability’

    The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has called for political will on the part of Nigerian leaders in the implementation of resolutions and decisions adopted by the United Nations, especially as they affect the environment. He regretted that some of the previous agreements signed on environmental issues were never implemented.

    Saraki, who spoke while receiving a delegation of the Working Group on Environmental Audit of African Organisation of the Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI WGEA) to the National Assembly, acknowledged that some of the issues already highlighted remained to be implemented due to absence of appropriate political will by leaders.

    “We need to ask who is making sure that they are being implemented. By the time we leave all those conferences as politicians, we shake hands with ourselves, we take pictures, but the real issues remain; are these commitments ever implemented?” he asked.

    Commending the Group for their initiative on the environment, the Senate President assured that it would play a key role in ensuring that some of the environmental policies and solutions that have been put aside were addressed.

    His words: “We don’t need to wait every 10 years for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to do reports. Groups like this, can keep us constantly on our toes and I appreciate the fact that the Auditor-General have also decided to identify ways, apart from your core mandate, of addressing the issues of environment.”

    Leader of the delegation, Mrs. Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam, said the organisation was mandated to contribute to the understanding of some specific issues linked to environmental auditing, facilitate the exchange of information and experiences among Supreme Audit Institutions.

    She added that the body had the mandate to improve standards and tools for environmental audit, including dissemination of guidelines and other current materials on the environment.

    According to her, the theme of this year’s Group meeting hosted in Nigeria was: “Working together for a sustainable and healthy environment in Africa”, pointing out that the theme called global citizens to respect the environment, the common heritage without which no life was possible.

    She noted that environmental sustainability has become a global challenge, synonymous to responsibility towards future generations. She, however, expressed confidence that through many initiatives, conferences and summits, world leaders came to the understanding that the natural resources of the earth were not unlimited.”

  • Coca-Cola HBC is sustainability leader

    The Coca-Cola HBC, a leading bottler of  Coca-Cola, has been named sustainability leader of the beverage industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices assessment.

    The company achieved a total  score of 90, which is 40 points higher than the industry average and three points  higher than last year.

    According to a report, this is the ninth year  Coca-Cola  HBC has been included in the global assessment, as a result of its leading sustaina-bility performance  in  2015.

    During the year, Coca-Cola HBC continued to reduce its environmental footprint, posting a double digit decrease of its carbon emissions.

    The company further reduced the amount of water  used for  producing a litre of beverage, as well as the amount of packaging materials, despite higher production and sales.

    Coca-Cola HBC was one of the first 12 companies in the world last year, to establish science-based carbon reduction targets for both direct and indirect operations.

    Putting an internal price on water and carbon in  2015  and committing to accounting for sustainability are practical ways how Coca-Cola HBC supports the global action to reach the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations.

     

  • LCCI: diversification without sustainability’ll not work

    LCCI: diversification without sustainability’ll not work

    For the ongoing economic diversification effort to yield the desired results, there is the need for sustainability, Trade Promotion Board Vice President/Chairman, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Sola Oyetayo, has said.

    He said while the oil and gas sector could be said to be sufficiently diversified, the nation had failed to sustain its diversification in terms of maintaining the refineries and the value chain in the sector.

    Oyetayo recalled earlier Nigeria was not importing refined products, as it had sufficient products. He, however, regretted that because of lack of maintenance and sustainability, Nigeria had become one of the highest importers of refined petroleum products.

    He said with what happened in the oil and gas sector, the government should sustain the growth in the agric sector. His words: “We should aim for sustained growth with a clear cut sustainability road map. This cannot be possible except through the implementation of the right policies.”

    On the Lagos International Trade Fair, Oyetayo called on the government to speed up the handing over of the Trade Fair complex to the Chamber like the Kaduna Trade Fair complex, which the government had transferred to the Chamber.

    He regretted that the complex had been embroiled in controversy since it was concessioned, wondering the reason behind the deal.  He said fair grounds were purpose –built and that a megacity, such as Lagos, should have a befitting fair and exhibition ground.