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Thursday,
September 26, 2019 /06:23PM / By NSE / Header Credit Image: @nsenigeria
The Nigerian Stock Exchange ("the Exchange" or "NSE") in partnership with Dangote Cement Plc and Global Reporting Initiative
(GRI) held a capacity development workshop on sustainability value proposition
and reporting for accountants, financial analysts and communication
practitioners on Thursday, September 26, 2019, at the Stock Exchange House in
Lagos.
The workshop, driven by the need to demonstrate
the relationship between financial and non-financial functions and the strong
synergy between the two in achieving business continuity, brought together over
70 participants from the media, accounting and investment communities.
Speaking at the event, Bola Adeeko, Divisional
Head, Shared Services, NSE, said "we recognize that sustainability should not
be separate from core business strategy as it involves operating in a way that
takes full account of an organisation's impact on the planet, its people and
the future. At the NSE, we continually seek innovative initiatives to
build competence for businesses within our ecosystem. This workshop is designed
to help accountants, financial analysts and communication practitioners respond
to new demands resulting from changes in the way businesses now define value
creation".
The session introduced participants to the concept
of sustainability reporting within the context of the GRI Standards and the NSE
Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines. It helped accounting and investment
professionals understand the role of impact measurement, innovation and value
creation of sustainability reporting in improving corporate financial
performance. The workshop also helped communications practitioners
understand recent advances in sustainability reporting with the aim of
improving reporting of sustainability issues across the capital market.
The event was headlined by senior executives of
Dangote Industries Limited including Dr. Ndidi Nnoli, Group Chief
Sustainability and Governance, Dangote Industries Ltd (DIL) who introduced the
workshop participants to the Dangote Industries value creation model, which
builds on the 7 Sustainability Pillar Methodology. She said "Our work in
Dangote Cement Plc showcases the importance of mainstreaming sustainability as
the key to engendering holistic business impact, innovation and value creation.
The workshop, scheduled during the United Nations 74th General
Assembly, supports the implementation of SDGs in Africa by establishing the
positive correlation between financial and non-financial (ESG) functions
and the potential synergy between responsible business growth and sustainable
development."
The NSE, realizing the crucial role played by
accountants, financial analysts and communications professionals in
facilitating behavioral change in support of achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), designed the session in collaboration with GRI as
part of the collaborative partnership to improve the performance and disclosure
of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues across the ecosystem of
the NSE. "The GRI Standards help companies understand and disclose their
impacts on the world - and by doing so enable them to manage these impacts and
improve ESG performance. Accountancy professionals, financial analysts and
communications specialists all have important roles in supporting corporate
sustainability reporting, therefore I was delighted by the engagement achieved
through this session" said Douglas Kativu, Director, Global Reporting
Initiative (GRI) Africa who was the lead facilitator at the workshop.
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