By Gloria Nwafor
Stakeholders at this year’s 11th Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) conference have sought to explore the possible reforms in critical sectors, with a focus on how the rights and interests of suppliers, businesses and communities are advanced.
With the theme, ‘Holistic Inclusion in the Extractive Industries’, stakeholders in the sector called on the need for the industries to demonstrate more structured action and transparency on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
Chief Executive, CSR-in-Action and convener of SITEI, Bekeme Olowola, urged operators to begin their ESG journey to utilise resources such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Standards, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the CSR-in-Action Community Engagement Standards (CES).
She said there was a need to deepen engagement through a commitment to inclusion and extending more to underserved communities in Africa.
Olowola, who said SITEI, which is being organised by CSR-in-Action Consulting, an international sustainability-focused firm in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, among others, said it has been a frontliner for years in facilitating sustainability through advocacy, training and consultancy.
Olowola said: “Equity was the principal consideration while developing the theme and thrust of this conference as we sought to examine how key stakeholders can benefit from the wealth of opportunities present or that may be created within the extractive industries. The conference is designed to meet the need to develop a safe space for these critical discussions, and we are convinced this event has taken the subregion one step closer to providing the solutions to the issues faced in the sector.”
Source: The Guardian
