Yemisi Izuora
CSR-in-Action is working in partnership to promote transparency in Nigeria’s Extractive Industry.
The current partnership will see both parties collaborating to host the 4th edition of the Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) Conference, scheduled to hold in Abuja.
The annual workshop established and organised by CSR-in-Action will bring together key stakeholders to discuss critical issues in the industries and stimulate meaningful exchange of ideas and best practices among key stakeholder groups and industry experts.
This year’s SITEI Conference is themed, “Unlocking the Hidden Potential in the Extractive Industries”.
While the private sector and civil society have typically been strong participants in previous conference, the general national vibe of change and policy reform in the air has birthed a renewed and mutually reciprocated interest in pursuing focused government participation.
Attendance at this 4th edition of SITEI will see government personnel, business leaders, change enthusiasts and innovators from all works of life attend.
This year, SITEI seeks to renew political commitment to sustainable development while discussing structural modifications within political institutions in relation to development, investment and local participation in the Nigerian extractive industries.
With Break-out sessions and capacity building focused on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures, Investment and Local Content Participation Policies for Oil and Gas and Mining and Investment Policies and Financing Options for Green Energy in Nigeria, there will no doubt be a thorough sharing of insightful and profitable ideas.
The very well received 3rd SITEI conference addressed nagging issues that have threatened to stagnate the local content drive, such as quality of local content players – vendors, contractors and business men who could play more active and dominant roles in the extractive industries.
The conference featured workshops with a potpourri of sustainable solutions provided to enforce the key objectives.
Speaking regarding the conference this year, Bekeme Masade, Executive Director, CSR-in-Action said, “There has been an over dependence on procurement on oil and oil wells by local and international business, whereas our nation is blessed with a plethora of other high potential mineral resources which can be sources of tremendous revenue to the nation.
Beyond that, there are manufacturing and industry potential; in the production of nuts and bolts, machinery and other paraphernalia needed for efficient production.
The government and private sector need to have a fuller appreciation for the depth of progress that responsible public-private partnership can yield for the nation, and SITEI intends to make that progress a reality. ”
This year’s SITEI conference will also access progress on the country’s commitments/frameworks to sustainable development, looking into gaps that have been over looked in the progress, and evaluate the success of outcomes of these frameworks.
CSR-in-Action has successfully executed this conference on three previous occasions (starting 2012, in partnership with the Deputy High Commission of Canada) and our reputation for integrity and professionalism has attracted key persons from within Nigeria and beyond, as well as endorsements and partnerships with reputable bodies such as the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), and this year, we will be working in partnership with the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany, Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and Price Water Cooper (PwC).
There will also be discussions aimed at cleaner energy production as a discourse for long term planning and diversification, in line with global sustainable development.