SEC to raise awareness on sustainable finance, climate change mitigation, others

By Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

In a bid to ensure that the initiatives of the Revised Capital Market Master Plan 2015 – 2025 (RCMMP) which it the blueprint for harnessing the opportunities for economic growth and development in the country, are copiously implemented the Securities and Exchange Commission is set to hold a hybrid workshop on ESG to sensitize market stakeholders on the concept of sustainability.

The workshop which is titled ESG and Sustainable Finance – The Future of Investment is scheduled to hold on July 27 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Speakers at the workshop include Director General of the SEC, Mr. Lamido Yuguda, MD/CEO Financial Derivatives Company Mr. Bismarck Rewane, and Vice Chairman Financial Centre for Sustainability Lagos Prof. Doyin Salami.

Others are MD Central Securities Clearing System Mr. Jalo-Waziri, CEO NGX Mr. Temi Popoola, MD FMDQ Mr. Bola Onadele Koko, Tariye Gbedegesin, Nadine Rose, and Adrian Mill.

Moderators at the event are CEO Chapel Hill Denham Mr. Bolaji Balogun, Partner PWC Rukaiya El-Rufai and Dr. Afolabi Olowookere.

According to the SEC, the objective of the workshop is to drive sustainable finance instruments issuances, create awareness on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and connect projects that address climate risks with potential investor, advocate for policy incentives and proved access to funding for climate smart initiatives.

“The workshop is premised on one of the strategic themes highlighted in the Revised Capital Market Master Plan which is to create awareness, deploy educational and advocacy campaigns for ESG compliant products’’ the SEC said.

The Commission further stated that the Nigerian capital market, as an integral part of the financial system, is assiduously working to address society’s needs and concerns by undertaking a transformation, driven by initiatives of the Capital Market Master Plan to educate investors on different approaches to sustainable investment, and equally enhance confidence and participation in the market.

The Commission is organizing the workshop in collaboration with the Financial Centre for Sustainability Lagos (FC4SL), a network platform that is leading the development of global standards required to accelerate the expansion of green and sustainable finance, and ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment Limited, a leading Pan-African infrastructure fund manager based in South Africa.

The target audience for the programme include public companies, capital market operators, investment professionals, risk management professionals, investors and other stakeholders.