At its 2026 Responsible Business Leadership Dialogue, the UN Global Compact Network Nigeria brought together business leaders, investors and development partners to examine how companies can translate responsible business principles into better working conditions, stronger institutions and sustainable commercial performance.
Nigerian businesses must move beyond public commitments on sustainability and responsible business to demonstrate measurable improvements in working conditions, human rights, corporate governance and the treatment of suppliers, participants at the Responsible Business Leadership Dialogue 2026 have said.
The dialogue, convened by the UN Global Compact Network Nigeria (UNGCNN) in partnership with the Danish International Development Agency (Danida) in Lagos on 10 November, brought together business leaders, investors, development partners, diplomats and sustainability practitioners to examine how companies can translate responsible business principles into operational practice.
Held under the theme, “From Commitments to Practice: Recognising Progress, Strengthening Partnerships,” the meeting focused on the relationship between corporate responsibility and commercial performance, with discussions highlighting the importance of decent work, human rights, business integrity and inclusive economic participation.
A central message was that responsible business should not be regarded as an obstacle to profitability. Rather, how companies treat their employees, manage suppliers and make investment decisions can influence their resilience, productivity and long-term performance.
The event also recognised the three finalists of the Responsible Business in Action Challenge 2026, which identifies companies with implemented initiatives in decent work, human rights and business integrity. Their initiatives will be documented in the Network’s Sustainability Case Study Library.
Moving from corporate declarations to implementation
Opening the dialogue, participants considered whether businesses could achieve commercial success in Nigeria without compromising responsible business principles. The discussion produced an almost unanimous view that they could, although participants acknowledged that doing so requires greater discipline, consistency and patience.
One participant recalled previously believing that businesses had to bend rules to succeed in Nigeria, until she found like-minded people and helped build what she described as a critical mass capable of driving change.
Delivering the welcome address virtually, Naomi Nwokolo, CEO and executive director of UNGCNN, urged business leaders to make the discussion practical by examining what was working, what was not and what companies needed from one another.
“Let us move beyond declarations to implementation and beyond commitments to actual measurable impact,” she said. “Responsible business will not be defined by the commitments we announce, but by the difference we make for our people and our planet.”
Conny Camenzind, Consul General of Switzerland in Lagos, reinforced the need for businesses to translate human rights commitments into decisions across their operations and supply chains.
She noted that Switzerland is part of the UN Global Compact Government Group and expects Swiss companies to respect human rights wherever they operate, including in their investments in Nigeria and relationships with suppliers.
This requires companies to identify human rights risks, provide decent and safe working conditions, prevent discrimination, forced labour and child labour, and engage with affected communities.
“Human rights due diligence should not be a box-ticking exercise,” she said. “It belongs in investment assessments, procurement, management decisions and ongoing dialogue with stakeholders.”
Camenzind welcomed Nigeria’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, adopted in 2023, and commended UNGCNN for using the Responsible Business in Action Challenge to showcase evidence of corporate initiatives.
“Responsible business is not an obstacle to economic success. It is one of its strongest foundations. Let us make it the norm rather than the exception,” she said.
Mastercard Foundation highlights the quality of employment
The quality of jobs created by businesses, rather than employment numbers alone, emerged as another major concern.
In a special address, Rosy Fynn, country director of the Mastercard Foundation, said responsible business should be judged by what organisations do, the people they employ, the decisions they make and the difference those decisions create.
When the Foundation launched its Young Africa Works strategy in 2019, it asked thousands of young Africans what made work dignified and fulfilling. Their responses identified four essential markers: reliable income, reputable work, respect in the workplace and a sense of purpose.
Reliable income meant earning above the minimum wage. Reputable work meant having a job young people could be proud of. Respect required being treated with dignity, while purpose involved doing work that contributed to a better future.
Fynn said the Foundation had found that, at certain points, only about 30 per cent of young people placed in employment described their work as dignified and fulfilling.
“Creating employment and creating dignified and fulfilling employment are not the same thing,” she said.
She urged larger companies to examine how their procurement practices, payment terms and supplier relationships influence working conditions in smaller enterprises. She also called on businesses to open their value chains to youth-led companies.
The Foundation, she explained, had shifted its measurement of impact towards the number of trainees who actually secure employment, rather than the number who complete training. Its associates programme also places graduates in organisations and pays their salaries for one year.
“Nigeria’s economic future will depend more on the kind of businesses we build, not only on the number of businesses we have,” Fynn said.
Three companies recognised for responsible business initiatives
The Responsible Business in Action Challenge 2026 recognised Sahara Group, Sterling Bank and IHS Towers Nigeria for initiatives demonstrating how companies can integrate responsible business practices into their operations.
Sahara Group: IGWE
Sahara Group was recognised for IGWE, which stands for “I’m Green Without Envy” and was launched in June 2025.
The initiative seeks to build a sustainability culture by encouraging employee participation rather than relying solely on rules and compliance requirements.
Employees earn green credits through sustainability training on the UN Global Compact Academy and other platforms, as well as individual and group sustainability projects. The credits can then be used to bid for rewards.
With approximately 6,000 employees across its businesses, Sahara Group aims to extend sustainability practices beyond the workplace and into employees’ homes and communities. The company reported that employees are increasingly initiating sustainability projects of their own.
Sterling Bank: MomShip
Sterling Bank was recognised for MomShip, a programme developed by its talent management team to support women professionals who leave the workforce because of childbirth or family responsibilities.
The initiative provides flexible work arrangements and career development opportunities, based on the principle that a career break should not end a woman’s professional prospects.
Since its first cohort in 2023, the programme has supported returning mothers, onboarding 16 participants in 2024. The bank’s representative cited one beneficiary who returned to work after an eight-year career break and now leads a team.
IHS Towers Nigeria: Frontline Workers Initiative
IHS Towers Nigeria received recognition for its Frontline Workers Initiative, established in 2021.
The company operates more than 16,000 sites across Nigeria, supported by technicians, engineers and field teams responsible for maintaining its infrastructure.
The initiative provides children of employees and supplier personnel in the lowest job grades with full university scholarships, financial support and mentorship. Beneficiaries can study in Nigeria or abroad, with applications opened annually through a transparent selection process.
The company reported that 64 scholarships have been awarded across five African countries.
Together, the three initiatives demonstrate different approaches to responsible business, from employee engagement and women’s workforce participation to educational support for the families of frontline workers.
Businesses urged to create pathways to dignified work
A peer exchange session examined how businesses could improve the transition from skills development to dignified employment for young Nigerians.
Participants identified the business environment, workplace enforcement, disability inclusion and limited career progression as areas requiring greater attention.
They called for a reduction in multiple taxation to enable businesses to expand and create jobs, alongside stronger enforcement against exploitative working hours and inadequate pay.
A representative of Coronation Group urged employers to recognise both visible and invisible disabilities and provide reasonable accommodation, noting that the law already requires it.
Participants also challenged recruitment practices that demand years of experience for entry-level positions or expect young people to work without pay.
Sun King Nigeria shared its approach to creating pathways through which agents and contract staff can progress into the company’s core workforce, rather than remaining on contract for extended periods without clear career prospects.
IHS Towers Nigeria highlighted health insurance and pensions as essential worker protections. Another participant cited research showing significant differences in pay between contract and permanent employees performing the same work.
The discussion reinforced the need to assess employment not simply by the number of jobs created, but also by the quality of those jobs, the protections available to workers and their prospects for advancement.
Participants reject cost-cutting measures that compromise worker welfare
The dialogue concluded with a practical exercise in which participants were asked to advise the board of a fictional mid-sized Lagos manufacturer facing rising operating costs.
The company’s chief financial officer had proposed three immediate cost-saving measures: cutting staff health benefits, switching to an unvetted supplier and postponing a factory safety upgrade.
Every table rejected the proposals.
Instead, participants recommended identifying the underlying causes of rising costs before making cuts. They proposed competitive supplier selection based on price, quality and delivery, supported by long-term contracts, service-level agreements and penalties for late delivery.
Other recommendations included reducing waste in power consumption and logistics, setting cost-saving targets across departments, exploring new markets and reviewing pricing strategies.
Participants also called for open town hall meetings to help employees understand the company’s financial pressures and contribute to possible solutions.
They maintained that health benefits and workplace safety should remain non-negotiable, both because of legal obligations and their contribution to productivity.
As one participant put it: “When we put people at the centre, the profit will come.”
Dialogue to inform responsible business policy
Closing the event, the moderator asked participants to submit their recommendations to UNGCNN. These contributions will form the foundation of a policy document on responsible business practice when the Network reconvenes.
The dialogue brought together discussions on decent work, corporate performance, responsible procurement, inclusion and the wider consequences of business decisions.
The Responsible Business Leadership Dialogue 2026 was organised by the UN Global Compact Network Nigeria in partnership with the Danish International Development Agency. The Responsible Business in Action Challenge 2026 forms part of UNGCNN’s ongoing work to document and share how Nigerian companies are putting the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact into practice.
The broader challenge for businesses is to ensure that responsible business commitments influence decisions across recruitment, procurement, workplace conditions, investment and supply-chain management.
For companies operating in an increasingly demanding economic environment, the issue is not simply how to communicate their sustainability ambitions, but how to demonstrate that those ambitions are reflected in the way they operate.
The transition from commitments to practice, the dialogue underscored, is ultimately a test of corporate leadership.
For more information about the Responsible Business in Action Challenge and upcoming programmes, visit unglobalcompactng.org.
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Stephen Onyekwelu is BusinessDay’s Strategy & Enterprise Delivery Executive, specialising in turning editorial vision into enterprise outcomes. A former Online News Editor and lead of the Go Local initiative (print, podcast & BDTV in partnership with Providus Bank), he blends investigative storytelling with platform strategy, conference design, and cross-functional delivery.
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