International sustainability advocacy and consulting firm, CSR-in-Action, has recently announced the theme for the 12th annual Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) Conference; an annual workshop organised by CSR-in-Action in partnership with key stakeholders in the industry, including Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (FMMSD), Ministry of Environment, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and so on.
In the 12 years since its inception, SITEI has birthed initiatives such as SITEI-Woman, Earth Women Documentary, Community and Human Rights (CAHR) Awards Africa, The Community Engagement Standards (CES), and The Corporate Sustainable Investor Report (CSIR). The conferences have been attended by business executives, the most senior government officers for the industries, and representatives of various organisations.
This year, the SITEI Conference is centred on ‘The SDGs and the Extractive Sector: Aligning Governance, Policies and Practices’. It is set to explore the affiliation between the activities of industries in the extractive sector and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for equitable, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable economic development.
Speaking on this year’s conference, set to hold on the 31st of October 2023, Bekeme Olowola, Chief Executive, CSR-in-Action, and SITEI Convener said, “We prioritised collective development, as always, when formulating the central focus and direction of this conference, to explore how essential stakeholders can jointly leverage the abundance of existing and potential opportunities within the extractive industries. This Conference has been meticulously designed to create a secure environment for these crucial deliberations, and we firmly believe that this meeting, over the years, has brought the sub-region closer to discovering low-hanging and long-term opportunities within the sector.”
The SITEI Conference has had notable speakers such as former ministers of petroleum and mining and solid minerals, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and Dr Oby Ezekwesili; Dr Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary, NEITI; Stephen Vertigans, Head of School of Applied Social Studies, Robert Gordon University, UK; Dr Ndidi Nnoli, Board Member, International Sustainability Standards Board IFRS Foundation; Michel Puchercos, Group CEO, Dangote Cement; Teshome Nkrumah, Deputy High Commissioner, Deputy High Commission of Canada; Idris Musa, Director General/Chief Executive, NOSDRA; and Alero Onosode, Chair, Diversity Social Working Group; the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), amongst others.
