By Joan Nwagwu
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has inaugurated Nigeria’s first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Implementation Guide for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to strengthen business sustainability.
Mr Femi Jaiyeola, Chairman of the NECA ESG Advisory Board, said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the guide at the 2026 Nigeria Employers’ Summit in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ESG is a framework used to evaluate how responsibly and sustainably a business operates beyond its financial performance.
The inauguration of the guide was organised in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Jaiyeola described the inauguration as a milestone, noting that MSMEs remained the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and required practical tools to compete in an increasingly sustainability-driven global business environment.
He said ESG had evolved beyond a regulatory compliance requirement to become an essential business strategy for attracting investment, improving competitiveness, strengthening resilience and enhancing long-term enterprise value.
“ESG has gone beyond a tick-box exercise to satisfy regulatory requirements. It now provides enormous opportunities for MSMEs and for Nigeria as a country,” he said.
According to him, the implementation guide comes at a critical time when regulators, financial institutions and global markets are increasingly demanding sustainable business practices from enterprises of every size.
“The message for MSMEs is very clear. By 2030, ESG reporting is expected to become mandatory in Nigeria. Therefore, the time to prepare is now,” he said.
Jaiyeola said the guide provides a practical, step-by-step roadmap to enable MSMEs to begin their ESG journey progressively while generating measurable business value and strengthening long-term organisational resilience.
He said that beyond regulatory compliance, ESG adoption would improve access to finance, enhance business reputation, expand market opportunities and position Nigerian enterprises for greater participation in international value chains.
“This guide is more than a document. It is a practical tool that will help Nigerian MSMEs compete, grow and thrive in a sustainability-driven economy,” he said.
Jaiyeola commended the ILO consultants and members of the NECA ESG Advisory Board for their technical support, expertise and commitment to producing the implementation guide.
He recalled that NECA, with ILO support, conducted a state-of-the-art assessment on ESG in Nigeria, which was launched on Dec. 4, 2025, to strengthen sustainability practices.
According to him, findings from the assessment underscored the need to integrate MSMEs into Nigeria’s ESG framework because of their strategic role in national economic development and job creation.
“What we are launching today is, to the best of our knowledge, the first ESG Implementation Guide specifically designed for MSMEs in Nigeria and across Africa,” he said.
Jaiyeola expressed optimism that the guide would help MSMEs understand ESG principles, maximise sustainability opportunities and improve their competitiveness in domestic and international markets.
He disclosed that six NECA officials were currently undergoing specialised ESG training for SMEs at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy.
According to him, upon completion of the training, the officials will train MSMEs across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to deepen ESG awareness, implementation and compliance among small businesses nationwide.
He said the initiative reflected NECA’s commitment to building the capacity of Nigerian businesses to embrace sustainability and remain competitive in the evolving global business environment.