The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has unveiled plans to make sustainability reporting mandatory for large public interest entities from 2027 as Nigeria moves to align its corporate disclosure framework with global environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting standards.

The phased implementation will begin with voluntary adoption by early adopters and large public interest entities before becoming mandatory in 2027. The requirement will extend to other public interest entities in 2028 and small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) by 2030.

Director-General of the SEC, Dr Emomotimi Agama, disclosed this at the 2026 Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) Sustainability and ESG Conference 3.0 in Lagos, themed ‘Building a Sustainable Africa: Integrating Environmental Stewardship, Social Investment, and Strong Governance for a Prosperous Future’.

Agama said Nigeria’s sustainability disclosure regime is being aligned with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) framework, including IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, which have emerged as the global benchmark for sustainability reporting.

He said that institutional investors increasingly consider ESG performance a key determinant of capital allocation rather than a peripheral corporate responsibility issue, noting that the price of entry is disclosure.

He said the reforms would strengthen investor confidence and position Nigerian businesses to access global capital markets, where sustainability disclosures are becoming an essential investment requirement.

According to him, Nigeria’s capital market has recorded significant expansion, with market capitalisation growing from about N130 trillion to nearly N160 trillion following recent market reforms, while assets under management have surpassed N9 trillion.

To deepen sustainable finance, Agama said the commission was promoting infrastructure, green and municipal bonds, alongside infrastructure-focused investment funds, to mobilise long-term capital for critical national projects.

He added that the SEC would also encourage investments in the blue economy and support financing for the power sector through green energy bonds, project bonds and public-private investment structures.

The SEC chief cited the recent launch of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Impact Board as another milestone in advancing sustainable finance and urged companies, regulators and investors to move beyond commitments by embedding sustainability into governance, operations and investment decisions.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), Dr Chizor Malize, said sustainability and ESG had evolved from compliance issues to core drivers of business competitiveness, investment decisions and economic development.

She said the conference, now in its third edition since 2024, had become a leading platform for advancing sustainability discourse in Africa, adding that this year’s gathering was designed to move stakeholders “from conversation to commitment”.

Chairman of the FITC Advisory Board, Prof Fabian Ajogwu, described governance as the foundation of sustainable development, arguing that Africa must become a standard-setter rather than merely adopting frameworks developed elsewhere.

Although Africa contributes less than four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, he said, the continent bears a disproportionate share of climate-related impacts, including worsening floods and increasingly erratic weather patterns.

Ajogwu also cited estimates that poor governance costs Africa between $88 billion and $90 billion annually, while highlighting technology-driven agricultural initiatives, including a partnership involving Morocco’s OCP Group and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), as examples of practical models that should be replicated across the continent.

Delivering the keynote address, Chairman of the MTN Nigeria Foundation, Mosun Belo-Olusoga, said the debate over the relevance of sustainability and ESG had ended, with the real challenge now centred on implementation.

She observed that global investors increasingly evaluate businesses on governance quality, resilience and their ability to manage environmental and social risks, in addition to profitability.

Belo-Olusoga noted that despite contributing the least to global carbon emissions, Africa possesses vast arable land, abundant renewable energy resources and critical minerals required for the global energy transition.

She identified four leadership priorities for the continent: shifting from short-term performance to long-term value creation, replacing corporate philanthropy with strategic social investment, moving beyond regulatory compliance to responsible leadership, and strengthening collaboration among governments, businesses and development partners.

She also outlined five priorities for Africa’s ESG agenda over the next decade, including embedding sustainability into corporate strategy and governance, investing in human capital, mobilising indigenous capital through instruments such as green bonds and pension funds, strengthening institutional accountability, and fostering partnerships in renewable energy, digital technology and climate-smart agriculture.

“The defining challenge before Africa is not a shortage of vision; it is execution,” Belo-Olusoga said, urging governments to create enabling policies, businesses to integrate ESG into enterprise risk management, and financial institutions to develop innovative financing mechanisms that support a green and inclusive economy.