The Sustainability Professionals Institute of Nigeria (SPIN) has urged sustainability practitioners to prioritise governance over compliance, stressing that sustainable development can only be achieved when governance drives corporate strategy, accountability and decision-making.

The institute gave the charge on during the induction of 79 new members into its 2026 Cohort 6, describing the ceremony as another milestone in its efforts to professionalise sustainability practice in Nigeria.

Held in Lagos under the theme ‘Effective Corporate Governance as a Core Sustainability Pillar – Leading the Change’, the event brought together professionals from diverse sectors and institutional members, including Access Bank, ARM, ARRIDEX, Dangote Cement, FirstBank, IHS, Lotus Bank, Mainstream Energy Solutions, Oando and Seplat Energy.

Participants stressed that sustainability has evolved beyond reporting and regulatory compliance to become a governance imperative that must shape corporate strategy, strengthen organisational resilience and improve accountability.

Delivering the keynote address, Chairperson of SPIN‘s Scientific Committee and Professor of Accounting and Corporate Governance at the University of Nottingham, Prof Emmanuel Adegbite, said Africa must develop governance frameworks that reflect its unique institutional realities rather than merely adopting foreign models.

“Disclosures only translate into accountability when they are underpinned by good governance. Ambitions will remain just ambitions if they are not underpinned by governance,” he said.

SPIN Vice President, Dr Ini Abimbola, said the induction of 79 professionals further reinforced the institute’s position as one of Africa’s fastest-growing communities of sustainability practitioners.

She stressed the need to professionalise the sector, warning that the growing number of unqualified practitioners was undermining the profession’s credibility.

“Compliance is not sustainability. Governance is the beginning and the end of whether it is environmental, social or sustainability,” she said.

President of SPIN, Prof. Kenneth Amaechi, said the institute had grown from seven founding members in 2019 to more than 400 members, reflecting increasing awareness of sustainability as a strategic business imperative.

“Sustainability is a movement. It is a way of life, a mindset, and not about checking a box. It is lived, and those who live it will be known by their fruits,” he said.

Amaechi added that the institute has established a strategic partnership with the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability in the United Kingdom, set up a Scientific Committee comprising globally recognised scholars, and is pursuing legislation before the National Assembly to attain chartered status.

He said SPIN would continue to strengthen sustainability practice through training, professional development and partnerships with leading Nigerian companies.

The institute also announced plans to launch an annual sustainability conference to deepen national discourse on sustainability and position SPIN as Nigeria’s leading professional authority on sustainability practice.