ICSAN tasks organisations with AI-driven solutions for good governance

L-R: Registrar/CEO of Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Mr. Babatunde Oladipo Okuneye ACIS, Chairman of Lagos State Chapter of ICSAN, Miss Efosa Ewere, FCIS, Hon. Treasurer of ICSAN, Mr. Francis Olawale, FCIS, President of ICSAN, Mrs. Funmi Ekundayo, FCIS, Keynote speaker, Associate Director & Data Engineering Lead (Africa), KPMG, Mr. Christopher Ogirri, Vice Chairman of ICSAN Corporate Members and Training Committee, Mrs. Olufunlola Salami, FCIS, Discussant, Group General Counsel/Company Secretary, United Capital Plc, Dr. Leo Okafor, FCIS, and Discussant, Head, Communications and Partnership, NGX Group, Mr. Clifford Akpolo, at the ICSAN 2025, Company Secretaries and Registrars’ Forum

The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) has emphasised the need for organisations and businesses to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven solutions for efficient governance.

Associate Director and Data Engineering Lead (Africa) Tech Platforms (AI and Data Services) KPMG, Christopher Ogirri, gave the charge in his keynote address at this year’s ICSAN Company and Registrars’ Forum, where he spoke on ‘Enhancing the AI Mindset in Delivering Sustainability Principles on Data Management and Governance’.

He highlighted AI’s role in automating compliance reporting, reducing errors, improving risk assessment, and streamlining governance processes.

As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting will become mandatory in Nigeria by 2028, and while organisations plan to adopt AI to enhance ESG data management and governance, Ogirri urged that secretaries and registrars must be aware of key concerns related to data privacy, security, and reliability.

According to him, regulatory and governance concerns must be carefully addressed to ensure compliance, transparency, and ethical decision-making.

“While AI enhances ESG reporting by automating data collection and analysis, improving transparency and compliance, governance professionals must ensure its responsible and ethical use.

“As organisations integrate AI into governance and ESG processes, secretaries and registrars must collaborate with technology teams to ensure that AI tools align with compliance, and ethical standards,” he said.

At the panel session, Managing Partner, Caleb Consulting Uganda Limited, Bamidele Oseni, urged that secretaries and administrators must take advantage of compliance software and blockchain technology to drive organizational efficiency.

He said for everyone using AI, there are obligations such as risk management systems, data systems, human oversight, and robust cyber security frameworks for accountable AI use.

Company Secretary, United Capital Plc, Dr Leo Okafor, emphasised the need for an ethical AI committee, chaired by independent committee board members to identify gaps in the system to drive accountability.

He also called for the awareness and implementation of the laws on responsible AI use, adding that organisations must have a framework that protects data and corrects breaches.

Earlier in her remarks, President and Council of Chairman, ICSAN, Funmi Ekundayo, highlighted the benefits of AI, which she said include faster performance, reduced human errors, and elimination of injury in hazardous environments, among others.

The ICSAN chief, however, stressed that there was currently increasing awareness of the imperative of safe and environmentally corporate business practices inclusive of AI adoption and usage.

According to her, the need to find ways AI can be employed as a technical accelerator and incubator mechanism for delivering innovations and products in consonance with sustainability principles on data management and governance is paramount.