In an age of relentless disruption from digital transformation to geopolitical tension and more businesses facing increasing challenges, experts have urged entrepreneurs to embrace business resiliency.

Leading this charge, risk management expert, Samson Adegbenro, noted that with the pace of change accelerating and uncertainty becoming the norm, business owners are encouraged to take risk management more seriously and shift toward a more dynamic and proactive approach. He added that risk management plays a critical role, bringing people, systems, and strategies together in a way that helps organisations stay steady in turbulent times.

Revealing that most resilient companies do not just react to crises, he said they prepare for them; building capabilities that allow them to absorb shocks and come out stronger on the other side.

“These forward-thinking organisations typically share a set of critical features, cross-functional crisis response teams, real-time risk assessment, well-tested incident and recovery protocols and most importantly, a strong culture of accountability and ownership,” he said.

Armed with years of experience advising organisations on how to navigate risk and build resilience, he is widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading voices on enterprise risk.

He stressed that with Nigeria’s growing economy and rapidly expanding private sector, embracing business resiliency mindset is crucial for ensuring sustainability. According to him, business resilience is no longer optional but essential for survival and growth in an increasingly complex world.

He said at the heart of this resilience is a mature, agile and forward-thinking risk management function that helps companies anticipate the unexpected, respond with confidence and emerge stronger.

Speaking on the urgency of the matter, Adegbenro noted that Nigeria’s growing economy and rapidly expanding private sector makes the need for business resilience more pressing than ever. “Companies must move beyond reactive risk assessments; they need to embed resilience into their DNA, from the boardroom to the frontlines,” he said.

For today’s businesses, he said resilience is the ultimate competitive advantage and risk management is how they earn it. “It is not the strongest that survive, but the most adaptable,” he said.