By Peter Egwuatu

The Chairman, Bond Forum and Capital Markets Pathway Qualifications Assessment Board of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) in the United Kingdom, Neil Brown, has urged companies to  implement sustainability policies of environmental, social and governance (ESG) to respond to increasing investor demand. 

Besides, Brown, a Chartered Fellow of CISI, who was the keynote speaker at a webinar organized by Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) in partnership with CISI, said sustainability is a major tool deployed by portfolio managers, asset managers and other investment advisers to recommend profitable companies for their clients.

Delivering a paper entitled “Sustainability in Nigeria’s economy, Capital Markets and Investment Products”, at the webinar, Brown explained that companies should embed sustainability in their business both to capture positive investment performance as well as offset negative effects of environmental challenges, promote good governance and community relations. 

According to him, companies should also collaborate with stakeholders to raise awareness, build capacity and promote action on sustainability. 

Earlier in his welcome address, the Head, Education and Training, CIS, Chukwudi Nga, explained that the webinar was one in the series of Mandatory Continuing Programme Development (MCPD), designed to upskill the members of both CIS and CISI this year to enhance their professional practice. 

“Companies in Nigeria are aware of the essence of compliance with ESG. There are laws on sustainability in the Nigerian Constitution”, said Nga.