By Ngozi Onyeakusi– As part of its Employee Give-Back initiative, employees of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (“NSE” or “Exchange”) have donated funds to support the initiatives of the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) in Lagos during the Christmas holidays. The Employee Giveback initiative is one of various employee engagement initiatives instituted to encourage employees to make a positive impact in their communities whilst providing them with hands-on experience and learning opportunities on issues that plague the society.

WARIF is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 in response to the high incidence of sexual assault, rape and human trafficking occurring amongst young girls and women across Nigeria.

While presenting the donation to WARIF, Mr. Olumide Orojimi, Head, Corporate Communications, NSE said, “Giving back by volunteering our time, donating money and other essentials is at the core of our culture at the NSE. In addition, we believe that promoting gender equality and diversity is a critical success factor for global economic prosperity. At the Exchange, we champion an organisational culture that promotes diversity and inclusion as well as the wellbeing and development of all employees through the implementation of gender friendly policies”.

Prior to this donation, NSE employees participated in the WARIF “No tolerance for rape walk” which was held on Saturday, December 7, 2019, in commemoration of the United Nations ‘16 Days of Activism’ for Gender-Based Violence.

The donation to WARIF builds on the longstanding tradition of donating money, food items and volunteering time by NSE employees in their bid to make a positive impact in the society. Over the years, NSE Employees have raised funds for worthy causes. During the 2018 Easter celebrations, NSE employees donated money to fund medical bills for 10 children in SOS Children’s Village, Lagos. In 2017, NSE employees donated various food and household items to charities across the country including The Lagos Food Bank Initiative, Agege, Lagos, Total Parental Guidance Orphanage, Ibadan, Oyo State and Christian Relief Fund Motherless Babies Home, Obosi, Anambra State, all selected based on employees nomination and were selected via a random ballot system.

The Exchange continues to build a thriving capital market by championing sustainability along four key impact areas of Marketplace, its platform for promoting market-based approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) imperatives; Community, where the NSE makes contributions to positively impact lives; Workplace, through which the Exchange facilitates diversity, wellbeing and harnesses the talents and skills of its people; and the Environment as it focuses on reducing its environmental impact.