L-R: Charles Ifediba, CSR Lead, Seplat Energy Plc; Stanley Opara, Manager Corporate Communications; Esther Icha, CSR Manager; Dr. Eustace Onuegbu, Member of Trustees, Sustainability Professionals Institute of Nigeria; and Josephine Kola-Ajibade, Senior CSR Adviser, at the The CSR Reporters’ Social Impact & Sustainability Awards (SISA) where Seplat Energy won the CSR Award for Education Empowerment in Lagos

By Ngozi Onyeakusi—Seplat Energy Plc, a leading Nigerian independent energy company listed on both the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the London Stock Exchange, has won the Social Impact & Sustainability Awards (SISA)’s CSR Award for Education Empowerment organized by CSR Reporters.

CSR Reporters is Africa’s premier all-Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability publication; and the SASA, which is n ow in its fourth year, recognises initiatives of companies in promoting sustainable economies in Nigeria and in serving the needy public.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Eustace Onuegbu, Member of Trustees, Sustainability Professionals Institute of Nigeria and President, International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility, said the awards are targeted at recognising, honouring and celebrating the outstanding efforts of organisations and individuals that have made a transformative impact on Nigerian society in the year under review.

The award recognises the organisations that have integrated globally recognised and measurable sustainability standards including ISO 37101 Management Standards on Sustainable Development in Communities (MSSDC), ISO 26000 Social Responsibility, ISO 14001 Environmental Management, ISO 9001 Quality Management, ISO 20400 Sustainable Supply Chain Management, ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Standards, among others.

It also recognises organisations that have followed best reporting standards such as GRI and IIRC Standards. Other categories include specific initiatives in support of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and individual philanthropic efforts for the year under review.

The organisers of the awards commended Seplat Energy’s commitment to educational advancement and effective stakeholder engagement. They also lauded the company’s educational CSR initiatives like the Seplat Pearl’s Quiz, National Undergraduate Scholarship, SEPLAT Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), and Seplat Innovators programme.

Seplat Pearl’s Quiz started in 2012 for its host States and since then 57,875 teachers and students have been impacted through a total of 11,575 participating schools. Scholarships worth N8.1million have been awarded to winning secondary school students. The company has also contributed directly to improving the infrastructure of secondary schools by awarding prize money worth N101 million to winning secondary schools.

Seplat National Undergraduate Scholarship started in 2014 for host communities, states, and the nation. Since then, the company has provided scholarships to 780 Federal and State University undergraduate students of which 34 per cent are from our host communities.

SEPLAT Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP) started in 2020 for host States and since then it has provided 905 teachers and 87 Chief Inspectors of Education with digital teaching skills, leadership training, and income diversification; and supported the learning of over 10,000 students with new teaching skills.

The Seplat Innovators Programme is creating STEAM Laboratories which are collaborative spaces where the study of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics can be integrated through hands-on experiences in a pure laboratory or combined classroom-laboratory setting.

The Director, External Affairs and Social Performance, Seplat Energy Plc, Chioma Afe, represented by the CSR Manager, Esther Icha, commended the award organisers for the recognition whilst stressing the company’s commitment to global best practice in all programmes targeted at social development of the Nigerian people, especially its host communities.

According to her, Seplat Energy’s educational CSR initiatives are implemented in line with the company’s seven Principles of Corporate Strategy, which are: Accountability, Transparency, Ethical behaviour, Respect for stakeholders’ interests, Respect for the rule of law, Respect for international norms of behaviour, and Respect for human rights.

Other members of the Seplat Energy team present at the event were: Manager, Corporate Communications, Stanley Opara; CSR Lead, Charles Ifediba; and Senior CSR Adviser, Josephine Kola-Ajibade.