By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
A leading Nigerian independent energy company, Seplat Energy, has won the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award of Social Impact & Sustainability Awards (SISA) for Education Empowerment.
The award which was organized by CSR Reporters, Africa’s premier all-CSR and sustainability publication, alongside SISA, recognizes the initiatives of companies in promoting sustainable economies and in serving the less privileged public in Nigeria.
A Member of Trustees of the Sustainability Professionals Institute of Nigeria and President of the International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility, Dr. Eustace Onuegbu, while speaking at the ceremony, said that the awards are targeted at recognizing, honouring and celebrating the outstanding efforts of organizations and individuals who have made a transformative impact on the Nigerian society in the year under review.
The organizers of the awards commended Seplat Energy’s commitment to educational advancement and effective stakeholder engagement. They also lauded the company’s educational CSR initiatives such as 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 host states and since then 57,875 teachers and students have been impacted through a total of 11,575 participating schools. Scholarships worth N8.1 million have also been awarded to winning secondary school students. In addition, the company contributed directly to improving the infrastructure of secondary schools by awarding prize money worth N101 million to winning secondary schools.
For its National Undergraduate Scholarship, which started in 2014 for host communities, states, and the nation, the company has provided scholarships to 780 Federal and State University undergraduate students, with 34 per cent from its host communities.
The SEPLAT Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP) started in 2020 for host states and has since then provided 905 teachers and 87 Chief Inspectors of Education with digital teaching skills, leadership training, and income diversification; including supporting the learning of over 10,000 students with new teaching skills.
Likewise, the Seplat Innovators Programme is creating STEAM laboratories, as 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 of External Affairs and Social Performance for Seplat Energy, Chioma Afe, represented by the CSR Manager, Esther Icha, commended the award organizers for the recognition, while stressing the company’s commitment to global best practices in all programmes targeted at the 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 include 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 the Manager of Corporate Communications, Stanley Opara, the CSR Lead, Charles Ifediba, and the Senior CSR Adviser, Josephine Kola-Ajibade.
The award recognizes organizations that have integrated, globally recognized and measurable sustainability standards, including the International Standard Organization (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 recognizes organizations that have followed the 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.
