People, Communities, and Company: Why SROL Is Deepening Its Public Health Investment
Princewill Osuchukwu
At Segilola Resources Operating Limited (SROL), we recognise a truth often overlooked in the extractive sector: the health of our operations is inextricably linked to the health of our host communities. A mining site cannot thrive in isolation. When the people around us are healthy, productive, and supported, our business environment is more stable, our workforce is stronger, and our long-term sustainability is assured.
This isn’t just corporate goodwill but sound business sense. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) is clear: investment in health systems delivers economic and social returns that ripple far beyond clinics and hospitals. For companies like ours, it also translates into safer operations, lower absenteeism, improved community relations, and a social licence to operate that endures.
Since the start of our operations, SROL’s annual comprehensive medical outreach has reached and benefitted over 10,000 people from our host communities and beyond – offering free screenings, consultations, treatments and even surgeries for a wide range of health needs.
In 2024, during our annual community medical outreach, we piloted an initiative that has since taken root as one of our proudest commitments: SegunCare. Named in honour of our CEO, Segun Lawson (whose dedication to both staff and community well-being has been unwavering), SegunCare was designed to go beyond one-off consultations was created to provide ongoing care and follow-up for residents of our host communities living with chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and other illnesses. We found that a lot of host community residents with chronic conditions were going untreated because of financial constraints.
That pilot year changed lives. Over 100 residents received sustained medical attention, medications, and monitoring—many for the first time. And we learnt something powerful: treating immediate health needs is important, but addressing long-term conditions is transformative.
This year, during our 2025 community medical outreach (scheduled for the 22nd and 23rd of August), we will officially launch SegunCare as an ongoing program. Not only will it continue to support those with chronic physical illnesses, but it will also include care for psychiatric and mental health conditions. In too many of our host communities, mental health is neglected, stigmatised, and unsupported. We believe it’s time for that to change.
From providing essential medications to facilitating specialist consultations, SegunCare represents a holistic approach to health. Alongside treatment, the program delivers health education and personalised advice on lifestyle changes – such as diet adjustments, exercise, stress reduction, and other preventive measures – empowering residents to take charge of their long-term well-being.
It is not free to deliver, and without the commitment of management, it would not be possible. But in our view, the returns—measured in healthier families, improved productivity, and stronger community bonds—are worth every naira.
The lesson we’ve learned applies across industries: companies cannot ignore the public health context in which they operate. The well-being of host communities is not an optional add-on to CSR but a core part of operational risk management and business continuity. In sectors like mining, where the social licence to operate is fragile and often contested, proactive investment in community health is a stabilising force.
SegunCare is our commitment, but it is also an invitation. We invite other companies to recognise the public health link in their operational footprint, align with global goals like SDG 3, and take bold steps to make health and well-being central to their sustainability strategies.
Because when our communities thrive, so do we.
*Osuchukwu is SROL Medical Services Manager.
