FRC Deploys National Digital Platform to Boost Sustainability Regulatory Reporting, Investor Confidence, Others

• Rabiu Olowo: initiative will boost capital inflows, identify risk concentrations, potential misstatements, strengthen enforcement with data-driven oversight

James Emejo in Abuja

Executive Secretary/Chief Executive, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), Dr. Rabiu Olowo, has signed a tripartite agreement for the development of a national digital platform for sustainability regulatory reporting in the country.

The agreement involves FRC and UK-based SALI Technologies, which specialises in AI-driven sustainability assessments and reporting.

The partnership also includes Regulatory Compliance Readiness Advisors (RCRA) Limited, which ensures that the sustainability ecosystem — regulators, reporting entities, and assurance professionals, — possesses the knowledge, skills, and institutional readiness to use the digital platform effectively and responsibly.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Olowo described the move as regulatory modernisation in action. He stated that the framework signified a commitment to the future of transparency, accountability, and sustainable economic growth, helping to attract global capital into the country.

He said the platform positioned the country firmly within the global movement towards credible, technology-enabled sustainability regulation, enabling structured sustainability reporting across Public Interest Entities (PIEs).

He stated that the deployment will further enhance regulatory monitoring, strengthen enforcement capability, and generate actionable analytics as well as support assurance activities that enhance credibility and trust.

Olowo said, “For too long, sustainability reporting has often been fragmented, manual, inconsistent, and difficult to verify.

“Today, we are replacing fragmentation with integration. We are replacing opacity with transparency. We are replacing manual inefficiency with digital intelligence.

“Through this platform, the Financial Reporting Council will be able to standardise sustainability disclosures in alignment with globally recognised frameworks; monitor compliance in real time, identify risk concentrations across sectors, detect inconsistencies and potential misstatements.”

He added that the platform will strengthen enforcement with data-driven oversight, support assurance professionals with structured reporting architecture.

Commenting on the broader significance of the platform, Olowo stressed that global capital was increasingly sustainability-sensitive.

According to him, development finance institutions, multilateral lenders, private equity investors, and international banks are integrating sustainability metrics into their financing decisions.

He stated that countries that could demonstrate credible, digital, regulator-backed sustainability reporting frameworks will enjoy greater investor confidence.

Olowo said, “By establishing this national digital platform, Nigeria sends a powerful signal: We are serious about credible reporting.

“We are serious about regulatory integrity. We are serious about data-driven governance. We are serious about sustainable development.

“This platform will also enable aggregated analytics at a national level. It will provide policymakers with insights into climate risk exposure, sectoral sustainability performance, and emerging environmental and social trends.

“It will support evidence-based policymaking and national development planning. In essence, we are not only building a reporting tool. We are building national infrastructure for sustainable economic intelligence.”

He commended SALI and RCRA for their partnership and technical collaboration, stating that public-private cooperation is essential in building systems of the scale and ambition.

Olowo stated, “The success of this platform will depend not only on technology, but on governance, data integrity, and sustained institutional commitment.

“The Financial Reporting Council remains committed to fostering high-quality reporting, strengthening public confidence, and aligning Nigeria with international best practices while respecting our local realities.

“This concession agreement marks the beginning of a journey — a journey toward transparency powered by technology, governance strengthened by data, and sustainability embedded in economic decision-making.

“Let this platform stand as a symbol of Nigeria’s resolve to lead responsibly, regulate intelligently, and grow sustainably.”

Founder/Chief Executive, RCRA Limited, Dr. Iheanyi Anyahara, said the initiative represented a future where “sustainability reporting is not feared, but understood; not resisted, but embraced; not superficial, but credible”.

Anyahara said the partnership marked a significant milestone — not only in regulatory modernisation – but also national capacity development.

He said, “As the partner responsible for capacity under this National Digital Platform initiative, RCRA recognises that technology alone does not transform systems. People do.

“Standards do not implement themselves. Platforms do not operate themselves. Data does not become credible without competence.

“Our mandate in this partnership is clear: to ensure that the ecosystem — regulators, reporting entities, and assurance professionals, possesses the knowledge, skills, and institutional readiness to use this platform effectively and responsibly.”

Anyahara added, “Capacity is the bridge between policy and performance.

“It is the bridge between compliance and credibility. Our goal is not simply to train. It is to build enduring institutional competence across Nigeria’s reporting landscape.”

Anyahara explained that

that the National Digital Platform will provide structure, transparency, and intelligence, while the RCRA will provide understanding, training, guidance, and professional development.

 He said, “We will support public interest entities in strengthening sustainability reporting capabilities; as well as assurance professionals in adapting to evolving sustainability standards, and regulatory personnel in leveraging digital tools for monitoring and enforcement.”

Anyahara also stated, “We are proud to stand alongside FRC and SALI in building this national infrastructure — not only digital infrastructure, but human and professional infrastructure -because sustainable systems require sustainable capacity.”

Chief Executive/Managing Director, SALI Technologies, Dr. Eberechi Weli, said the implementation of the digital platform will have significant impact on industries, regulators, public interest entities, and the wider public.

Weli said, “SALI is the first core AI sustainability technology developed from the ground up. Many existing technologies are static. Salli was built with AI at its core.

“We spent two and a half years on research and another two to three years working with organisations such as Heathrow Airport, providing solutions on sustainability and climate reporting.

“We are here to help Nigeria—my country—and to work with the FRC to replicate and even improve on what we have achieved in Europe.”

He said, “Our intention is to enable digital reporting and digital evaluation of reporting. We hope to support full ISSB alignment.

“We have engaged with the ISSB and established partnerships for this project. We prepared thoroughly before today to ensure a smooth process.”