Don Calls for Private Sector’s Contribution in Actualising SDGs in 2030

Don Calls for Private Sector’s Contribution in Actualising SDGs in 2030

Sunday Okobi

A Professor of Public Relations and Advertising with the Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU), Ogwa, Edo State, Ezekiel Shegun Asemah, has called for defined roles for the private sector and other stakeholders in actualising the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Asemah, who also teaches Mass Communication at the University of Benin, stated this at the third Inaugural Lecture of the Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU), Ogwa, titled: ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in the 21st Century: Refocusing on Sustainable Development Through Stakeholders’ Approach’.

He said governments at all levels needed the support of the private sector and other stakeholders in actualising the 2030 SDGs, noting that with the Nigeria’s ‘population boom’, it would make managing poverty rate and the actualisation of SDGs in 2030 more difficult.

Highlighting the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in attaining sustainable development in Nigeria, Asemah urged players in the private sector to design and implement their CSR programmes on a continuous basis to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

The professor described the high rate of poverty in the country as alarming, adding that with the rising poverty indices, it might be difficult for Nigeria to meet the SDGs goals in 2030 without the support of stakeholders in the private sector.

According to him, “The emerging concept of SDGs has important implication for organisations in the private sector in Nigeria.”

The private sector must partner the government in different areas to work towards the realisation of SDGs, meaning that it must support government’s development efforts and must incorporate corporate sustainability initiatives in their programmes.”

Asemah also posited that CSR could contribute significantly to sustainable development in the country when corporations and organisations establish robust CSR policies and functional public relations (PR) units.

On his part, the Vice Chancellor of SAU, Prof. Babatunde Idowu, commended Asemah for his ideas during his lecture, noting that it was apt and a rewarding academic exercise, “which provided an opportunity for the scholar to briefly review his research field and explain his contributions to the body of knowledge.”

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