NNPC Becomes First African State-owned Oil Firm to Adopt UN’s Global Compact

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has signed up as a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, thereby becoming the first state-owned oil company to join the global initiative.

In a short ceremony on the sidelines of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s session during the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Group Chief Executive of NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari signed the letter of commitment, signifying NNPC’s participation in the UN Global Compact.

Speaking shortly after signing the dotted lines, the GCEO said that as a dynamic global energy company with businesses and operations across the entire spectrum of the energy value chain, NNPC’s participation in the UN Global Compact was a further testimony to Nigeria’s commitment to work with global partners towards attaining a just energy transition.

The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to get businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation.

 The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiative, with 13, 000 corporate participants and other stakeholders from over 170 countries.

A statement from the NNPC said the GCEO added that with this development, NNPC supports the 10 Principles of the United Nations Global Compact on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.

“We are committed to making the UN Global Compact and its principles part of our strategy, culture and day-to-day operations of our company, and to engage in collaborative projects which advance the broader development of goals of the United Nations, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Kyari added.

Earlier in her remarks shortly after signing on behalf of the UN Global Compact, the Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Nigeria, Ms. Naomi Nwokolo described NNPC’s move to become a participant of the UN Global Compact as a pivotal step in fostering a culture of ethical business conduct, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility.