Gaps in how sustainability is communicated across government, business and media are undermining Nigeria's development agenda, experts warn. Without a unified framework, stakeholder trust and investor capital may slip away.
The call comes amid rising pressure for clearer disclosures, stronger engagement, and accessible messaging, all seen as essential if Nigeria is to meet its ESG commitments and leverage green finance effectively.
Communication Gaps Threaten Nigeria's Development
Nigeria is experiencing an increasingly vocal warning from sustainability and communication professionals: the way environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are reported and communicated across sectors is fractured and that fracture is creating a drag on national development.
According to the commentary, disparate messaging from government, corporations, and the media is leaving the public confused, investors cautious, and policy intent diluted.
Data Reflects the Misalignment
Experts at a recent panel noted key indicators of the problem:
- While Nigeria is committed to meeting international ESG and SDG standards, the transparency and clarity of how these commitments are communicated remain weak.
- A unified sustainability-communication standard is yet to be adopted, leaving ministries, businesses and the press each speaking in different "languages".
Communication-Gap Indicators in Nigeria's Sustainability Ecosystem
| Indicator | Status | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Unified communication standard (NSCS) | Proposed, not yet officially adopted | Fragmentation persists |
| Stakeholder-friendly disclosures | Limited simplification and accessibility | Public and investor misunderstanding |
| Cross-sector alignment (gov't, business, media) | Low | Mixed messages and reduced accountability |
Communication-Gap Indicators in Nigeria's Sustainability Ecosystem
Why Fixing This Matters
Clear, aligned sustainability communication is more than a polish exercise. It underpins investor confidence, green-capital flows and public engagement.
Experts emphasise that Nigeria's ability to attract external finance and hold firms accountable hinges on how well the story is told and understood.
One panellist remarked that when citizens see data in formats they understand, "accountability stops being a policy statement and becomes a shared community value".
What Nigeria Must Do
- Establish a national framework, the proposed National Sustainability Communication Standard (NSCS), to harmonise messaging and disclosure for government, business and media.
- Translate ESG reports and sustainability information into accessible formats: visual dashboards, local languages, human-centred storytelling.
- Strengthen capacity-building for journalists, corporate communicators and community stakeholders so that messaging aligns with national development goals.
Path from Fragmented Communication to Unified Messaging
Path Forward – Harmonised Sustainability Messaging Drives Growth
For Nigeria to realise the full potential of its sustainability ambitions, communication must evolve from a side conversation to the core narrative connecting policy, business and citizen action.
Key next steps include:
- Accelerating policy adoption for the NSCS and mandating simplified annual updates across sectors.
- Incentivising or requiring companies to publish short, accessible sustainability updates that map to national goals and speak to diverse audiences.
- Launching cross-sector communication hubs where government agencies, firms and media co-create strategies, share dashboards and report jointly on progress.
- Embedding measurement and feedback loops so that communication efforts are tracked, improved and linked to impact.
If implemented effectively, these steps can convert communication from a lagging indicator into a strategic lever, one that enhances transparency, builds trust, galvanises stakeholders and unlocks investment for Nigeria's development.
Culled From: https://punchng.com/sustainability-communication-gaps-threaten-nigerias-development-experts-warn/
