Copyright tribuneonlineng
Industry leaders have emphasised financing, policy and innovation as catalysts for sustainable Africa’s energy future. They urged that Africa must begin to look for solutions that ensure energy fuel factories, light homes and sustain livelihoods. Speaking at a forum preceding the 2025 Private Sector ESG Forum, in Lagos, Head of Risk and Capital Management at Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Tosin Leye-Odeyemi, offered a candid assessment of the financing landscape for sustainability. She pointed out that transition financing isn’t a buzzword, but the backbone of implementation, urging the need to de-risk sustainability investments and build blended finance structures that attract both public and private capital. “If we want transformation, we must build financial systems that reward responsibility and long-term value creation,” she said. Leye-Odeyemi stressed that unlocking climate finance would require a clear link between sustainability outcomes and financial returns, urging the private sector to innovate around green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, and capital markets instruments that reflect Africa’s development priorities. More suggestions on the subject matter, she said would form the fulcrum of discussion when all stakeholders gather for the 2025 Private Sector ESG Forum in other to chart course for Africa’s energy future. Themed:“Energy Security and Decarbonisation: Bridging the Gap for a Sustainable Future,” it’s expected that the forum will help redefine how African businesses lead the transition, anchoring the continent’s growth on sustainability, equity, and shared prosperity. The Industry leaders said the summit underscored the urgent need for Africa to collectively design a transition model that reflects its unique realities, one that tackles energy poverty while advancing environmental responsibility and economic inclusion. Earlier in her opening remarks, Chair of the ESG Forum Technical Committee and External Affairs Director, BAT West and Central Africa, Odiri Erewa-Meggison, articulated the central dilemma of Africa’s sustainability journey: how to power development without compromising the environment. “Africa must not merely import global sustainability standards; we must define our own context. Our conversation is not just about reducing emissions, it is about expanding opportunity. We must begin to look for solutions that work for us; solutions that ensure energy fuels factories, lights homes, and sustains livelihoods,” she said. Erewa-Meggison emphasised that the forum aims to play a key role as a rallying point for action, anchored on collaboration between private sector actors, policymakers, and financiers. She noted that the transition must be pragmatic, ensuring equity for communities and industries that still struggle with basic access to power. “The transition is not only about what we stop doing, but what we build in its place: innovation, local capacity, and inclusive progress,” she concluded. Bringing the agribusiness perspective, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at TGI Group,Yosola Onanuga, explored the intersection of food, energy, and climate resilience. “Food security and energy security are inseparable. By integrating renewable energy into agricultural production and processing, agribusinesses can lower costs, reduce emissions, and build resilience for communities most vulnerable to climate shocks.” Head of Business Communication and Sustainability at BAT West and Central Africa, Halimat Shuaibu, reflected on the broader purpose of the ESG Forum: to move Africa from conversation to measurable impact. “This Forum is a collaborative commitment to align profit with purpose, and growth with responsibility,” she said. The media launch, which preceded the ESG Masterclass on October 28 and the main Forum on October 29, highlighted the forum’s growing role in driving sustainable business transformation, climate resilience, and corporate responsibility.
