By Barbara Nwaiwu
The Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) has commenced corporate baseline assessments under its N-Zero initiative to help Nigerian businesses strengthen climate readiness and develop credible pathways towards net-zero emissions.
The NGX Group disclosed this in a statement on Friday. The assessments mark the next phase of the N-Zero initiative, which was launched in January in partnership with DEG Impulse gGmbH and Africa Foresight Group (AFG) to help companies move from climate ambition to measurable action.
The initiative focuses on supporting businesses through climate strategy, emissions measurement, transition planning and access to emerging carbon-market opportunities.
The baseline assessment is designed to establish the starting point of each participating company and evaluate its readiness in areas including climate-risk management, emissions measurement and reporting, target-setting, transition planning, technical capabilities and carbon-market opportunities.
NGX Group said the findings would be used to identify priority gaps and develop tailored support for participating companies.
Since its launch, N-Zero has engaged more than 50 companies across key sectors, with 17 formally onboarded as community members and more than 100 companies receiving the baseline survey.
The community members include Access Holdings, Dangote Cement, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Stanbic IBTC Holdings, First HoldCo, Fidelity Bank, Zenith Bank, Wema Bank, NEM Insurance, Chapel Hill Denham, BUA Cement and Caverton Offshore Support Group.
Others are Presco, Oando, HBM Nigeria, Seplat Energy and Skyway Aviation Handling Company.
Temi Popoola, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NGX Group, said the transition to a net-zero economy was increasingly becoming a factor in competitiveness, investor confidence and access to capital.
“The transition to a net-zero economy is increasingly becoming a factor in competitiveness, investor confidence and access to capital. Nigerian businesses therefore need to move beyond climate ambition to demonstrate measurable and credible progress.”
“The baseline assessment is a critical step because it gives us the evidence and insight required to tailor support and help participating companies turn climate intent into measurable action and long-term value.”
Popoola said the baseline exercise would help participating companies understand their current position, identify gaps and develop practical pathways towards their climate goals.
Following the baseline exercise, participating companies will undergo needs assessments combining digital diagnostics with expert technical reviews to determine their readiness levels and identify priority areas for intervention.
The assessments will also define next steps towards credible climate targets, transition plans and implementation.
N-Zero is structured to take companies through a progression from awareness and assessment to target-setting, transition planning, validation, implementation and impact tracking.
Under the 2026 roadmap, baseline analysis and initial needs assessments are expected to be completed in September, while partner-led sessions and tailored support packages are scheduled for October and November.
The broader programme targets include supporting participating companies to develop science-aligned targets and transition plans, assess emissions-reduction potential, facilitate eligible carbon-offsetting projects and track progress towards the reduction or avoidance of approximately 20,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions.
NGX Group said the initiative would also contribute to building a more climate-ready corporate sector and a capital market better positioned to respond to risks and opportunities arising from the global transition to a lower-carbon economy.
