The Nigerian Conservation Foundation(NCF) in Lagos on Monday, urged all companies to prioritise conservation in an aim to sustaining biodiversity.
The NCF Director General(DG), Dr Joseph Onoja, made this known at the National Business Advisory Group(BAG) Workshop on Biodiversity held at Lekki, Lagos.
The BAG workshop is aimed at mobilising private sector action to
support Nigeria’s biodiversity goals under the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).
The workshop comes at a critical time, as Nigeria had validated its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and is aligning with the Montreal Biodiversity Framework.
The purpose of the workshop is to build a shared understanding of Nigeria’s national commitment to biodiversity conservation and clarify the role and value of business in supporting healthy ecosystem implementation.
The NCF expressed gratitude to participants for taking time to attend the workshop and emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnership in driving solutions to biodiversity challenges.
The workshop is expected to foster open and honest discussions on challenges, opportunities, and leadership in biodiversity conservation, and shape a shared vision for collaboration going forward.
“This gathering comes at a time, at a very important moment. Nigeria has recently validated our NBSAPS.
“The purpose of today’s workshop is therefore simple but very significant, to build a shared understanding of our national biodiversity commitments.
“One of the purpose is also to clarify roles and values of BAG, and to begin to shape a practical and impactful business action plan that will support every SAP’s implementation,”he said.
Onoja solid there was a need for each country to draw up its own instruments nationally to be able to protect biodiversity.
“This is called the National biodiversity strategies and action plans. NBSAPS for every country, Nigeria has done its part, and as has submitted.
“I mean, it’s validated, but there’s a need for every person to be involved. So it’s going to be like the whole of society and whole of government approach, where nobody will be left behind.
“Today is for us to look at the business sector, how the business sector is going to be involved in the protection of biodiversity.
“We are losing biodiversity, and so businesses also are involved, both in the problem of losing biodiversity, but much more important in the solution of that,”he said.
He said that was the reason the workshop was put together, to look at the business action and the biodiversity,
“The BAG for biodiversity, and also to develop what we call the business action plan for the protection of biodiversity,”he said.
An environmental consultant, Dr John Onyekuru during his keynote address, thanked NCF for what it was doing, adding that the organisation been mapping biodiversity.
“They are so in the forefront of mapping biodiversity in Nigeria, they have been supporting the federal government in the process of Biodiversity Management.
“When we talk about biodiversity, we think it is animals, plants, and so if we are outside it, we are helping them. No, we, human beings, are part of biodiversity because it includes all life forms, and we are a living thing.
“So you yourself are a part of biodiversity. When you conserve biodiversity, you are helping yourself.
“So in biodiversity, if you are important, then biodiversity is important. Knowing the importance of biodiversity is one of the key steps in sustainably utilizing and conserving this rich biodiversity,”he said.
He added that Biodiversity was essential to the livelihood of many Nigerians, despite the fact that crude oil accounted for Nigeria’s major exports and government revenue.
“Poverty in Nigeria has led to a near total dependence of the majority of the rural place on forests, especially non timber, forest products, trade and traditional occupations associated with biodiversity in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event also, Ms. Oluwasooto Ajayi, Africa Lead for Business for Nature, said that the focus had shifted from advocacy to execution.
“Business for Nature, a global coalition with more than 100 partners, has played a key role in pushing for ambitious biodiversity targets globally.
“The real work now is implementation. We need credible success stories, and Nigeria is well-positioned to demonstrate how businesses can engage national biodiversity strategies and deliver measurable impact,” Ajayi said.
She noted that while Nigerian companies have made progress on climate action and ESG reporting, biodiversity remains a weak link in corporate sustainability.
“The Lagos engagement was therefore designed to deepen understanding of biodiversity risks, emerging regulations and the role of business in shaping effective, investable policy frameworks.
“Insights from the discussions will inform the development of a national business biodiversity action plan,”she said.
Dr Eugene Itua, the Chief Executive Officer of Natural Eco Capital, warned that Nigeria’s natural capital was declining even as global momentum to reverse nature loss accelerates.
Drawing parallels with the Paris Agreement, he said the GBF establishes a science-based framework that will increasingly shape regulation, finance and corporate reporting, similar to mandatory emissions tracking in climate policy.
Beyond regulation, speakers stressed the economic logic of biodiversity protection.
Nigeria’s forests, wetlands and marine ecosystems support millions of livelihoods through agriculture, fisheries, non-timber forest products, medicine and ecotourism.
Sites such as the Hadejia–Nguru wetlands, which host migratory birds from across continents, illustrate the untapped economic potential of nature-based industries.
Present at the workshop are were companies and captains of industries.