CSR-in-Action reaffirms its commitment to fostering sustainability through collaborative dialogue and actionable research, at CSEAR 2024
On November 13, 2024, CSR-in-Action had the privilege of participating in the inaugural CSEAR Africa Conference, hosted by the Lagos Business School (LBS) in Lagos, Nigeria. This event marked a significant milestone in advancing discussions on social and environmental accounting and accountability in Africa. As one of the sponsors of the event, CSR-in-Action joined a diverse assembly of academics, practitioners, students, and sustainability experts in exploring innovative approaches to sustainable development and accountability frameworks.
The Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR) has long been a leader in fostering critical dialogue around sustainability practices. For over three decades, CSEAR has hosted annual congresses across continents, including Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The inaugural African conference, held from November 11 to 13, 2024, brought this rich legacy to the continent. With its informal yet intellectually rigorous atmosphere, the conference served as a platform for interdisciplinary discussions and debates, drawing on insights from accounting, governance, social justice, and environmental stewardship.
The event was structured to include paper presentations, panel discussions, and practitioner forums, with an emphasis on fostering collaborations to address Africa’s unique sustainability challenges. Topics covered ranged from accounting for climate change and corporate social responsibility to transparency in extractive industries and the development of smart cities.
A notable feature of the conference was a workshop dedicated to publishing in competitive international journals, offering invaluable insights to emerging and seasoned scholars alike. A practitioner forum on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlighted actionable strategies to integrate sustainability into policy and business practices across Africa.
On the final day, a hybrid plenary session held in collaboration with Qualitative Research & Critical Accounting (QRCA) from Latin America underscored the importance of fostering a Global South research agenda. This cross-regional dialogue demonstrated how interconnected challenges such as climate justice and social accountability transcend geographic boundaries.
CSR-in-Action’s delegation, comprising COO, Bolaji Sanyaolu, Associate Consultant, Temitope Agbotoba, and Business Development Manager, Chinonso Vincent, actively engaged in the discussions. Chinonso provided critical commentary during a session on sustainability reporting practices led by Helen Ilesanmi. Highlighting the ideological challenges faced in Africa, Chinonso noted how financial considerations often overshadow long-term sustainability goals in the adoption of reporting frameworks. He also raised pertinent questions about the current consumers of sustainability reports and whether regulatory or non-regulatory disclosures yield better corporate outcomes.
Also commenting on a paper presentation, by Dr. Igazeuma Okoroba, Head of Sustainability at Dangote Group, stressed the link between elitism and social injustice, regulatory capture in implementing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), and the pressing need to bridge capacity gaps. The believes these needed to be addressed.
The CSEAR Africa Conference was a landmark event, demonstrating the growing importance of social and environmental accountability in driving Africa’s sustainable development. The discussions revealed critical gaps, such as the absence of unified reporting frameworks, but also provided pathways for improvement, including leveraging intellectual frameworks to hold corporations and governments accountable.
As a sponsor and active participant, CSR-in-Action reaffirmed its commitment to fostering sustainability through collaborative dialogue and actionable research. This event also aligns with our broader goal of advancing innovative ESG practices in Nigeria and beyond.