CICAN workshop to examine ESG, tax impact on manufacturers

By Yinka Kolawole The rising compliance burden on manufacturers from mandatory Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards and Nigeria’s new tax regime will come under scrutiny at the 2026 annual workshop and awards ceremony of the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN). The workshop, scheduled for Thursday, November 19, at Protea Hotel, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, has as its theme, “Implications of Mandatory ESG on Nigeria’s Business Climate Ahead of the 2030 Deadline Date.” The forum will examine how ESG requirements and tax changes could affect production costs, investment, employment generation and the competitiveness of locally manufactured products, while exploring strategies for sustainability, regulatory compliance and business growth.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry (BoI), Dr. Olasupo Olusi, as Special Guest of Honour, is expected to highlight the role of manufacturing finance in strengthening local production, expanding industrial capacity and supporting the Federal Government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030. In a statement jointly signed by CICAN National Chairman, Taiwo Ademola Hassan, and Secretary-General, Olufemi Orioye, the association said Olusi’s contributions to manufacturing and enterprise development informed his selection.

Other expected participants include representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) and the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE).