Assessment Targets Emissions Tracking, Climate Risks, Transition Plans As More Firms Join Initiative….
The Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) has commenced baseline assessments of companies participating in its N-Zero initiative, a programme designed to help businesses evaluate their preparedness for climate-related challenges and map out credible routes towards net-zero emissions.
The exercise is expected to give participating companies a clearer picture of their current climate capabilities while highlighting areas where additional support, expertise or investment may be required.
NGX Group launched the N-Zero initiative in January 2026 in partnership with DEG Impulse gGmbH and Africa Foresight Group (AFG), with the programme focused on helping Nigerian businesses strengthen their approach to climate strategy, emissions measurement, transition planning and emerging opportunities in carbon markets.
As part of the baseline exercise, companies will be assessed across several areas, including climate-risk management, emissions measurement and reporting, climate target-setting, transition planning, technical capabilities and their understanding of carbon-market opportunities.
The findings will enable NGX and its partners to determine the most pressing gaps within each company and tailor the support provided to address their specific needs.
Since the programme was introduced, more than 50 companies have engaged with the initiative, while 17 have been formally onboarded as community members.
They include Access Holdings, Dangote Cement, United Bank for Africa, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, First HoldCo, Fidelity Bank, Zenith Bank, Wema Bank, NEM Insurance, Chapel Hill Denham, BUA Cement, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Presco, Oando, HBM Nigeria, Seplat Energy and Skyway Aviation Handling Company.
NGX said participation is expected to increase as the programme expands and more businesses seek to strengthen their climate-readiness strategies.
Commenting on the development, NGX Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Temi Popoola, said the ability of companies to respond to the transition towards a net-zero economy is becoming increasingly important to their competitiveness, investor confidence and access to capital.
He said businesses can no longer rely solely on climate commitments but must be able to demonstrate tangible and measurable progress.
“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.
“N-Zero is designed to help companies understand where they stand today, identify the gaps that matter most and build practical pathways towards where they need to be.
“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,” he said.
NGX said participating companies will proceed to additional needs assessments after completing the baseline exercise.
The process will combine digital diagnostic tools with expert technical reviews to establish each company’s level of readiness, pinpoint priority areas for intervention and determine the steps required to develop credible climate targets and transition plans.
The N-Zero programme is structured as a phased process, beginning with awareness and assessment before moving into target-setting, transition planning, validation, implementation and impact tracking.
Under its 2026 roadmap, NGX expects to conclude the baseline analysis in September, after which partner-led sessions and company-specific support will take place in October and November.
Beyond assessing current capabilities, the broader programme is designed to help participating companies develop science-aligned climate targets and identify practical opportunities to cut emissions.
NGX said the initiative is expected to contribute to efforts to reduce or avoid approximately 20,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions as participating businesses implement their climate strategies.
For NGX, the N-Zero initiative forms part of a wider push to develop a more climate-ready corporate sector while strengthening Nigeria’s capital market as businesses navigate the growing risks and opportunities associated with the global shift towards a lower-carbon economy.
