Outsourcing firms urged to prioritse sustainable practices

As global sustainability efforts intensify, experts have urged Nigerian outsourcing firms to prioritise sustainable practices amid a challenging operating landscape.

The experts who made this known at the Association of Outsourcing Professionals of Nigeria (AOPN) Interface and the 11th Induction Conference, themed ‘Sustainable Outsourcing Practices,’ urged outsourcing businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and operate responsibly.

Teju Abisoye, executive secretary and national coordinator of the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), in her keynote address, said the country’s outsourcing industry must rapidly transform its capabilities and move up the global value chain.

Read also: Outsourcing firms urged to leverage AI to enhance efficiency

Abisoye advised setting clear sustainability targets aligned with long-term business objectives, recommending adopting the ESG pillars.

She noted that the global business landscape has three non-negotiable pillars – environment, social responsibility, and governance pillars (ESG), saying Nigerian outsourcing firms can only capture a premium market when they imbibe these pillars.

“If you want to capture a premium outsourcing market today, with contracts that truly scale and build national wealth, you would have to master the ESG,” she said.

In her opening speech, Mope Abudu, AOPN’s president and CEO of Knight and Bishop Consultancy Nigeria Limited, urged outsourcing firms to be an embodiment and a beacon of sustainable businesses that grow yearly in terms of their processes, offerings and practices.

“We are known to be professionals, and that means that we set the standards and we adhere to the standards. And what we are also realising is that it’s becoming even more important that we infuse into our practice sustainable trends,” she said.

“All of us here have heard about the ESG requirements that are now becoming much more important. We need to be able to not only play lip service to it but to be able to showcase how we are practising such practices within our businesses,” she advised.

She stressed that technology is becoming a key enabler for sustainability, efficiency, and reachability, while urging businesses to leverage the opportunities it provides.

Read also: The vendor vulnerability: How outsourcing opens the door to attack

She urged the businesses to tap learning opportunities for growth, saying that AOPN continues to be the advocacy platform that not only voices the industry concerns but brings to the doorstep of practitioners knowledge that enhances their offerings for their clientele.

“Geography boundaries are broken because we’re finding out that the outsourcing offerings can be sold both here and internationally. But what is very important is that our competitiveness must not be called into doubt,” she explained.

“We must be able to showcase the standards that we adhere to and be able to showcase that even locally we have the talent, we have the wherewithal, and we have the sustainable practices to continually serve our clients,” she added.

Kashifu Inuwa, director general and chief executive officer at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in his address, said information technology is not just an enabler but a central engine powering sustainable outsourcing.

Citing Gartner data, he noted that the global outsourcing market is valued at $3.8 trillion in 2024 and projected to reach $7.11 trillion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 11.3 percent.

He added that across Africa, the opportunity is equally significant while urging outsourcing firms to capture a substantial share of it.

“With our vast youth population and rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, Nigeria is well-positioned to capture a substantial share of these opportunities,” said Kashifu, who was represented by Folayan Oluwasegun, senior manager at NITDA.

Read also: Outsourcing can solve talent acquisition challenges, AOPN affirms

“We must therefore continue strengthening Nigeria’s outsourcing service exports to position our nation as a competitive continental and global outsourcing hub,” he said.

Speaking to the eight newly inducted firms into AOPN, he reminded them that they are entering the industry at a pivotal moment where global opportunities are expanding, Nigeria’s digital workforce is maturing, and the foundation for growth is stronger.

“Your success will depend on professional excellence, ethical practice, continuous learning, and a strong commitment to digital trust and quality,” he said. “You are the ambassadors of Nigeria’s outsourcing future,” he added.

Josephine Okojie-Okeiyi is a journalist with over five years’ reporting experience. She writes on industry, agriculture, commodities, climate change, and environmental issues. She is fellow of Thomson Reuters Foundation and Bloomberg Media Initiative for Africa.

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date