Sustainable banking, finance and investment are now main topics on the international agenda. Financial decisions worldwide are increasingly influenced by the scarcity of resources, the search for profits through efficiency and climate change etc. We observe an increasing investment appetite for green bonds. Investment funds and asset managers worldwide search for innovative products that increase profitability but also create environmental and social value. We are also now in the era where environmental and social risks become reputational risks, credit risks, and financial risks to financial institutions and this course has already be positioned to address that. Similarly, Sustainability practices in the Nigeria’s financial services sector are taking a much more strategic turn – mainly as a result of the introduction of the 'Nigeria Sustainable Banking Principles’. These principles are the results of the commitment of the Nigerian Bankers Committee and the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as a sharp departure from the view of CSR as corporate philanthropy alone. The principles include an over-arching set of guidelines relating to the banks; direct impact on communities and environment as a result of their business operations, as well as the indirect impact on communities and the environment arising from their lending and investment activities. The principles also include a commitment to raising awareness and developing meaningful local capacity to manage the merger of environmental and social risks and opportunities within banking operations internally and externally. In light of the importance of sustainability to banking, finance, investments and financial institutions generally, as well as growing awareness on the importance of the Nigerian Sustainable Banking principles (NSBP) to all banking operations and activities as highlighted in the Principle 7 of the NSBP, the need to “Provide Sustainable Banking training session” to Sterling Bank’s personnel at various levels is very pertinent. TRAINING OBJECTIVES

• To familiarise participants with the basic concepts: economic externalities; the environmental and social impact of economic activity on society; the risks and opportunities for the finance sector and the sectors responsibility within this context.
• Participants will learn how to implement the sustainable banking principles in the bank’s operations and strategy
• To bring participants up to date with emerging drivers for change to business as usual for Banks; trends and leaders in sustainable finance
• Participants will understand sustainability concepts & acquire skills on how to integrate sustainability strategy in business and place of work.
• Participants will learn how to formulate new and review existing corporate policies such as energy policy, waste reduction policy, procurement policy, labour policy, human right, Code of conduct etc, in line with the NSBP and United Nations Global Compact.
• Participants will learn Stakeholders identification and engagement strategy.
• Participants will learn how to engage in sustainability reporting based on the GRI G4 global standards.

  TARGET PARTICIPANT

• Employees from credit, risks, investments, finance department
• Senior management and board members seeking to educate themselves and their employees on banking and sustainability
• CSR/Sustainability teams seeking to engage employees across the bank
• Managers and Employees seeking to understand the relevance of sustainability issues to their work