NGX Begins Corporate Climate Baseline Assessments For Companies Under N-Zero Initiative

The Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) has begun baseline assessments for companies participating in its N-Zero initiative as part of efforts to help businesses measure their climate readiness and develop credible pathways towards net-zero emissions.

The assessment is expected to establish the current position of participating companies on climate-related issues and identify gaps that require further intervention.

The initiaitve, launched in January 2026 by NGX Group in partnership with DEG Impulse gGmbH and Africa Foresight Group (AFG), is focused on helping Nigerian businesses strengthen their capacity in areas including climate strategy, emissions measurement, transition planning and access to emerging carbon-market opportunities. The baseline exercise will assess companies across key areas such as climate-risk management, emissions measurement and reporting, target-setting, transition planning, technical capabilities and their understanding of carbon-market opportunities.

NGX says the findings will help identify priority gaps and determine the type of support required by each participating company.

More than 50 companies have engaged with the programme since its launch, with 17 formally onboarded as community members. They include  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. More companies are expected to join the initiative as the programme expands.

Speaking on the development, NGX Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Temi Popoola said climate readiness is increasingly becoming a factor in competitiveness, investor confidence and access to capital.

He says businesses must now move beyond climate ambition and demonstrate measurable and credible 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 companies will undergo further needs assessments after the baseline exercise. The assessments will combine digital diagnostics with expert technical reviews to determine their readiness levels, identify priority areas for intervention and establish the next steps towards setting credible climate targets and transition plans.

The N-Zero programme is structured around several stages, beginning with awareness and assessment and progressing to target-setting, transition planning, validation, implementation and impact tracking.

Under the 2026 roadmap, the baseline analysis is expected to be completed in September, with partner-led sessions and tailored support scheduled for October and November.

The broader programme aims to support companies in developing science-aligned climate targets, identifying emissions-reduction opportunities and tracking progress towards reducing or avoiding about 20,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions.

For NGX, the initiative is part of a broader effort to build a more climate-ready corporate sector and strengthen Nigeria’s capital market as businesses respond to the risks and opportunities created by the global transition to a lower-carbon economy.