NNPC Foundation Emerges Africa’s Most Responsible Organisation

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), through its corporate social responsibility arm, NNPC Foundation Limited/Gte, has been awarded the Overall Winner and Most Responsible Organisation in Africa at the 19th SERAS Africa Sustainability Awards held in Lagos.

In a statement by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Abuja, Andy Odeh, the Foundation received a total of five awards at the ceremony themed: “Sustainability 2.

The awards won include Best in Decent Work/Economic Growth; Best in Stakeholder Engagement; Best in Poverty Reduction; and the Africa Sustainability Professional of the Year, conferred on Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe, Managing Director of NNPC Foundation.

Delivering the acceptance speech on behalf of the Board and Senior Management of NNPC Ltd, Executive Vice President, Business Services, Mrs. Sophia Mbakwe, described the honours as both “a validation and a call to deeper national service.”

She emphasised that the Foundation’s initiatives align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda on inclusiveness, shared prosperity, and sustainable national development.

“These awards reflect the hopes and lived experiences of over 200 million Nigerians. Their voices and expectations guide our work, and they want us to do even more,” Mbakwe noted.

Also addressing the audience, Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe stated that the recognition affirms the Foundation’s leadership in sustainability and community impact across Nigeria and beyond.

“This win belongs to NNPC Limited. This win belongs to impact. This win belongs to Africa,” she said.

She highlighted major achievements recorded during the year, including restoring the sight of more than 6,000 Nigerians through free cataract surgeries; rehabilitating three wards of 100-bed capacity at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos; and screening over 3,441 Nigerians for breast, cervical, and prostate cancers in 2024. She added that MRI machines are currently at the final stage of delivery to health facilities nationwide.

Other accomplishments include distributing 40,000 STEM textbooks to public schools across all 36 states and the FCT; training 1,075,981 NYSC members in financial literacy; and providing startup packs and grants for 531 beneficiaries to begin their own businesses.

“We have trained 15,085 vulnerable farmers in climate-smart agriculture; supplied over 30 truckloads of food, water, medical supplies, and sanitary items to flood victims in Borno State; executed a 200,000-tree planting campaign in Katsina State; established environmental clubs and community climate resilience projects; and donated 45 CNG buses to support public transport and Nigeria’s shift to cleaner energy. All initiatives are monitored to ensure long-term impact,” Arukwe added.

The collective awards underscored the Foundation’s leadership in sustainability, ranking it above several other major institutions across Africa in the 2025 final standings.

Founder of SERAS Africa, Mr. Ken Egbas, praised NNPC Foundation for its strong record in sustainability and community development. He noted that SERAS, founded in 2007, is the world’s second-oldest sustainability award scheme after the Reuters Business Award and remains the continent’s premier benchmark for corporate responsibility. This year’s edition attracted 325 entries from 31 African countries, making it the largest and most competitive to date.