Olusola Bello
TotalEnergies says education, youth entrepreneurship and inclusion are critcal to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDGs) and eradication of poverty in Nigeria.
Bunmi Popoola-Mordi, the Executive General Manager, Total Country Services, disclosed this at a virtual presentation to Journalist.
According her Societal Approach model has been introduced into the company’s iCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This means that the company integrates its actions into the communities within which it operates.
She said: “Activities are implemented based on stakeholders relationship management, on communications with the communities, listening to members of the communities and understanding the needs and looking at the areas where the company can support the communities within which we operate and in some case even in communities where we don’t have an immediate presence but we feel we can provide some sort of support. Likewise also recently when we have Covid 19 pandemic, we also provided some sort of support in terms of general broad base support. This is what our CSR focus is about”
She assured that Total Nigeria Plc would continue to contribute to national development and attainment of the SDGs through its various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes across the country.
According to her, the company’s CSR support was being driven by four pillars namely: road safety, youth inclusion, cultural dialogue and heritage as well as activities on climate change, coastal areas and oceans.
The company’s recent transition to TotalEnergies has positioned the company to become one of the dominant players in renewable, stating further that a proposal would soon be tabled to its Nigeria shareholders to change its operating name in the country to TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc in line with the current realities.
Also speaking, Chinwe Ifechiga, CSR Manager, Total Nigeria Plc, said the company had been carrying out various programmes to support Nigeria’s youth and children and would continue to do so going forward.
She listed some of the programmes to include: Startupper Challenge, Skills Acquisition Programme, Scholarship Scheme and the Learn, Experience, Articulate and Decide (LEAD) programmes for students.
She said Total was also sponsoring 40 children annually in four SOS Villages in Nigeria and had executed several projects to better the lives of the children.
According to her, 54 youths from Koko, Delta State and 100 from Kaduna have so far benefited from the skills acquisition programme.
The beneficiaries have been trained in areas such as welding and fabrication, furniture making, catering, computer studies and fish and crop farming.
In the same vein, she said another set of 64 secondary school students were being given Total education sponsorship in Koko, Delta State annually as part of the company’s contribution to its host community.
She disclosed that the 2021/2022 Start up Challenge, which would be the third edition would soon begin, stressing that it offers young Nigerians opportunities to transform their business ideas into reality.
On his part, Charles Ebereonwu, Country Communications Manager, Total Companies in Nigeria, said the intervention of the private sector in national development could not be over emphasised.
Ebereonwu said Total’s CSR activities were a humanitarian gesture by the company to bring positive impact to the people of Nigeria.
