CIPM Urges Businesses To Embrace Strategic Collaborations For Sustainability

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) has charged businesses to embrace strategic collaboration for business sustainability in the country.

The group, at its 2025 Corporate Members’ Forum, which recently took place in Ikeja, Lagos, and gathered leading organisations registered as corporate members of the Institute for a robust engagement on business sustainability, discussed the theme ‘Driving Business Sustainability through Strategic Collaborations: Insights from the Nigerian Business Landscape.’ CIPM provided a platform for thought-provoking discussions on how Nigerian businesses can thrive through strategic partnerships, innovation, and shared networks.

The president and chairman of the Governing Council, Mallam Ahmed Ladan Gobir, who delivered his opening remarks at the event, highlighted the critical role of collaboration in driving business sustainability.

“There is a timeless African proverb that says: If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, you must join force, whether in business, politics, or even in traffic when ‘danfos’ create their own lane! Everywhere you look in Nigeria, one lesson stands out: no one succeeds in isolation,” he said.

Gobir described collaboration as ‘the very oxygen of sustainability,’ stressing that, while Nigeria has one of the largest economies in Africa and small businesses create 84% of jobs, many collapse within five years because ‘while we have the numbers, we often lack the networks.’ He urged business leaders to view collaboration as the “currency of the future,’ vital for building joint ventures, integrating supply chains, and creating shared talent pipelines.

The keynote presentation was delivered by the general manager, Strategy, Organisation and Performance at TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited, Lilian Oluchi Somiari, who shared practical strategies on leveraging partnerships and cross-sector alliances to enhance organisational performance in Nigeria’s challenging yet opportunity-rich business environment.