Julius Berger Plc restated commitment to development and expansion of its business into the future.
The company, in its 2021 Sustainability Report, said: “we remain committed to also growing and expanding our potential for a positive impact on people and the planet.
“Maintaining the trust of our stakeholders through collaboration, transparency, and superior service will remain a top priority as will be becoming even more inclusive, sustainable and responsible.”
Chairman of Julius Berger, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu said: “we recognise that corporate governance is essential to Julius Berger’s success as a sustainable organisation, and the success of our investors and clients.
“Our positive year-end results are a direct result of our rigorous governance systems, which continue to evolve and improve to reflect best practices. Our corporate culture and business practice are built on a strong foundation of health, safety, and environmental protection, as well as investments in the professional development of our employees. This allows us to provide long-term, sustainable value our stakeholders.”
He explained that Julius Berger’s sustainability efforts will remain aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and Global Compact’s core sustainability principles.
According to Sunmonu, “we remain committed to operating sustainably to support the global sustainability agenda, through business practices that support the achievement of climate goals and strengthen the future resilience of the built environment.
“With positive impact and transformation as our objective, we will rely on cross-industry innovation, collaboration, and strategic alliances and partnerships to achieve this journey, together with our peers in Nigeria and across the globe.
“This Sustainability Report is further evidence of Julius Berger’s commitment to being a responsible organisation by demonstrating our efforts to uphold our high ESG standards, advance our sustainability initiatives, and implement our industry leading ESG initiatives.”
Also, the managing director, Julius Berger, Dr. Lars Richter, added that, the construction industry is at a crossroads globally with rising infrastructure requirements, rapid urbanisation, population growth, and shifting social and environmental priorities coupled with greater political and economic instability.
He noted that, at “Julius Berger, we are responding to these demands by providing the infrastructure building blocks required to integrate economic growth and employment opportunities with environmental sustainability.”
He said: “the primary goal of our sustainability vision is to ensure that the work we perform for our clients has a positive and lasting effect on communities and the environment. As such, our socioeconomic investments increased by 14 per cent to N458 million in 2021, in accordance with our commitment to bolster our contributions to the nation’s greater development.”
Richter stated that, “through regular evaluation of our business in view of ESG practices, we continually work to ensure that we are adhering to the highest ESG compliance standards for the creation of tangible and meaningful shared value.
“Our contribution to Economic Growth and Innovation within the country resulted in a 40 per cent rise in revenue from N241 billion in 2020 to N351 billion in 2021. With 95 per cent of our workforce consisting of indigenous people and 70 per cent of our expenditures going to domestic vendors and suppliers, with a focus on benefitting the communities in which we operate.”
