MTN Nigeria has strengthened its position as a leader in corporate sustainability reporting after releasing its 2025 Sustainability Report in full compliance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S1 and S2 frameworks.
The achievement places the telecommunications giant among a select group of companies globally adopting the reporting standards ahead of their mandatory implementation. The report also represents MTN Nigeria’s seventh consecutive annual sustainability publication and its third year as an early adopter of the international framework.
The sustainability report was independently reviewed and assured by auditing firm Ernst & Young, providing additional credibility and transparency to the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures.
Speaking on the development, MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Karl Toriola, said the company remains committed to maintaining high standards of governance, accountability, and ethical business practices.
According to him, strong corporate governance remains a key pillar of the company’s sustainability strategy. He explained that MTN has continued to strengthen compliance through its Conduct Passport Framework and other internal control mechanisms designed to promote responsible business operations.
Toriola also highlighted a significant milestone achieved in 2025 when MTN Nigeria became the first telecommunications company in the country to publicly present a sustainability report on the Nigerian Exchange Group platform.
He described the move as an important step toward increasing transparency and demonstrating the company’s commitment to globally accepted reporting standards. The public presentation also reinforces investor confidence by providing stakeholders with detailed information on the company’s sustainability performance and long-term strategy.
As part of its environmental commitments, MTN Nigeria disclosed that it received a ‘B-’ rating for climate change and a ‘C’ rating for water security from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an internationally recognised environmental disclosure platform.
The report also provided detailed information on climate-related risks facing the business. Under the IFRS S2 framework, MTN identified challenges such as flooding, extreme heat, evolving environmental regulations, and potential future carbon taxes that could affect operations.
These risks were assessed through a climate scenario analysis conducted in 2024, enabling the company to better understand and prepare for future environmental and regulatory developments.
In another notable development, MTN Nigeria adopted the Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), a digital reporting format that allows sustainability and governance information to be processed and analysed more efficiently.
The technology makes it easier for investors, regulators, analysts, and ESG rating agencies to access company data through automated systems, improving transparency and comparability.
The company also carried out extensive assessments to evaluate how sustainability issues impact both its operations and society. These studies measured MTN’s economic, environmental, and social contributions over the period from 2021 to 2024.
Furthermore, the report revealed growing support for the company’s environmental goals among its supply chain partners. More than one-third of MTN Nigeria’s largest suppliers, based on procurement spending, have committed to supporting the company’s ambition of achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
Although these supplier commitments have not yet undergone independent verification, they represent a positive step toward building a more sustainable business ecosystem.
With its latest sustainability report, MTN Nigeria has demonstrated its commitment to transparency, responsible business practices, and environmental stewardship, while setting a new benchmark for sustainability reporting within Nigeria’s corporate sector and across Africa.
