Nigeria has often been criticised for not being pro-active when it comes to safety issues and measures to mitigate disasters, especially fire. The nation, according to experts is known to raise all the decibel whenever there is a fire outbreak or any man-made disaster and usually reverts to default mode until the next disaster. Year after year, billions are lost to these disasters. These are apart from losses in terms of lives lost whenever these disasters happen.
Beyond this, the experts say many Nigerians have been criticised for adopting religious approach to a matter that should have ordinarily been handled by professionals. “It is not my portion” is often the usual line from someone who has invested billions of naira into a business venture that needs to be equipped against fire outbreaks or other disasters.
It is against this background that Safety Consultants and Solutions Providers, one of the nation’s foremost fire and safety consultants and experts, is organising a summit of professionals and experts in safety concerns to discuss and offer practical solutions against these disasters.
This year’s summit, according to the organisers is bringing together top professionals who are focused on innovative solutions for business and economic growth. The theme of the summit is “Securing Business Value, Investments and Assets.”
According to Antonia Beri, the Lead Consultant and Managing Director of Safety Consultants and Solution Providers Limited, in a statement said the summit would explore risk management, safety engineering, and compliance strategies, crucial for sustainable development, as highlighted by the Bank of Industry, BOI, the African Union, AU, World Bank as well as the United Nations, UN.
Beri explained that expert sessions would offer actionable strategies for financial security, compliance, and supporting Africa’s green economy transition.
She explained that the summit was designed to address the growing importance of advanced risk management strategies, engineering safety solutions, and compliance with industry codes and standards to protect critical business assets, investments and critical liabilities. The summit will bring together a distinguished panel of industry leaders in key economic sectors from leading global firms, key stakeholders from major donor agencies and expert consultants and implementers.
Her words: “As businesses around the world navigate increasing financial, operational, and environmental risks, this summit provides an invaluable platform for sharing insights and strategies that enhance business resilience and secure long-term growth. With an emphasis on innovation, technical safety, and regulatory compliance, the event seeks to highlight the importance of collaboration between underwriters, financiers, and donor agencies to address emerging challenges and drive sustainable development.
Beyond this, the summit is designed to foster high-level discussions on how financial institutions and support bodies can partner with businesses to mitigate risks while ensuring that investments are protected.
The key topics for discussion, she said will include Safeguarding Critical Assets through Innovative Engineering Solutions And Technical Safety Protocols, Optimising Investments by Addressing and Mitigating Operational and Environmental Risks as well as Ensuring Robust Compliance Strategies for Business Resilience and Long-term Profitability.
The summit, which will hold in Lagos on April 3rd this year, would also look at the possibility of promoting collaborative efforts between C-level managers, donor agencies, financiers, and consultants to secure business value and investments in an increasingly uncertain economic environment.
Beri said the summit aims “to highlight the critical needs for underwriters, financiers, donor agencies, and consultants to actively support businesses not just through financial backing but also by offering technical advisory and risk management services that are essential for securing assets and investments. Participants will gain insights into how collaboration and the integration of engineering safety solutions can lead to more sustainable and resilient business strategies.”
To achieve its aim, panelists at the summit will emphasise the importance of addressing the critical liabilities by aligning business strategies with global best practices in risk management and regulatory compliance.
“It must be noted that a conference like will offer a pivotal opportunity for industry leaders, financial experts, and donor agencies to come together, exchange knowledge, and engage in thought-provoking discussions that will shape the future of business resilience, investment protection, and asset security”.
Beri added that her company “will leverage its expertise in advisory and technical process safety services to address critical issues surrounding fire and security systems, compliance with HSE management standards, and risk mitigation strategies tailored for diverse industries.”
She added that individuals and businesses at the summit would gain a lot of hands-on knowledge from expert-led discussions, gaining valuable insights and practical knowledge from renowned global professionals who will delve into key issues across various sub-themes.
“With the increasing complexity of business risks today, our goal is to provide industry leaders with the right strategies, tools, and technical safety solutions to mitigate risks while driving long-term profitability. This high-level forum will equip business leaders and investors with the tools needed to navigate today’s complex financial and regulatory landscape. Top-tier executives can engage with industry experts, thought leaders and seasoned advisors on securing business values in a rapidly evolving landscape,” the American-trained safety expert explained.
Those expected to attend the event included C-Level Executives like chief executive officers, chief financial officers and chief operating officers. These are top executives are responsible for the overall strategic direction of a company, making them key decision-makers when it comes to investments, risk management, and business resilience. They will be particularly interested in high-level discussions on securing business value and assets, as well as understanding the role of risk management in long-term business growth.
Another set of professionals who can leverage on the opportunity provided by the summit, according to Beri, are Risk Management Professionals.
“These are officers directly involved in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks across a business. They will find the summit’s focus on technical risk advisory and safety system engineering highly relevant. These professionals are responsible for developing risk management strategies that align with business objectives and would benefit from learning new tools and techniques,” Beri explained.
Others are Financial Advisors, Investment Managers and Legal and Compliance Officers. Financial advisors and investment managers are always looking for ways to optimize investments and protect assets while Legal and compliance officers ensure businesses follow laws and regulations, and they play a critical role in risk mitigation.
Perhaps, events like this summit will definitely ginger the nation’s safety professionals as well as corporate decision makers to think and look beyond tokenism as safety is a critical aspect of running a successful business. According to experts, modern cars are equipped with supplementary restraining system, SRS, airbags. While a car owner might not need it till he or she disposes of the car, many modern car buyers will definitely not want to buy a car without SRS airbags. Even if he or she silently prays there won’t be any need for the airbags as long as the car remains serviceable.
Beyond the summit, no one could have been better equipped to drive such an initiative than Antonia Beri who has carved a niche for herself in the area of safety solution provision for top clients like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as well as Obasanjo Presidential Library, among others.
