Flagship Projects

Focused on promoting responsible business practices in Africa and ensuring that human rights are respected within the context of economic development, AfriRIGHTS is partnering with the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) to conduct a gap analysis of regional business and human rights frameworks and enablers for the adoption of the African Union (AU) Policy Framework on Business and Human Rights. It is also conducting in partnership with ACHPR, a human rights impact assessment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a free trade agreement aimed at promoting economic integration and development across the 54 of the 55 African Union nations.

In line with its strategy of working at the national level through collaboration with national human rights institutions, AfriRIGHTS and the Nigeria National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is collaborating in the thematic area of Business and Human Rights (BHR) and will co-host the 1st National Colloquium on Business and Human Rights, under the theme “Promoting Participatory and Responsible Business Practices in Nigeria”

Building on the gains of successive Africa Business and Human Rights Forums and the adoption of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, (NAPBHR)

The 1st National Colloquium on Business and Human Rights will congregate representatives of business enterprises and associations, labour organisations, regulatory agencies, governments, CSOs and other human rights actors active in business and human rights in Nigeria.

The objective of the colloquium is to convene and foster policy dialogue on the imperativeness of standardizing rights-centric internal business policies alongside strengthening the regulatory landscape and oversight of relevant institutions.

The colloquium will also generate crucial insight on integrating Human Rights Due Diligence into business operations, foster peer-to-peer learning among businesses and promote exchange of rights-centric information and best practices. Ultimately, the event aims to produce actionable recommendations for the adoption of compliant business models and the development of strong regulatory and policy frameworks that promote ethical, sustainable and responsible business practices in line with internationally agreed norms, standards and principles.

As a platform for fostering active engagement and creating opportunities for networking and building constructive relationships, the colloquium will consist of high-level plenary sessions that will feature keynote speeches from high-level political figures, business leaders and subject-matter experts. It will also include panel discussions and interactive breakout sessions that will allow participants to engage in more detailed discussions and brainstorm around specific topics. The colloquium will conclude with the adoption of communiques, recommendations and a road map for the implementation of the NAPBHR.