Chief Executive Officer, OVH Energy Marketing, Huub Stokman, in this interview speaks on the company’s activities in the downstream sector and the need for corporate bodies to leverage competences through collaborative Corporate Social Responsibility approach. Raheem Akingbolu brings the excerpts.
OVH Energy Marketing was recently awarded the Forbes best of Africa downstream company of the year. What does receiving such a prestigious award signify for the company?
It is indeed an honor for us to have received the Forbes Best of Africa Award. We believe the recognition is evidence that we are a driving force in the downstream sector. This is due to our distribution footprint across Nigeria, ensuring timely delivery of products and tailor-made solutions that cater to domestic, commercial and industrial customers. We also consider the award an incentive to do more in the Nigerian downstream sector by reinstating our commitment to the continuous provision of exceptional services to our customers.
Stakeholders have commended OVH’s commitment to goal zero. Why is this commitment important to the company?
At OVH Energy Marketing, our top priority is the protection of our people, the environment, and assets in the development of every community we operate in. We strive to limit the impact of our operations on people and the environment, which is why we are committed to a goal of zero health and safety incidents. This is constantly reinforced by our Environmental, Health, Safety, Security and Quality (EHSSQ) management system.
A core pillar of your organisation’s CSR is the empowerment of the next generation, with sustainable skills; what initiatives have been put in place to reaffirm this commitment?
We have several initiatives that we implement and I would like to highlight 2 of them. The OLEUM Academy and Project Evolve that are both focused on empowering the next generation, OVH Energy Marketing created a skills development initiative known as the OLEUM Academy. The OLEUM Academy was born out of our commitment to raise the automotive maintenance standard in Nigeria by building capacity in the next generation.
It is designed to bridge the skill gap in the nation, focusing on the automotive industry while improving their social status and relevance in their communities through training and skill upgrades. The aim behind our Oleum academy is to contribute to the closure of the knowledge gap and to ensure Nigerians have access to professional and technically sound automotive support. Alongside this, we introduced the Mechanic OleumReseller Enterprise Initiative. This initiative is aimed at enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of mechanics, ensuring product availability, deepening usage and increasing customer base, thereby helping them build better, more sustainable businesses.
Can you shed more light on the impact of these initiatives?
Yes, through the Oleum Academy, we equip participants with internationally recognized technical and life skills for their benefit and the country’s growth. The academy has changed the lives of over 5,000 individuals nationwide through the provision of automotive-mechatronics, lubrication, and entrepreneurship trainings. Whereas, the Mechanic Oleum Reseller Enterprise Initiative has acted as a second avenue for the auto-technicians to boost their income through the sales of lubricants in their workshop.
Broadly speaking, can you please highlight other steps being taken by the company to contribute to the development of the communities they operate in?
In line with our commitment towards community investment and support, we have specifically focused on healthcare programs. OVH Energy Marketing, in Partnership with END Fund, has provided some funding in tackling neglected tropical diseases. In addition to the provision of preventative treatments for intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, blinding trachoma, river blindness, and lymphatic filariasis through a robust, school and community-based program, the investment will aid in the training of teachers and community drug distributors to ensure the community health and education systems are strengthened in six states across Nigeria, and the Federal Capital Territory respectively.
Do you believe that collaboration in CSR is the future?
Leveraging competencies through collaborative CSR is indeed the future of implementing sustainable change. Collaborative CSR is perhaps the cornerstone of increasing impact and reach. Collaborative approaches that involve a wide range of stakeholders working together to achieve a shared outcome with the added benefit of inspiring and motivating employees tend to have a greater social impact.
The company recently partnered Pacegate Limited on Project Evolve – a CSR initiative. Can you tell us more about this?
The partnership is executed through Evolve, Pacegate and PEARL’s CSR company, which is a non-profit organization. The Evolve Initiative seeks to address the global challenge of climate change through the education of underprivileged girls. According to Project Drawdown, the world’s leading research for climate solutions carried out by 100 of the top scientists in the world, educating girls is the sixth most impactful solution out of 100 mentioned to combat the effects of global warming. There are economic, cultural, and safety-related barriers that impede the girl child from realizing her right to education. A key strategy to changing this is to provide the girl child attending government schools with school supplies and teaching them heartfulness relaxation techniques.
Through this partnership, over 400 schoolgirls in Omole Senior Grammar School, Lagos state and Community Junior Secondary School Amadi-Ama, Rivers state have received school supplies such as school bags, books, pens, sandals, and uniforms supporting their education.
Narrowing things down, can you shed light on girls’ empowerment, which the company is currently promoting as a major step in tackling climate change?
At OVH Energy Marketing, we believe that education gives girls the skills and knowledge to respond to climate-related challenges and the changing resource landscapes. Educated girls grow up to be women who participate fully in society and take on leadership roles. Educating young girls is a pathway to fighting climate change, and if we are to successfully address the climate crisis, we need to empower women so they can actively participate in strengthening Nigeria’s response to climate change, which is why OVH Energy Marketing is proud to partner with Pacegate on the Evolve Initiative.
With 2022 fast approaching, are there any CSR projects in the works ahead of the New Year?
Yes, certainly, we have a couple of CSR projects in the works. As a leading Indigenous marketer of choice, we believe there is still a lot of work to be done especially in communities we operate in. Our CSR activities are passionately anchored on ensuring that we give back to host communities and society.
