Human resource leaders have called on Nigerian organisations to move beyond adopting workplace diversity and inclusion policies and begin evaluating how those initiatives contribute to business performance, innovation, productivity and employee engagement.

The appeal was made as organisations increasingly seek practical ways to strengthen workplace culture while improving organisational outcomes through more inclusive leadership and decision-making.

Speaking at the 2026 CEO/CHRO/HRD Forum organised recently by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) in Lagos, business executives and HR professionals examined strategies for building stronger organisational cultures and ensuring diversity initiatives produce measurable results.

President and Chairman of the Governing Council of CIPM, Ahmed Gobir, stressed that meaningful organisational change depends on executive leadership.

“Organisational transformation begins with leadership decisions,” Gobir stated.

According to him, diversity and inclusion efforts cannot achieve lasting results without the commitment of leaders responsible for setting organisational priorities.

Gobir explained that organisations with diverse leadership teams are often better equipped to make stronger decisions and foster innovation because they benefit from broader perspectives and experiences. He, however, maintained that inclusion should never come at the expense of competence, insisting that merit must remain the foundation for recruitment, promotion and leadership development.

The discussion mirrors a wider global trend in which companies are increasingly evaluating diversity programmes not only by workforce representation but also by their influence on leadership development, employee retention and overall business performance.

Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Lagos State, Mrs Sunkanmi Oyegbola, said organisations should judge diversity initiatives based on the measurable value they create instead of merely establishing policies or committees. She noted that businesses that intentionally eliminate barriers and expand opportunities are more likely to achieve stronger organisational outcomes.

Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Roger Adou, also underscored the need for structured inclusion supported by leadership commitment, clear policies and accountability systems.

“Organisations must move beyond representation to ensure that diverse voices have real influence on decisions,” Adou said.

He added that FrieslandCampina WAMCO places emphasis on gender balance, regional representation and psychological safety to encourage employees to contribute ideas and participate actively in organisational decision-making.

Executives at the forum observed that organisations operating within Nigeria’s diverse consumer environment stand to gain deeper customer insights and improve responsiveness to evolving market demands by building more inclusive teams.

Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Dr Funke Adepoju, said organisations should shift attention from simply measuring representation to creating workplaces where employees genuinely feel a sense of belonging.

She argued that inclusion should be embedded within organisational culture and integrated into performance measurement systems rather than remaining a symbolic initiative.

“Merit and inclusion are complementary rather than competing objectives,” Adepoju said, urging organisations to “widen the gate and raise the floor” by investing in talent development and creating opportunities for more people to succeed.

The conversation comes at a time when businesses face mounting pressure to rethink how they recruit, develop and retain talent in an evolving labour market.

CIPM stated that stronger collaboration between chief executives and human resource leaders will play a vital role in building future-ready organisations, particularly as companies compete for skilled professionals while pursuing higher productivity.

The institute further noted that organisations that successfully integrate inclusion into their broader business strategies will be better positioned to promote innovation and achieve sustainable growth.

According to HR leaders, the central challenge facing organisations today is no longer whether diversity policies exist, but whether those policies are delivering measurable improvements in workplace performance.

Source: Punch