The importance of proactive risk management in today’s dynamic world; navigating uncharted waters

In today’s business world, the climate is exceptionally dynamic and rapidly changing. Technology advancements, globalisation, changing consumer preferences, regulatory requirements, economic fluctuations, and other important elements all contribute to these changes. There are also emerging risks that pose significant challenge and disruption to the business landscape such as cybersecurity threats, Artificial Intelligence (AI), climate change, data governance and data privacy. This high level of dynamism makes it crucial for organisations to remain flexible and adaptable. So, as businesses navigate the ever changing business landscape, risks are often complex, interconnected, and can have wide-ranging impacts on various aspects of an organisation. Therefore, taking a proactive approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks helps businesses to be better prepared, more resilient, and capable of seizing opportunities.

With its large population, ever-growing market, and resources, Nigeria presents immense opportunities for business owners and investors. However, as in any business environment, there are various issues that can impact businesses seamlessly operating.

There is a massive infrastructural deficit ranging from roads in poor conditions posing increasing challenge for logistics, poor electricity supply, etc. There is also the issue of Naira volatility further compounding inflation. Nigeria has experienced security challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, and kidnapping alongside political instability on the back of the recently concluded and courts contested general elections. Successful businesses in Nigeria often navigate these issues through strategic planning and proactive risk management to drive sustainable growth and development.

The first step of this proactiveness is risk identification. this requires conducting risk assessments, having brainstorming sessions, and examining historical data and industry patterns to discover potential hazards particular to the organisation’s operations, industry, and environment. The identified risks are then assessed and prioritised in order of their significance. It is important at this stage to address critical risks firsts. Critical risks are high-impact risks that have the potential to significantly affect an organisation’s ability to achieve its objectives and threaten its overall success. A further step is taken in developing and implementing control measures, process improvements, and redundancies to reduce the likelihood of risks occurring or minimise their impact if they do occur. A mitigating measure could be for instance, Insurance. It is an effective risk transfer mechanism and provides financial protection against potential losses and helps mitigate the impact of unexpected events.

There is also the place of training and development. With proper training, risk management teams, business leaders, organisations can significantly improve their ability to identify, assess, and address risks effectively.
Important to note also that Risk management is a continuous process, hence, it is vital to continually monitor and evaluate. It is an iterative process that requires continuous evaluation and improvement. Regularly reviewing the progress, gathering feedback, and assessing the effectiveness of the implementation efforts help in identifying areas for improvement and making necessary adjustments. Lessons learned from successes and failures should be documented and used to refine the implementation approach and enhance future risk management strategies. More important is this ongoing review as risk itself can evolve overtime.

From the foregoing, a key strategy that enables firms to foresee, address, and minimise possible hazards before they escalate into serious problems is proactive risk management. Proactive risk management entails anticipating problems rather than just responding to them when they happen. This enables firms to stay ahead of uncertainties and provide better results.

Embracing proactive risk management is a strategic investment that supports an organisation’s success and longevity. By identifying potential risks early on and implementing appropriate risk mitigation measures, organisations can not only survive challenges but also thrive in a dynamic and competitive business landscape.

As Alan Greenspan, the former chair of the Federal Reserve of the United States, puts it, “…better risk management may be the only truly necessary element of success.”

Ololade Kazeem is a Risk Management and Insurance professional. He writes from Lagos and can be contacted on kololade33@gmail.com.