Lagos State Government, stakeholders urged to adopt Bio-Mimicry as nature’s solution to workplace accidents  …As Dr Julius Abenshebe Akpong launches book at Sustainability Innovation Conference 2.0

Safety experts, policymakers and industry leaders in Lagos have been urged to look to nature for answers to Nigeria’s rising workplace accident crisis, as the Center of Excellence for Innovation and Leadership, CEIL, held its Sustainability Innovation Conference 2.0 with the launch of a new book on biomimicry.

The event, convened by Dr. Julius Akpong of Azura Power West Africa Limited, had as its theme: “Biomimicry, Nature’s Compass to Innovation for Accident Prevention and Sustainability.”

The conference also unveiled Dr. Akpong’s book, _“Biomimicry, Nature’s Guide to Multi-Industry Accident Prevention.”

Speaking at the gathering, Dr. Akpong, who holds a PhD and founded CEIL in 2023 with other professionals, said the organization started as a CSIRO-inspired outfit working in correctional centers and communities to contribute to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. “In 2024 and 2025 we decided to give it a formal framework through a conference,” he said. “Sustainability Innovation Conference 1.0 focused on using artificial intelligence to prevent greenwashing. That was a fabulous conversation. But something has been troubling me since my PhD.”

That concern, he said, is the global statistics on occupational accidents. According to the International Labour Organization, 2.6 to 2.7 million people die every year from work-related accidents and diseases. That translates to at least 7,600 deaths every single day.

“Technology is improving. AI is going up. Why can’t we make things better?” Dr. Akpong asked. “That was how I went back to my PhD research on biomimicry — learning from nature to solve human problems.”

Dr. Akpong explained that biomimicry involves studying how natural systems have survived for 3.8 billion years without failure, and applying those principles to human systems in healthcare, construction, oil and gas, energy, and other high-risk sectors.

He gave practical examples. “We have two kidneys, two eyes, two nostrils. That is redundancy built into the system. If one fails, the other takes over. Aircraft copied birds. That is why they have two engines. If one fails mid-air, the other takes over.”

He also cited termites and ants. “Termite mounds have natural flood protection systems. Ant hills don’t have ACs, yet they stay cool because of how air flows in and out. No matter how hot the sun is, inside remains cold. Who taught them? Nature did.”

The book, he said, breaks down these principles chapter by chapter and shows how organizations can practicalize them at work. “For every chapter, I have given a practical perspective on how to pick it and implement it on the ground,” he noted.

Beyond saving lives, Dr. Akpong said the economic argument is compelling. Workplace accidents currently drain about 4% of global GDP — an estimated $3 trillion annually.

“That amount is bigger than the budget of 130 poor countries in the world,” he said. “One accident means a breadwinner not coming home to their family. It means a lot to the economy. We are hoping that by contributing our quota, we can help reduce those numbers.”

He referenced recent climate-related disasters, including flooding in Nepal caused by a melting glacier, to stress that sustainability and accident prevention are now urgent.

CEIL said the conference is just the beginning. Dr. Apkong announced that the book will be launched internationally in November at AfriSAFE in Ghana, organized by HSE Nations. He has previously attended AfriSAFE conferences in Kenya and Zambia. “We are not making this a Nigerian affair,” he said. “This discussion has never been had in the whole of Africa. We need to take it across the continent.”

Locally, CEIL plans to engage government at the policy level. “We will have conversations with the Lagos State Safety Commission and other agencies,” Dr. Akpong said. “On 28th April next year, we will stage a campaign to take the idea in this book to the National Assembly, through the House Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations.”

Safety Engineer Anthonia Berry said the core message of the book is lifestyle change. “Nature has been our mentor for 3.8 billion years and there hasn’t been a mistake. How do we imitate nature to be sustainable in the long term? It is cheaper, eco-friendly, and reduces all our risks. The slogan ‘Innovate, Prevent, Sustain Together’ means we have to be innovative, and if we follow these principles we prevent accidents going forward.”

Tokunbo Adebunmi, Director of Safety Plus Nigeria, described the topic as “a better, more natural way of approaching our day-to-day issues.”

He argued that leadership and politics must also learn from nature. “If you look into nature, there is some form of natural politics happening. There is organization. Even gorillas have procedures. But as human beings, I am disappointed in certain things we do. Okada riders driving against traffic, indiscipline on our roads. We have abandoned our natural values. Everybody is chasing money.”

“For me the book is an introduction to the safety industry on how to use analogy to communicate better,” he said. “Look at bees. Look at a flock of birds,  thousands fly together and nobody tells them what to do because they all know what to do. That is organization. Safety needs that kind of heavy lifting. Communication must influence behavior, and when behavior changes, we will see results.”

He lamented environmental degradation, noting that even conservation parks are littered by humans. “There is a whole lot God is not happy about,” he said.