By George George Idowu
Sterling One Foundation and United Nations Nigeria Office have outlined plans for the 3rd edition of Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) slated for Lagos in July.
The three-day event was to unite stakeholders from the public sector, private sector, and development ecosystem to create effective partnerships and advocacy for impactful social policies.
This was disclosed by the CEO of Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe, at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday.
She said the summit’s three major goals are to galvanise effective partnerships across sectors, advocate for investment-attracting policies in key development areas, and ensure impactful investments.
“We are pleased to announce that over 40% of last year’s participants have received various levels of investment,” she said
Highlighting the significant achievements from the previous year, Mrs. Ibekwe noted the MTN Foundation’s investment of over 3 billion Naira to support primary healthcare centres across Nigeria in partnership with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria.
She disclosed that investors’ roundtable slated for July 24th at the Eko Convention Centre is a pre-event engagement before the summit slated for July 25th and 26th.
Mrs. Ibekwe invited stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and representatives from the private and public sectors, to join in reimagining progress and designing a new blueprint for sustainable growth in Africa.
In his remarks, Assistant Secretary-General for the United Nations, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Malick Fall underscored the urgency of the summit’s goals amidst global challenges, including economic downturns.
He said: “We have discovered that we are behind on several indicators, and this comes at a time of numerous global challenges.
“With only six years left to achieve the 2030 SDG targets, it is time to double our efforts. This gathering is crucial for galvanizing partnerships, as the SDGs are designed in such a way that no single sector or entity can meet these goals alone.”
Fall highlighted the theme of this year’s summit, “Reimagining Progress: A New Blueprint for Sustainable Growth in Africa,” as aligning closely with the UN’s mission, prompting their support and partnership in co-convening ASIS 2024.
The managing director/CEO of Sterling Bank and a member of the Board of Trustees for Sterling One Foundation, Abubakar Suleiman, expressed confidence in the summit’s collaborative potential.
In his words: “As I walked into this room, I realized that our collective effort can achieve our goals. The institutions represented here demonstrate that we are well on our way to success.
“At Sterling Bank, we have always believed in using our trustedj position to solve problems by galvanizing partnerships. In the social impact scene, we are many but often weak due to being distributed and disconnected. Size matters, and the beauty of what we do at Sterling One Foundation is our willingness to partner, co-convening with the United Nations,” he added.
The Africa Social Impact Summit 2024 is poised to be a crucial event for fostering sustainable growth across the continent. By addressing pressing issues through innovative solutions and strategic partnerships, this year’s theme, “Reimagining Progress: A New Blueprint for Sustainable Growth in Africa,” underscores the need for collaborative efforts to achieve meaningful and lasting progress.
The press conference saw the participation of key stakeholders and partners, including Odunayo Sanya, Executive Director of MTN Foundation; Hauwa Adeeyo, Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade, and Investments; and Dr. Mories Atoki, CEO of ABC Health.