• Sun. Feb 9th, 2025

Sterling One Foundation, UN Nigeria Unveil Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 3.0) 2024

The official press conference for the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 3.0) 2024, hosted by the Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations Nigeria, was held on Tuesday, July 9th, at the Lagos Oriental Hotel.

Present at the press conference were Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation; Mohammed M. Malick Fall, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations in Nigeria; and Abubakar Suleiman, MD/CEO of Sterling Bank. Other notable attendees included 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, among other key stakeholders and partners.

ASIS, which began in 2022, has evolved into a pivotal platform for driving social impact across Africa. The summit aims to unite stakeholders from the public and private sectors and the development ecosystem to foster effective partnerships and advocate for impactful policies.

In her opening remarks, Olapeju Ibekwe stated, “The Africa Social Impact Summit has three major goals: to galvanize effective partnerships across the public sector, private sector, and the development ecosystem; to advocate for policies that will attract investments in major development sectors; and to ensure impactful investments in those sectors. We are pleased to announce that over 40% of last year’s participants have received various levels of investment.”

L-R: Senior Special Assistance to the Lagos State Governor, Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trades and Investment, Hauwa Adeeyo; United Nations Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Malick Fall, Chief Executive Officer, Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe and Managing Director/CEO, Sterling Bank Limited, Abubakar Suleiman at a press conference on the Africa Social Impact Summit 2024 in Lagos… on Tuesday.

Highlighting the success of past initiatives, Ibekwe mentioned the MTN Foundation’s investment of over 3 billion Naira to support primary healthcare centers across the country in partnership with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria. She announced an investors roundtable on July 24th at the Eko Convention Centre as a pre-event engagement before the summit on July 25th and 26th.

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Assistant Secretary-General Mohammed M. Malick Fall, emphasized the urgency of the summit’s goals, stating, “We have discovered that we are behind on several indicators, and this comes at a time of numerous global challenges, including economic downturns. 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.”

Abubakar Suleiman, MD/CEO of Sterling Bank and member of the Board of Trustees for Sterling One Foundation, expressed confidence in the summit’s collaborative potential. He stated, “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 trusted 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.”

The Africa Social Impact Summit 2024 is crucial for sustainable growth across the continent. It aims to address 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 significant and lasting social impact.

Hyacinth Beluchukwu Nwafor

Hyacinth Beluchukwu Nwafor is a seasoned journalist and the CEO/Founder Belch Digital Communications, publishers of Hybrid News Nigeria.

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