The Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations Nigeria,
who are collaborating to organize the Africa Social Impact Summit 2023, have
revealed the partners for the second edition of the summit. This announcement
was made during a press conference in Lagos, Nigeria. Additionally, the event
dates have been confirmed as the 10th and 11th of August 2023, and the summit
will take place at the esteemed Eko Convention Center.
The Africa Social Impact Summit, now in its second year, is
a transformative summit that will bring together thought leaders, impact
investors, and stakeholders from diverse sectors to address pressing challenges
and design market-led solutions for sustainable outcomes in Africa.
Under the theme “Global Vision, Local Action: Repositioning
the African Development Ecosystem for Sustainable Outcomes”, the Summit seeks
to reshape Africa’s development landscape by fostering collaboration,
innovative thinking, and impactful investment into critical areas such as
Climate Solutions, Circular Economy, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Education,
Health, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). The Summit aims to
accelerate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and the
African Union 2063 Agenda.
Speaking on the co-convening, the UN Resident and
Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale expressed excitement
about partnering on the Summit, highlighting the UN’s dedication to working
with the private sector and government to implement a cooperation framework for
sustainable development. He stressed the need for the private sector to move
beyond corporate social responsibility (CSR) and integrate sustainability into
their business models.
“We want to see all stakeholders, especially the private
sector, use the Africa Social Impact Summit as an opportunity to join hands to
formulate a rescue plan for the SDGs,” he explained.
While unveiling the partners for Africa Social Impact Summit
2023, Mrs. Olapeju Ibekwe CEO of the Sterling One Foundation revealed her great
admiration for each of the collaborating organizations, stating that they have
taken a bold step towards redefining Africa’s future.
In her words, “The African continent needs every impact
resource and every player focused on how we can move from just potential and
that is what each of us here has committed to, and I can’t express just how
excited I am to see the number of partners we have brought to the table from what
we had last year; this shows that the
message of sustainable development is resonating.”
The partners who were unveiled and reaffirmed their
commitment to driving sustainable development in Africa included the Coca-Cola
Company, the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria, Sterling Bank, the
British Council, MTN Foundation, SBG Insurance, the African Venture
Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), the UNIDO Investment Technology Promotion Office,
Nigeria, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Microsoft, SCALE
Palladium, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Impact Investors
Foundation, Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC), the Nigeria INGO Forum
(NIF), the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the
National Council on Climate Change Foreign Policy, Proshare, Ventures Africa,
TechCabal and Trace TV.
Thanking all the partners, Sterling One Foundation Board of
Trustees Member and the MD/CEO of Sterling Bank Limited, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman
voiced his excitement at the growth the Summit has witnessed within a year of
its launch and the level of progress that can be made with organizations like
them in the room. He emphasized the Foundation and Sterling Bank’s dedication
to fostering collaboration among organizations and connecting like-minded
entities to achieve common goals.
“I am always pleased to see organizations prioritizing
social impact in the way they operate and not as an afterthought because this
means that we then have strong commitments and a solid chance at actually
pulling people out of poverty,” he said.
He further expressed his desire to see “available capital and resources being channeled into meaningful and sustainable impact.”
Private sector executives, non-profit leaders, impact investors, heads of government parastatals, and every development leader who wishes to be a part of the Summit are welcome to register via the website – www.theimpactsummit.org. The Summit will feature a deal room for impact-focused entrepreneurs seeking funding from investors.
Sterling One Foundation (SOF) is a registered non-profit focused on tackling the root causes of poverty in Nigeria, and Africa through interventions and social impact programmes across five critical sectors namely: climate action, health, education and youth development, gender equality and empowerment, and food security. The Foundation’s programmes adopt a central theme of prioritizing partnerships for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For more information visit www.onefoundation.ng
The United Nations System (UNS) in Nigeria, consisting of 19 resident and 4 non-resident entities has had a productive engagement with the Federal Republic of Nigeria since its independence and has been a catalytic supporter of, and trusted partner in, the development aspirations of Nigeria. Learn more on https://nigeria.un.org/