The Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations Nigeria, co-conveners of the Africa Social Impact Summit 2023, have officially unveiled partners for the second edition of the Africa Social Impact Summit. The announcement made at a press conference held in Lagos, Nigeria, also featured an official announcement of the 10th and 11th of August 2023 as dates for the event holding at the prestigious Eko Convention Centre. 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 organisations, 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 organisations like them in the room. He emphasised the Foundation and Sterling Bank’s dedication to fostering collaboration among organisations and connecting like-minded entities to achieve common goals. “I am always pleased to see organisations prioritising 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.
