By JKNewsMedia
A SHARPER focus on African-led solutions is set to dominate this year’s Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS), as organisers prepare for its third edition holding July 10–11 in Lagos.
At a high-level press briefing hosted at the United Nations House in Abuja, co-conveners Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations in Nigeria highlighted the summit’s growing relevance in advancing regional development goals amid global uncertainty.
Launched in 2022 with eight partners, the ASIS coalition has grown to over 40 institutions operating across critical sectors including climate, health, education, finance, governance, and digital inclusion.
Organisers say the expansion underscores a shifting dynamic—one where African actors are no longer passive recipients but principal architects of development agendas.
Themed “Scaling Action for the SDGs: Bold Solutions for Climate Resilience and Policy Innovation,” the 2025 summit aims to push transformative investment in sub-national development, reframe financial flows, and address deep-rooted inequalities through policy innovation.
Mohamed M. Malick Fall, Assistant Secretary-General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, stressed the continent’s growing vulnerability to climate disruption and the need for decisive local action.
He noted that African institutions are uniquely placed to design durable solutions and that the summit represents an opportunity for global stakeholders to respond with tangible support, investment, and reform.
Sterling One Foundation’s CEO, Olapeju Ibekwe, highlighted the summit’s measurable impact since inception, noting that more than $100 million has been unlocked through ASIS-led coalitions.
She described the summit as a catalytic space for rethinking traditional models and placing African priorities at the heart of global decision-making.
Reinforcing the private sector’s commitment, Sterling Bank’s Managing Director, Abubakar Suleiman, stated that sustainable impact cannot be a peripheral concern.
With development funding becoming increasingly constrained, he said businesses must help drive and scale development responses through inclusive investment models.
With Lagos State hosting this year’s summit, partner institutions such as Afreximbank, Coca-Cola, the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria (UNGCNN), and other technical collaborators are set to co-create actionable frameworks in health, digital access, employment, and infrastructure.
Interested stakeholders are urged to register via theimpactsummit.org.
