The United Nations and key stakeholders have canvassed the need to build partnerships and galvanise investments that will ensure that Africa makes rapid progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The two-day gathering, which was held under the theme, ‘Global Vision, Local Action: Repositioning the African Development Ecosystem for Sustainable Outcomes’, was the second edition of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS), co-convened by Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations, Nigeria.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i), Nigeria, Mr Matthias Schmale, who said the promise of the 2030 Agenda is now in peril, urged more CEOs and investors to adopt the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact, hire more qualified women, and ensure that their investments focused on more than just profit to reflect social impact considerations.
“Governments, NGOs, and civil society cannot tackle our current challenges alone. If we are to secure a just, sustainable world, we need a whole-of-society approach in which the private sector plays a pivotal role,” he said.
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The Managing Director and CEO of Sterling Bank Limited and Board Member of the Sterling One Foundation, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, explained that the true essence of the summit was to ensure that at every level, the issues and challenges resulting in widespread poverty across Africa get tackled rightly and that everyone is moving in the right direction.
The CEO of the Sterling One Foundation, Mrs Olapeju Ibekwe, noted that, “Across the continent, the people are waiting for action. For far too long, Africa has been tagged the Emerging Continent, with the continent’s potential a recurring theme of conversation, yet poverty, hunger, climate crisis, and inequality remain visible; thus, Africa is yearning for action.
