ASIS, UN, others pledge to provide better value in Africa

African Social Impact Summit (ASIS) by Sterling One Foundation, in partnership with MTN Foundation, British Council, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), has pledged to provide better value in Africa.

Speaking at a media briefing, yesterday, ahead of its second summit, the chairman of Sterling Bank and board of trustees’ member, Sterling One Foundation, Abubakar Suleiman, said: “There were a lot of duplications, inefficiencies, and a lot of us were marching blindly because someone else had done the research but we could not access it.

“At Sterling One Foundation, we felt that if we could convene a summit that will bring people together, get them to listen to one another, and get them to sit together once the conversation was done, we could solve this problem, hence the birth of the ASIS.”

He noted: “Once again, this is for us to say to the rest of the world that there is an opportunity to engage Africa in an organised way, if their interest is to have an impact.

“I suspect that once we have the summit, going forward, it will be difficult for anyone to come into Africa with the objective of impact, without coming through the summit to access the right partners, information and research, and effectively get value on every dollar they spend in Africa. That is what success looks like for us.”

United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, also highlighted how working on the project as a co-convener will boost relationships with Africa.

He said: “I would say the African Social Impact Summit couldn’t be timelier because development is in trouble. I recall, eight years ago, in 2015, global heads of government came together and agreed to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In doing so, they made a collective promise to people in all nations to secure their human rights, wellbeing and their planet.

“The combined effect of COVID, climate change, and conflict has stalked progress towards the SDGs. It seems clear to us at the UN that unless we take urgent action, the 2030 agenda will become no more than a broken promise to the world’s most vulnerable people, and that’s where our interest comes in.

“We truly believe that ASIS is an important event on the road to achieving the SDGs. It is also a preparatory step to the global SDG summit in September.”