Sterling One Foundation, in collaboration with Coca-Cola Nigeria, Sterling Bank Limited, and the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria, has reaffirmed its commitment to driving social impact across Africa by co-hosting the Africa Social Impact Summit for the third consecutive year.
The 2024 summit gathered over 2,000 development leaders and professionals, facilitating investments exceeding N3 billion. In a statement released on Sunday, the foundation highlighted that this year’s summit alone unlocked over $1 million for impactful initiatives, further solidifying its role as a catalyst for sustainable development.
Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation, remarked, “The Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) was established to address the challenges faced by the African continent, including setbacks from COVID-19, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our focus has been on leveraging partnerships to drive significant progress, and we are fortunate to have partners who share this vision and have been with us since the beginning.”
The foundation emphasized that the dedication of its partners has been crucial to the summit’s success. By fostering collaboration and driving investments, they are contributing to meaningful, lasting impact across critical sectors.
The summit has attracted insights from over 120 global experts, with a particular emphasis on climate action and women’s empowerment, both of which are priority areas for the foundation’s partners.
Amaka Onyemelukwe, Senior Director of Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability at Coca-Cola Nigeria, underscored the significance of partnerships in achieving the summit’s objectives. She stated, “Partnerships have always been at the heart of our strategy at Coca-Cola, and ASIS aligns perfectly with our vision. The summit’s ability to transform ideas from discussion to actionable outcomes is vital for the development ecosystem in Africa. We are proud to support this initiative.”
This year’s summit also featured an investors’ roundtable hosted by the Lagos State Government and a deal room session, where two tech startups, ArtisanOga and PressPay, secured deals worth $200,000.
