Emerging Africa Group, a frontline African investment banking franchise, has formally launched its solar-powered campus and the Toyin F. Sanni Foundation as its celebrated 4th anniversary as a group.
Giving her opening remarks at the Group’s campus ground in Ikoyi, the firm’s chief executive officer, Toyin F. Sanni, said the Group was established four years ago to address Africa’s huge financial access gap.
“Established to finance to provide financing and investing solutions to public and private sector projects,” she said. “Our group has since inception, helped to raise up to $1 billion for the governments and companies we represent.”
Sanni, talking about the campus, said, the need to do business in a suitable operational base birthed the solar-powered Emerging Africa campus.
She said: “For about two years, due to the pandemic, we conducted our businesses in smaller units and from our homes.
“When we decided in May 2022, to bring our staff back to work, we thought that we needed to create an environment that is as close to home as possible.
“Hence, the pool, the trees, and the green grass, and our intention to put a gym in place,” she said. “Also, there will be a staff club on the campus, and being eco-friendly, it is solar powered.”
In addition, Sanni said the Toyin S. Foundation is dedicated to the underserved and underrepresented African women.
“It is aimed at making life easier. It is targeted at vulnerable African women and children to make life easier for them in terms of provision of food, accommodation, education, employment opportunities, and lots more.
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“Now, this foundation merely by existing and fulfilling… is solving or helping to achieve a number of United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” she said.
Meanwhile, Onikepo Akande, Group Chairman, expressed fulfilment in the feet achieved by the Group.
She said: “I am honoured that the emerging Africa group is today celebrating the grand opening of its campus, the fourth anniversary of the group, and the launch of Toyin S. Foundation.
“The group will continue its great mission of filling the financial inclusion gap for African communities and companies, leveraging talent, innovation, and collaboration, preferably through environmental, social, and governance led by financing solutions.
“Also, the launch of the foundation was conceived as a vehicle for giving back to society with particular focus on all the service to women and children who represent the least included segment of our demographic composition.
Akande further said the Foundation has been established to make impactful contributions in a strategic structured, consistent, transparent, and sustainable way to the amelioration of these identified gaps by investing in projects intended for vulnerable African women and children.
“For this purpose, it aims to raise and commit up to $5 million to the advancement of African women and children over the next ten years,” she said.
On the other side, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor, Lagos State, who was represented by Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor of the state, said the way to sustainable progress is to associate with like-minded parties who see challenges within the society and provide solutions to those challenges for the benefit of all.
He said: “it is laudable that the group has evolved from a pure investment bank into an environmental, social and government focused investment group.
Also, he talked about the work Lagos state is doing to enable financial inclusion.
“In Lagos, we have remained very focused and concerned and relentless in our resolve to close the financial gap through direct financial support and policies to promote financial inclusion.
“We are also working to ensure that our citizens have financial access to enable them to pursue their dreams, ideas, and innovations that are investable, future thinking, and solution providing,” he said.
The deputy governor further urged other stakeholders and individuals to not relent in their support for the group.
Emerging Africa Group engages in thought leadership, market development, and investment promotion activities through Investor Conferences and Seminars, Research & Publications in Partnership with regional and international agencies aimed at growing investments in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
