UN tasks private sector on implementation of SDGs

The United Nations has urged the private sector to use the social impact summit as an opportunity to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and the African Union 2063 Agenda.

Matthias Schmale UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, said this in Lagos at the official unveiling of partners for the second edition of the Africa Social Impact Summit.

Schmale expressed excitement about partnering on the summit, highlighting the UN’s dedication to working with the private sector and government to implement a cooperation framework for sustainable development. He stressed the need for the private sector to move beyond corporate social responsibility (CSR) and integrate sustainability into their business models.

“We want to see all stakeholders, especially the private sector, use the Africa social impact summit as an opportunity to join hands to formulate a rescue plan for the SDGs,” he explained.

The Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations Nigeria, co-conveners of the Africa Social Impact Summit 2023, have officially unveiled partners for the second edition of the summit.

Coca-Cola, MTN Foundation, British Council, Microsoft, and others were at the weekend unveiled as partners for the 2023 summit.

At a press conference in Lagos, the partners announced August 10 and 11, 2023 as dates for the event scheduled for Eko Convention Centre.

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The Africa social impact summit, now in its second year, is a transformative summit that brings together thought leaders, impact investors, and stakeholders from diverse sectors to address pressing challenges and design market-led solutions for sustainable outcomes in Africa.

Under the theme “Global vision, local action: Repositioning the African development ecosystem for sustainable outcomes”, the summit seeks to reshape Africa’s development landscape by fostering collaboration, innovative thinking, and impactful investment into critical areas such as climate solutions, circular economy, agriculture, renewable energy, education, health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene. The summit aims to accelerate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and the African Union 2063 Agenda.

Unveiling the partners for Summit 2023, Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO, Sterling One Foundation, said the partners were taking a bold step towards redefining Africa’s future.

“The African continent needs every impact resource and every player focused on how we can move from just potential and that is what each of us here has committed to, and I can’t express just how excited I am to see the number of partners we have brought to the table from what we had last year; this shows that the message of sustainable development is resonating,” she said.

The partners include the Coca-Cola Company, the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria, Sterling Bank, the British Council, MTN Foundation, SBG Insurance, the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), the UNIDO Investment Technology Promotion Office, Nigeria, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Microsoft, SCALE Palladium, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Impact Investors Foundation, Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC), the Nigeria INGO Forum (NIF), the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the National Council on Climate Change Foreign Policy, Proshare, Ventures Africa, TechCabal and Trace TV.

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.