Lagos State is set to host the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) 2024, a landmark event that will bring together over 5000 development and sustainability leaders from across the continent to accelerate progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The State Commissioner for Commerce, Trade, and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, made this known at the weekend at a press conference held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, saying that Lagos would collaborate with the Sterling One Foundation, the United Nations Nigeria, and other notable organisations to achieve transformation and multifaceted solutions to address the challenges facing the continent.
The commissioner said the summit would, in particular, review transformative recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the decade of action for accelerating the implementation of the SDGs, and progress at the midpoint of the deadline for the 2030 agenda.
Besides, she stated that there would be a Social Enterprise Forum where business leaders whose businesses were focused on social impact in thematic sectors could pitch innovative solutions to potential investors and access funding to drive scale and accelerate impact.
Ambrose-Medebem noted that more than half of the world is left behind based on the United Nations (UN) Progress Report on Sustainable Development Goals, Special Edition 2023, while progress on more than 50 per cent of the targets of the SDGs is weak and insufficient, asserting that there was a need to reverse this narrative and mobilise people and organisations as critical partners towards achieving the needed transformation.
She, however, assured that “ASIS would serve as a global platform for effective collaboration and alignment by critical players in Africa’s social development sector, as the theme ‘Reimagining Progress’ implied.”
According to her, there will also be a tour of Lagos State’s notable investment destinations and tourist attractions to be hosted by the Lagos State government and an event round-off networking dinner at the Eko Atlantic City, saying that some of the expected outcomes at the end of the summit include building result-oriented and innovative global and regional partnerships to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs.
“There will also be a tour of Lagos State’s notable investment destinations and tourist attractions hosted by the Lagos State government and an event round-off networking dinner at the Eko Atlantic City.
“At the end of the Summit, some of the expected outcomes include building result-oriented and innovative global and regional partnerships to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs,” the commissioner stated.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sterling One Foundation, and Convener, ASIS, Olapeju Ibekwe, indicated that the summit had attracted interest from over 8,000 development and sustainability leaders from across 66 countries since its launch in 2022.
Ibekwe added that ASIS sought to host impact investors and investees with a focus on education and youth development, food security, climate solutions, healthcare, renewable energy, WASH, and the transition to a circular economy.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
