Beyond Dialogue to Delivery: ASIS 2026 Raises the Bar for Policy-Driven Impact
Story written by SpringNewsNG Media Limited and Mr. Friday PR.
Abuja, Nigeria — Sterling One Foundation, working with the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the United Nations System, and key partners of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS), will host the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The high-level session will convene top government officials, private sector leaders, development partners, investors, and civil society actors to accelerate outcome-focused collaborations that drive inclusive growth, foundational education, women and youth empowerment, and effective national development delivery.
Co-hosted by the Office of the Vice President and Sterling One Foundation, the engagement is designed as a national catalyst to convert Africa-wide commitments into concrete, country-level action. It will align policy reform, private sector participation, and development financing around Nigeria’s most pressing priorities, including education, employment, skills development, financial inclusion, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and institutional capacity building.
Held under the theme “Scaling Action – Driving Inclusive Growth through Policy and Innovation,” the convening will bring together more than 200 senior stakeholders from government, business, development institutions, civil society, and the diplomatic community. With just five years remaining to the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the engagement aims to fast-track policy reforms, unlock blended and innovative financing, and strengthen implementation across critical sectors.
Now in its fifth year, the Africa Social Impact Summit has evolved into a leading private sector–driven continental platform advancing public-private cooperation to accelerate SDG progress. Co-convened by Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations, ASIS has consistently spotlighted the power of policy innovation, partnerships, and impact investment in addressing Africa’s social and economic challenges.
Building on this legacy, the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement will prioritise translating insights from previous ASIS communiqués into actionable national policies and financing mechanisms. The goal is to embed ASIS commitments within Nigeria’s policy framework, elevate priority sectors to national urgency, and mobilise capital toward measurable SDG outcomes.
Key outcomes of the engagement include the launch of major policy-backed initiatives such as the Business Coalition for Education (BCE) and the Nigeria Foundational Learning Fund, both aimed at improving literacy and numeracy while tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis.
Also to be unveiled is Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI) Nigeria, the country’s flagship platform for advancing women and youth empowerment through compact-based delivery models, co-investment structures, and performance accountability. WYFEI Nigeria will serve as the national implementation arm of the African Union’s WYFEI programme.
Speaking ahead of the event, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria noted that Nigeria’s long-term prosperity hinges on effective collaboration between public institutions, the private sector, and development partners. He described the engagement as a critical step toward delivery-focused partnerships that unlock the potential of women and youth, strengthen human capital, and drive inclusive economic growth.
CEO of Sterling One Foundation, Mrs. Olapeju Ibekwe, said the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement marks a decisive move from dialogue to execution.
“By intentionally aligning policy, innovation, and financing, we are creating a system that allows solutions to scale and deliver tangible impact for millions of Nigerians, while positioning Nigeria as a frontrunner in Africa’s sustainable development journey,” she said.
The event will also feature the adoption of the WYFEI Nigeria Declaration, a national commitment to coordinated action by government leaders, CEOs, and development partners to unlock Nigeria’s women and youth dividend.
Anchored within the UN SDG Stimulus Framework and aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement reinforces Nigeria’s leadership in translating global and continental commitments into practical national outcomes focused on shared prosperity, inclusion, and long-term resilience.
The engagement forms part of the post–Africa Social Impact Summit national action series, aimed at moving beyond conversation to systems reform, capital mobilisation, and measurable impact across Africa’s largest economy.
