From Dialogue To Delivery: ASIS 2026 Sets New Benchmark For Policy Impact
Written by Rashidat O. Okunlade
Sterling One Foundation, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the United Nations System, and partners of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS), will convene the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The high-level engagement will bring together senior government officials, chief executives, development partners, investors, civil society leaders, and members of the diplomatic community to advance results-driven partnerships for inclusive growth, human capital development, and national transformation.
Co-hosted by the Office of the Vice President and Sterling One Foundation, the engagement is designed as a national platform to translate continental commitments into concrete country-level action. It will align policy reform, private sector mobilisation, and development finance around Nigeria’s most pressing priorities, including education, jobs and skills development, financial inclusion, health, entrepreneurship, and institutional strengthening.
Themed “Scaling Action – Driving Inclusive Growth through Policy and Innovation,” the convening will host over 200 senior leaders from government, private enterprise, development institutions, and civil society. With just five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the session aims to catalyse policy reforms, unlock innovative and blended financing, and accelerate implementation across critical development sectors.
Now in its fifth year, the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) has emerged as a leading private sector-led continental platform for mobilising public-private collaboration to fast-track progress on the SDGs.
Co-convened by Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations, ASIS has consistently elevated the role of policy innovation, partnerships, and impact financing in addressing Africa’s most pressing social and economic challenges.
Building on this legacy, the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement will focus on translating insights and recommendations from previous ASIS communiqués into actionable national policies and sustainable financing frameworks. The engagement seeks to embed ASIS commitments within Nigeria’s policy ecosystem, elevate priority sectors as national imperatives, and mobilise capital toward measurable SDG outcomes.
Key highlights of the engagement include the launch of flagship, policy-backed initiatives such as the Business Coalition for Education (BCE) and the Nigeria Foundational Learning Fund, both aimed at accelerating literacy and numeracy outcomes and addressing Nigeria’s out-of-school children challenge.
Also to be launched is Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI) Nigeria, the country’s flagship platform for advancing women and youth economic empowerment through compact-based delivery, co-investment frameworks, and performance accountability. WYFEI Nigeria will serve as the national implementation platform for the African Union’s WYFEI Programme.
Speaking ahead of the engagement, Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria said Nigeria’s long-term prosperity depends on effective collaboration between the private sector, development partners, and public institutions.
“This engagement marks a critical step toward delivery-driven partnerships that unlock the full potential of our women and youth, strengthen human capital, and accelerate inclusive growth,” the Vice President said.
Similarly, Mrs. Olapeju Ibekwe, Chief Executive Officer of Sterling One Foundation, described the engagement as a decisive shift from dialogue to execution. “ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement represents a pivotal transition from conversation to national delivery. By deliberately aligning policy, innovation, and financing, we are enabling solutions to scale — delivering real impact for millions of Nigerians while positioning Nigeria as a leader in Africa’s sustainable growth agenda,” she said.
The event will also feature the adoption of the WYFEI Nigeria Declaration, a national statement of intent to be endorsed by government leaders, chief executives, and development partners, committing to coordinated action 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 continental and global commitments into national action focused on inclusive growth, shared prosperity, and long-term resilience.
The convening forms part of the post-ASIS national action series designed to move beyond dialogue to systems reform, capital mobilisation, and measurable impact across Africa’s largest economy.
