The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has restated Nigeria’s commitment to shaping Africa’s future through impact, inclusion, and investment, saying the country is strengthening key initiatives to support sustainable development across the continent.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Africa Social Impact Summit High-Level Policy Engagement held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Shettima noted that Nigeria is launching and reinforcing platforms such as the Business Coalition for Education and the Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion Platform to drive inclusive growth. He stressed, however, that “government alone cannot solve Africa’s development challenges.”
The Vice President was represented at the event by his Technical Adviser on Women, Youth Engagement, and Impact, Hajiya Hauwa Liman. According to him, the Africa Social Impact Summit, held in partnership with Sterling One Foundation and other local and global collaborators, must go beyond talk.
“Beyond Nigeria’s commitment to shaping Africa’s future through impact, inclusion, and investment, this convening of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS), held in partnership with Sterling One Foundation and our local and global collaborators, must be more than an exercise in social relations,” he said.
“It must serve as a platform where intent is converted into execution, where dialogue matures into decision, and where partnerships are forged with outcomes firmly in view,” Shettima added.
He said Nigeria has never taken the potential of ASIS for granted, recalling that the summit has grown steadily over its past four editions. According to him, ASIS has evolved “into one of Africa’s most consequential platforms for development dialogue.”
“We do not need a lecture on why this engagement matters. None of us doubts its relevance, because all of us here share the same aspiration: to build platforms of execution strong enough to carry the immense potential of this continent into lived reality,” the Vice President stated.
Shettima observed that development in previous decades had been “framed primarily as expenditure,” adding that the current responsibility of government is to reposition development as long-term investment. He said such investment must focus on human capital, productive systems, climate resilience, digital infrastructure, and inclusive markets.
According to him, Africa’s future will not be financed by aid alone. He explained that it will also depend on “patient capital, catalytic capital, blended finance, and private enterprise deployed at scale and guided by impact.”
In line with this thinking, the Vice President said Nigeria is positioning itself to deliver measurable results. “We are strengthening delivery systems across education, health, social protection, agriculture, climate action, digital public infrastructure, and financial inclusion,” he said.
“We are reforming institutions. We are aligning incentives. We are building national results architectures not to impress donors, but to serve citizens,” Shettima added.
While acknowledging ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice President said no administration can achieve such an ambitious agenda alone. He noted that President Tinubu “has without doubt begun the work of turning Nigeria’s fortunes around,” but added that collaboration remains essential.
According to him, this is why Nigeria views ASIS as “a convening ground for co-investment, co-design, and co-delivery.” He described the summit as a space “where policymakers sit with CEOs, development partners, entrepreneurs, civil society leaders, and innovators to build solutions together.”
On youth empowerment, Shettima said the Tinubu administration has expanded opportunities for young people and women as part of its inclusive agenda. “Our focus on strengthening human capital is unmistakable,” he said.
He warned, however, against disjointed efforts, stressing the need for unity. “But let me be candid. If we fail to stand together, we leave ourselves vulnerable to avoidable setbacks,” the Vice President said.
“This is a reminder to our development partners, to our social innovators, to civil society, and most importantly to the young people and women across Nigeria and across Africa. The stakes are too high for fragmentation. Progress demands coalition,” he added.
Earlier, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, represented by Dr. Sampson Ebimaro, Director of the International Cooperation Department, said the goals of ASIS align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.
According to him, the summit reflects the federal government’s focus on translating policy decisions into real implementation outcomes. He said ASIS 2026 reinforces the need for strong collaboration between government and the private sector.
Bagudu assured development partners that the federal government will continue to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He added that efforts will also be made to deepen collaboration for measurable impact within Nigeria and across Africa.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, also spoke at the event through a prepared statement that was read on his behalf. He highlighted that Nigeria’s commitment to the SDGs remains central to government planning.
Fall said that for Nigeria to meet the SDGs, states must serve as the main drivers of implementation. He added that this must happen alongside effective revenue mobilization and the strategic deployment of resources.
On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of Sterling One Foundation, Mrs. Olapeju Ibekwe, said the engagement signals a new phase of cooperation. According to her, it marks a shift where the Presidency, the Office of the Vice President, the private sector, investors, development partners, and civil society move beyond alignment to active cooperation.
She said the launch of the initiatives represents institutional infrastructure for impact, noting that they are designed “not for announcements, but for execution.”
A major highlight of the engagement was the launch of flagship, policy-backed initiatives. These include the Business Coalition for Education (BCE), the Nigeria Foundational Learning Fund, and the Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI) Nigeria.
