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Sterling One Foundation, UN Set the Stage for Africa’s Next Leap at ASIS 4.0

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With urgency and bold ambition, the fourth edition of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 4.0), co-convened by Sterling One Foundation and the United Nations in Nigeria, brought together over 2,500 delegates from across the globe in Lagos to inspire action, strengthen collaboration, and support Africa’s growth. 

 

From policymakers and impact investors to civil society and youth advocates, the summit served as a catalytic platform for co-creating scalable, African-led solutions to the continent’s most pressing challenges, all anchored in the Sustainable Development.

 

Goals (SDGs).

Under the theme “Scaling Action: Bold Solutions for Climate Resilience and Policy Innovation”, ASIS 4.0 made its mark by focusing on practical, results-driven conversations.

 

Key players including the African Union Commission, GIZ, Afreximbank, British Council, and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of

Budget and Planning pledged deeper collaboration and investment to unlock the continent’s potential through inclusive, people-centered development.

 

“This summit began with just eight institutions. Today, there are over 60 partners in the room,” said Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation, in her welcome remarks.

 

“That kind of growth is not just about numbers, it’s about shared ownership. We get bold solutions when we scale action with the

right execution and the right alliances,” she said. She went on to outline the summit’s three-point agenda: galvanizing multilevel partnerships, scaling investments in social impact, and driving better policy engagement.

 

Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, while delivering her keynote address, expressed deep concern over Africa’s development outlook amidst rising debt, declining foreign investment, and

intensifying climate shocks.

 

She highlighted that over three billion people now live in countries that spend more on debt servicing than on health and education combined.

 

Calling for urgent global financial reforms and equity in climate financing, she unveiled the Mission 300 initiative, aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to clean, affordable energy solutions. “We cannot afford to slow down.

 

Africa’s future must be built on deliberate, values-driven action that centers people, not promises,” she stressed.

 

Sterling Bank MD/CEO and strategic partner of the summit, Abubakar Suleiman, reinforced this sentiment: “When we say bold, we mean deliberate, practical steps backed by partnerships and purpose. ASIS has proven that African solutions are best built through African collaboration.”

 

Across high-level plenaries, deal rooms, and breakout sessions, stakeholders explored solutions for advancing education access, healthcare delivery, food systems innovation, climate resilience, and financing for development.

 

A key highlight was the Lagos Investment Pre-Summit, hosted in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, which catalyzed sub-national engagement with global

investors.

 

Dr. Tobias Thiel, Director at GIZ–African Union, urged all partners to intensify efforts in integrating women and youth into climate policy at all levels. He highlighted GIZ’s ongoing collaboration with the AU on climate initiatives and reaffirmed their commitment to partnering with governments, businesses, and civil society.

 

“The challenges are dire,” he said, “but they present opportunities to rethink and drive solutions. ASIS can be a vital platform for these dialogues. It’s not just about tech and finance, it’sabout people. At GIZ, we remain committed to building a resilient, inclusive world where gender equality is a reality, not a goal.”

 

Adding to the call for collaborative reform, Prudence Ngwenya, Director, Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, African Union Commission, noted that the summit is happening at a crucial time and stressed that systemic challenges can’t be solved in isolation. She urged for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to drive inclusive growth, prosperity, and financial inclusion across Africa.

 

Representing the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, Elsie Attafuah, Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, underscored the importance of political will and long-term financing. “It is not enough to acknowledge the gaps. What matters is our ability to meet those gaps with capital, policy, and scale,” she said.

 

As the 2025 edition drew to a close, the diversity of participants and shared resolve underscored ASIS’s growing relevance as Africa’s premier convening platform for impact. With just five years left to achieve the SDGs, the Africa Social Impact Summit continues to shift the narrative from commitment to execution, and from ambition to measurable progress.

 

About the Co-Conveners

Sterling One Foundation (SOF) is a registered non-profit focused on tackling the root causes of poverty in Nigeria, and Africa through interventions and social impact programmes across three critical sectors namely: health, education and climate action & food security. Gender Equality and women empowerment are integrated as a cross cutting priority across all our programming areas. The Foundation’s programmes adopt a central theme of prioritizing partnerships for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For more information visit onefoundation.ng

 

The United Nations System (UNS) in Nigeria, comprising 19 resident and 4 non-resident entities, has had a long and productive engagement with the Federal Republic of Nigeria since its independence. The UN has been a catalytic supporter and trusted partner in Nigeria’s development

efforts. Learn more about the United Nations in Nigeria at www.un.org.ng.

 

L–R: Olatunji Mayaki, Chairman, Board of Directors, Sterling Bank; Kunle Elebute, Former Chairman, KPMG Africa & Senior Partner, KPMG Nigeria; Foluso Phillips, Chairman, Phillips Consulting; Folasade Bada Ambrose, Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment (CCT&I), Lagos State; Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO, Sterling One Foundation; Dr. Tobias Thiel, Director, GIZ African Union Portfolio; and Abubakar Suleiman, MD/CEO, Sterling Bank, at the recently held fourth edition of the Africa Social Impact Summit in Lagos, co-convened by Sterling One Foundation and United Nations Nigeria.

 

Chiwendu Isaiah

Public Relations, Sterling One Foundation

Entertainment

Davido breaks silence after Grammy Award loss

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Five-time Grammy nominee, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted after losing the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.

 

The Afrobeats star shared a message of faith and resilience following the outcome of the ceremony, which took place on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in California.

In a post on his Instagram page, Davido shared photos with his wife, Chioma, from the event and wrote, “Oluwa Dey my side,” alongside prayer and music emojis.
Hours later, he posted another set of pictures of himself and Chioma at the Grammys, reflecting on the loss in a longer caption.

“I said baby listen we lost again let’s not go ! she said ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ we outside,” he wrote.
Chioma also reacted via her Instagram page, praising the singer, “You already know that you’re the perfect one, @davido,” she wrote, while sharing photos from the awards night.
Davido was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category at the 2026 Grammy Awards but lost to South African singer Tyla, who won with her song Push 2 Start.

Other nominees in the category included Burna Boy (Love), Ayra Starr and Wizkid (Gimme Dat), Davido (With You featuring Omah Lay), and Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin (Hope & Love).

The win marked Tyla’s second Grammy Award, following her first victory in 2024 for her hit single Water.

Speaking during the awards ceremony, the singer revealed that With You, featuring Omah Lay, almost did not make the final tracklist of his album 5IVE.
“Man, it’s so crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. With You was not in anybody’s top five.
“And now look at it go. Every time I was performing it, my heart would just start beating like, what if I didn’t put this song?” he told OkayAfrica.

Davido also recounted how he learned about the Grammy nomination, saying the news came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, days before his birthday.

“I was in the car, actually, checking a car, and then my phone rang. They were like, ‘Oh yeah, another nomination.’ I was like, wow. Thank God,” he said.

“With You” was released in April 2025 as the 17th track on Davido’s fifth studio album, 5IVE, and has since become one of his most successful recent records, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify.

Despite the song’s success, Nigeria did not record a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Davido said he is now focused on touring and releasing new music.

He is also billed to perform at Coachella 2026, where he will be the only Nigerian artiste on the festival lineup, performing on April 11 and April 18, 2026, in Indio, California.

-Guardian

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Kunle Afolayan gives reasons to marry many women

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Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has stirred reactions after advising men to “marry many women” while reflecting on his upbringing in a polygamous home.

 

The actor and producer made the remarks at the watch party of Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, with a clip from the event going viral on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, Afolayan linked his existence and achievements to his late father’s decision to marry several wives.

“Without my father, there wouldn’t have been a KAP Village or even Kunle Afolayan. I am the seventh born of my father because my father had ten wives. For the men, marry many women, or rather be involved with many women. You know why? If my father didn’t, he would not have born me, and that is the honest truth. But today, a few of us are lifting his legacy. Life is short, death is constant. Nobody has life forever. Everybody has a period. Use your period,” he said.

While his daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, joined him on stage, the filmmaker compared his childhood experience with his relationship with his children.

“They are lucky. For her, staying by my side is luck. Do you know why? I couldn’t stand it with my father. My father didn’t know my school. My father didn’t know my date of birth. He did not know anything about me other than, ‘He is the son of that person.’ But today, I’m so proud of my father,” he added.

Afolayan also spoke about fatherhood.

“Sometimes when people say ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I’m always saying whether he pays child support or not, he’s still a father. I have been going to court because I want to get a divorce. I don’t mind being in the witness box, and I experienced the shit, so that I can marry many wives,” he said.

He thereafter prayed for his daughter, praising her role in the series.

“Hephzibah, her mother is the one who gave her the name. I don’t care, but I am proud of you. You started with the film, you did the first season, and now with the second season, you did amazingly well. My good Lord will continue to increase you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding. If this is your path, the good Lord will see you through.”
However, this is not the first time the filmmaker has spoken about his late father’s polygamous lifestyle.

In March 2021, Afolayan told BBC Pidgin that his father, Adeyemi Afolayan, who died in 1996, married 10 wives and had 25 children, a decision he said took a toll on the family.

“I would not want to marry many wives because my father had 10 wives and I knew what happened throughout that period. I knew that really distracted my father. In this age, nobody needs to tell you before you know what’s right,” he said at the time.

He also disclosed that growing up in a polygamous home affected bonding among the children due to language and other barriers.

Afolayan further narrated how he battled poverty in his early years, revealing that he once lived in a one-room apartment in Ebute-Metta and sometimes had to deal with flooding.

“I was born in Ebute-Metta and have lived in one-room apartment before that we even have to grapple with flood sometimes. It’s not shame to say have been poor before. But if you see how l made it, it’s a matter of consistency. My father was a very popular filmmaker and ordinarily, people would expect me to life the kind of live akin to Hollywood stars,” he said.

“But that wasn’t the case. How would one live such life when you’re living in a room with ten women. That doesn’t mean there was no love among us.”

He had advised young filmmakers to start with the little resources available to them while working towards their dreams.

 

-Guardian

 

 

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Court adjourns Ganduje’s corruption trial to April 15

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A Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15 the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, alongside five other defendants, over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of naira.

 

The defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The remaining accused persons are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution told the court it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.

However, defence lawyers raised objections, informing the court that multiple applications were pending and must be resolved before the trial could continue.

Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to some of the defendants, said the defence had filed a motion dated July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a separate motion dated May 23, 2025.
In addition, Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, told the court that an affidavit had been filed notifying it of a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, counsel to the sixth defendant, informed the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for extension of time to respond on points of law dated February 2, urging the court to fix a date for hearing.

Only Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, indicated readiness to proceed with the trial.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, adjourned the matter to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.

The trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal challenges. The high court had earlier dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defence as “incompetent” and affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case.
That ruling was appealed by the defendants, who argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. However, in October 2025, the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal, citing failure to properly transmit the record of appeal.

-Guardian

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