Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has called for stronger partnerships between governments, the private sector and development institutions to bridge Africa’s financing gap and accelerate sustainable development. Speaking on Wednesday at the opening of the 2026 Africa Social Impact Summit, themed “Financing for Development: Building Resilience and Transforming Emerging Economies,” at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, the Governor, represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, said Africa’s future will depend on the courage of its response and its ability to mobilise investment at scale.
Sanwo-Olu noted that Africa already understands the investments needed in infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, clean energy, technology, housing and climate resilience. He stressed that no single institution can finance the continent’s future, citing an annual SDG financing gap running into hundreds of billions of dollars. He urged stakeholders to deepen domestic capital markets, mobilise private investment, leverage development finance and create regulatory certainty to attract long-term funding. The Governor added that the transition to a green economy offers opportunities in renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, waste recycling and resilient infrastructure, while also highlighting barriers millions of Africans, especially women, youth and small businesses, face in accessing affordable finance.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Africa Social Impact Network, Prof. Oyebanji Oyeyinka, said the summit is pushing for urgent action on sustainable financing, industrialisation and resilient systems as Africa’s working-age population is projected to grow by over 620 million. He called for a shift from raw commodity exports to value-added manufacturing and innovation. CEO of Sterling One Foundation, Mrs. Olapeju Ibekwe, noted that ASIS has grown into a platform driving investment, partnerships and policy solutions, having attracted over $1 billion into scalable projects across the continent. She described the summit as an implementation platform for change and commended the Lagos State Government for its continued support in hosting the event.
