Vice President Kashim Shettima is set to inaugurate a new learning and empowerment fund aimed at enhancing the skills and opportunities of Nigerian children, women, and youth, as the country co-hosts the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) 2026.
The launch will take place tomorrow at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, as part of the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement. The initiative, convened by the Office of the Vice President in partnership with Sterling One Foundation, the United Nations system, and other ASIS collaborators, seeks to strengthen human capital development through education, financial inclusion, and empowerment programs.
ASIS serves as a continental platform dedicated to accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovation, financing, and multi-sector partnerships. This year’s summit, themed “Scaling Action – Driving Inclusive Growth through Policy and Innovation,” will host over 200 senior leaders from government, private sector, development institutions, civil society, and the diplomatic community.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, highlighted that the engagement will feature the launch of several flagship, policy-driven initiatives. These include the Business Coalition for Education (BCE) and the Nigeria Foundational Learning Fund, both of which aim to advance foundational literacy and numeracy and tackle the challenge of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Also scheduled for launch is the Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI) Nigeria platform. This flagship framework is designed to promote economic empowerment through structured co-investment initiatives, performance accountability mechanisms, and compact-based delivery. With WYFEI Nigeria, the country becomes the first implementation hub for the African Union’s WYFEI programme, which is expected to expand across the continent.
Ahead of the event, Vice President Shettima emphasised that Nigeria’s long-term prosperity depends on the government’s capacity to mobilise funding, technical expertise, and partnerships across public and private sectors.
Olapeju Ibekwe, Chief Executive Officer of Sterling One Foundation, described ASIS 2026 as a transition from dialogue to action. She noted that the summit will deliberately align policy, innovation, financing, and delivery frameworks to generate scalable solutions capable of delivering measurable impact for millions of Nigerians, positioning Nigeria as a continental leader in sustainable development.
