NGO Impact Investment Summit 2025 Charts a New Development Roadmap for Nigeria

By Genesis Ogiri

Stakeholders Push for Private Sector Partnerships to Drive Inclusive Growth

Abuja, Nigeria – The 2025 NGO Impact Investment Summit has signaled a transformative shift in Nigeria’s development landscape, unveiling a bold new roadmap that places private sector collaboration at the center of national progress. Convened at the National Centre for Women Development in Abuja, the summit brought together leading voices from civil society, business, development finance, and government in a collective push to reimagine how Nigeria addresses its pressing infrastructure and humanitarian challenges.

At the forefront of the summit was Aisha Bello, Convener of the summit and CEO of the Voice of Girl Child and Vulnerable Foundation, whose foundation championed the gathering as a platform to explore innovative ways to bridge investment gaps in education, healthcare, women’s empowerment, youth skills acquisition, and social welfare.

According to her, "this summit was carefully designed to build capacity, drive real change, and unlock funding for impact,” Bello said. “We wanted participants to leave with practical tools, strong networks, and renewed confidence in their ability to lead transformative initiatives.”

 NGOs Impact Investment Summit 2025 equipped development professionals and nonprofit organizations with cutting-edge tools and insights to build capacity, drive social change, and unlock sustainable funding opportunities.

Participants were trained on how to move beyond traditional aid models by exploring innovative investment and funding strategies that ensure long-term growth. Emphasis was placed on building resilient nonprofit business models that do not rely solely on grants and donations, but are able to scale through partnerships, social enterprise, and investor engagement.

The convener, Aisha Bello, CEO of the Voice of Girl Child and Vulnerable Foundation, stated that the summit was deliberately structured to transform how NGOs approach funding and project implementation.

In addition to technical sessions, the summit created networking opportunities where attendees connected with potential investors, strategic partners, and policymakers interested in fostering scalable development models.

The 2025 edition of the summit reaffirmed the critical role of NGOs in national development and emphasized the importance of collaboration between the nonprofit sector and private investors in achieving sustainable, measurable impact in Nigeria.

 “We cannot continue to depend solely on traditional aid models,” Bello said in her keynote. “If we are to accelerate progress and meet the needs of our communities, the private sector must be at the table—not just as donors, but as strategic partners in co-creating sustainable solutions.”


In a media briefing with Newsway Media, Bello stressed the need for strategic rethinking around NGO funding mechanisms. She emphasized that while NGOs are often the first responders to societal needs, many struggle to sustain their operations due to inconsistent or project-restricted funding.

 “We must begin to think differently about how we fund NGOs,” she noted. “It's not just about projects—it's about ensuring the organizational resilience required to keep doing the work. Without operational support, the sector’s impact will remain limited.”


The summit featured plenary sessions, panel discussions, and breakout workshops focused on building an investment ecosystem that aligns with Nigeria’s social development needs. Topics ranged from blended finance models and NGO capacity-building to leveraging technology for scalable impact and improving transparency in public-private partnerships.

One of the key highlights was a presentation by Dr. Kikiope Oluwarore, Executive Director of the One Health and Development Initiative (OHDI). She advocated for stronger alignment between private investment and health systems development across Africa and introduced a groundbreaking innovation—RORE (Resource-Oriented Resilience Engine). Developed by OHDI, RORE is designed to equip frontline health and development workers with centralized resources, tools, and training to enhance local resilience, especially in underserved communities.

 “The future of sustainable development lies in co-creation, access to knowledge, and the power of collaboration,” said Dr. Oluwarore. “RORE is our contribution to bridging that gap.”

In recognition of her groundbreaking work, Dr. Oluwarore was honored with the Humanitarian and Impactful Leadership Award, underscoring the summit’s commitment to celebrating innovation and leadership in the development sector.

In addition to infrastructure and investment dialogue, the summit addressed critical social issues such as adolescent reproductive health, teenage pregnancy, sexual education, and the rise in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Experts and advocates called for comprehensive sexuality education and increased access to reproductive services for adolescents, highlighting their relevance to national development.

 “We cannot talk about development without addressing the socio-cultural barriers holding back our youth, particularly girls,” one speaker noted during a breakout session.

The summit concluded with a communique calling for the institutionalization of the NGO Impact Investment Summit as an annual platform for knowledge exchange, partnership building, and strategic planning. Stakeholders also called for the creation of enabling policies that support NGO-private sector collaboration, transparency in development funding, and scalable innovations that can accelerate progress toward Nigeria’s SDGs.

The Voice of Girl Child and Vulnerable Foundation, through this convening, reinforced its role as a leading advocate for inclusive development and a bridge between grassroots realities and high-level policymaking.

As participants departed, one message resonated across the halls: Nigeria’s future will not be built by government alone, but by partnerships rooted in vision, courage, and shared responsibility.

Popular posts from this blog

Barrister Fati Abubakar Garba, Bags Honorary Doctorate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, USA

Image
By Genesis ogiri  Abuja, Nigeria — It was a historic day of honor and recognition as Barrister Fati Abubakar Garba, a retired senior immigration officer and Principal Partner of Tani Chambers, was conferred with an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Security and Intelligence by the world-renowned Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, USA. The colorful ceremony, held at the prestigious National Merit Award House, Maitama, brought together dignitaries from the public and private sectors, legal professionals, policymakers, and community leaders who gathered to celebrate a woman whose life of service and leadership continues to inspire. Dr. Garba’s career is defined by loyalty to duty and commitment to national development. During her years of service in the Nigerian Immigration Service, she distinguished herself as an officer of discipline, diligence, and foresight. Her contributions to border management, national security, and intelligence coordination were widely commended, mak...
Read more

NPF’s Ayuba Sunday Bags Peace Fellowship Award

Image
By Genesis ogiri  Abuja — On that luminous evening at Barcelona Hotel, the familiar blue of the police uniform told a story beyond sirens and duty. It was no longer stitched only with the threads of order and law, but with the softer fabric of peace. In that hall of honor, Ambassador Ayuba Sunday, an officer of the Nigeria Police Force, stood tall as the emblem of enforcement was crowned with the laurel of reconciliation. His decoration with the Fellowship Award of the Institute of Global Peace and Conflict Management became more than ceremony; it was the marriage of badge and olive branch, the blending of the officer’s stern duty with the ambassador’s gentle call for harmony. Dr. Ayuba was further decorated with the designation of Licensed Peace and Security Consultant (LPSC) by the Institute, in affiliation with the Dunstan University of West Africa. According to the Institute’s leadership, the honor was conferred in recognition of his competence, professional practic...
Read more

Prof. Chukwuneke Jeremiah Inducted as NIWE Fellow, Reaffirms Mentorship Mandate

Image
By Genesis Ogiri | Abuja Abuja, Nigeria – July 24, 2025 — In a remarkable celebration of professional excellence and commitment to national development, Prof. Chukwuneke Jeremiah Lekwuwa, a distinguished mechanical engineering scholar and Head of Department at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has been conferred with the Fellowship of the Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers (NIWE). The prestigious investiture, held in Abuja, brought together a diverse assembly of engineers, academics, public officials, and thought leaders across Nigeria’s water and environmental sectors to honour outstanding contributors to engineering practice. Prof. Chukwuneke received the Fellowship award in recognition of his robust academic contributions, impactful research, and unwavering commitment to engineering development in Nigeria. He described the recognition as both humbling and motivating. “This honour reinforces my responsibility to train and mentor emerging engineers who will sh...
Read more