Alternative Bank Pioneers Progress For Africa At ASIS 2025
Garba Mohammed
Alternative Bank Pioneers Progress For Africa At ASIS 2025
The Alternative Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to driving sustainable development across Africa ahead of the highly anticipated 2025 Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS). Co-convened by the Sterling One Foundation and United Nations Nigeria, ASIS serves as a vital platform for tackling Africa’s social challenges through collaborative, market-driven solutions.
Set to take place from July 10-11 in Lagos, the summit will bring together government, civil society, the private sector, and development partners to share knowledge, discuss evidence-based insights, and create actionable plans aimed at achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking recently at a press conference held at the United Nations House in Abuja, Garba Mohammed, Executive Director, North, at The Alternative Bank, emphasised the importance of collective action to address the continent’s most pressing challenges.
“The theme of this year’s summit, ‘Scaling Action,’ speaks volumes. It reflects an urgent and deliberate shift from rhetoric to results, from bold conversations to bold execution,” Mohammed stated, while also stressing that the time for discussion is over.
“Now is the moment for real, bold solutions to tackle issues such as poverty, food insecurity, climate change, and inequality,” he continued.
Mohammed also highlighted the Bank’s alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 of the African Union, framing them not as aspirational goals, but as actionable guides that shape the bank’s investments, partnerships, and community initiatives. “At The Alternative Bank, we believe that impact is the new bottom line,” he said.
“As a purpose-driven, ethically grounded, and specialised financial institution, we have aligned our strategy and operations with the SDGs and Agenda 2063. These are not just aspirational frameworks to us; they are action guides that shape how we invest, how we collaborate, and how we serve.”
Since its inception, The Alternative Bank continues to champion sustainable development through strategic interventions that empower youth, women, and smallholder farmers. The Bank plays a leading role in transforming Africa’s food systems, by enabling sustainable agricultural practices, providing financing, capacity-building, and market access to smallholder farmers. Additionally, AltBank’s ACT Youth Digital Empowerment Program equips thousands of young people with digital, entrepreneurial, and life skills, positioning them as job creators and champions of sustainable development. For women, the Bank’s initiatives, such as the Matazalla Women’s Mobility Initiative, Althaven, and the Light Her Program, break barriers by providing eco-friendly electric tricycles, capital, mentorship, and networks to women entrepreneurs. These efforts align with the United Nations SDGs and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, contributing to a more inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable Africa.
With ASIS 2025 set to flag-off with a High-Level Roundtable on July 9, the summit promises to be a pivotal moment for Africa’s development, bringing together global leaders to forge solutions that will drive tangible, scalable impact. In addition to developing new frameworks for sustainable development, the Summit will provide a platform for impact investors to finance existing African solutions tackling issues on climate change, circular economy, education, health, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), renewable energy, and agriculture.
About The Alternative Bank
The Alternative Bank commenced its journey in January 2014 as a non-interest banking window in Sterling, with a vision to create a dynamic banking experience that respects individuality and speaks the language of its customers/partners. In July 2023, the Central Bank of Nigeria issued a Banking License to The Alternative Bank, enabling it to operate as a fully-fledged, standalone bank. Guided by its Advisory Committee of Experts (ACE), The Alternative Bank ensures all its operations align with the ethics of Non-Interest Banking. For more information, please visit www.altbank.ng.
