On November 29th, 2022, The Office of the SDGs and Investment launched the Lagos SDG Impact Challenge, a first-of-its-kind initiative to support civil society organizations and social impact ventures in delivering on the SDGs. “The Lagos SDG Impact Grant Challenge” is an initiative poised to actively inspire and promote the execution of 51 impact-driven projects (3 per SDG) across Lagos State based on the 17 SDGs. The initiative will make a grant award of N5 million (Five Million Naira Only) each available to 3 projects per SDG to deserving non-governmental organizations that successfully meet the stipulated requirements.

The program’s main goals include mainstreaming the SDGs, amplifying the impact, and increasing the visibility of CSOs and NGOs in Lagos state. They also hope to crowdsource innovative ideas that will result in measurable SDG impacts.

Mrs. Solape Hammond, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Investments, who launched the grant challenge, stated that the competition would enable the state government to create a broader-based collaboration with CSOs, NGOs, and social entrepreneurs who are already implementing solutions to achieve the SDGs.

She also stated that the challenges gathered from stakeholders influenced the creation of the Lagos NGO Directory, which serves as a database platform for NGOs to connect with the government on its programs and activities, as well as to understand what opportunities exist in the government.