Verbatim Virtual Solutions

September brought together some of the most important conversations in the global development calendar. Global leaders, institutions, businesses and civil society from across the world gathered in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all,” conversations ranged from finance and climate change to development and the SDGs, exploring how institutions can move beyond commitments and declarations towards results that people can see and experience.

Development is being shaped by climate change, technological transformation, changing patterns of finance, conflict, inequality and growing questions about representation and global cooperation. At the SDG Moment, discussions examined the structural barriers slowing progress towards the 2030 Agenda. Conversations on artificial intelligence explored how emerging technologies can strengthen human capability while raising important questions about access, ethics and governance. Climate discussions returned to the need for finance and practical systems that can help vulnerable countries build resilience, while conversations on feminist multilateralism and women’s leadership considered how global institutions can become more inclusive and accountable.

What stood out for me was the continuing gap between knowing what needs to be done and creating the systems to do it. We have no shortage of commitments, data or ideas. The harder task is building the institutions, partnerships, financing mechanisms and capabilities that can turn these into sustained action. This was particularly evident in discussions on rural transformation and development finance, where the question was not simply whether capital exists, but whether it reaches the people, enterprises and communities where economic activity is taking place.

This was also an important lens through which I experienced this year’s Unstoppable Africa, the flagship platform of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI). Under the theme Powering Business, Scaling Economies, Shaping the Future, conversations examined investment, enterprise, trade, critical minerals, renewable energy, digital transformation, and Africa’s creative and sports industries. Across these discussions was a recurring question about value creation and retention. Africa’s human and natural resource potential is well documented, but translating that potential into scalable enterprise requires credible institutions, investable projects and financing systems that enable more value to be created and retained on the continent.

This year, Verbatim served as the official reporting and documentation partner for GABI's flagship "Unstoppable Africa". Being part of the platform reinforced a core knowledge management principle: documentation is not simply about recording what happened. It preserves context, captures different perspectives, makes complex conversations accessible and creates an institutional record that can support learning and action long after an event has ended. In a development environment where important conversations happen across multiple platforms, the ability to synthesise those conversations into useful knowledge is increasingly important.

Another recurring theme across several conversations at UNGA was the future of technology and, particularly, the role of people in shaping it. As artificial intelligence continues to transform sectors such as education, agriculture and healthcare, discussions around equitable access, locally driven innovation, responsible leadership and human connection raised an important question: how do we ensure that technology remains centred on people? Technology can expand what is possible, but its development and application must remain grounded in human needs, agency and dignity.

Across these different platforms, I found myself returning to a familiar development challenge. Global conversations matter, but their real value lies in what happens after the conversation. Ideas need institutions to carry them forward. Evidence needs decision-makers willing and able to use it. Partnerships need clear responsibilities. And commitments need systems that can translate them into action.

This is also where our work at Verbatim continues to find relevance. Whether we are supporting governance reform, strategic communication, knowledge management, documentation or stakeholder engagement, our role is often to help make complexity understandable, preserve what is learned and create pathways for knowledge to inform better decisions.

The conversations may have taken place in New York, but their real test will be much closer to home. The opportunity now is to carry the ideas, partnerships and commitments forward, translating them into stronger institutions, better decisions and meaningful change.

Warm regards,

Enene Ejembi, M.Litt, CKM

Executive Director

During the High-Level Week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Executive Director Enene Ejembi represented Verbatim at the 2026 SDG Moment in the UN General Assembly Hall. Convened under the theme “Together, We Can Do It,” the event brought together governments, civil society, the private sector, and young leaders to evaluate progress on the 2030 Agenda. Discussions highlighted tangible strides alongside persistent structural bottlenecks—from systemic financing gaps, inequality, and climate shocks to mounting debt burdens and the dual opportunities and risks presented by artificial intelligence.

For Verbatim, the conversation reinforced a familiar lesson that global commitments only become meaningful when they can be translated into action that people can see and experience. Broad policy frameworks remain abstract until they translate into measurable improvements that communities can directly experience. Accelerating progress requires moving past ambition to address the practical mechanics of delivery, ensuring that high-level momentum generates sustained impact on the ground.

Scaling what works depends on systematically documenting effective models, unpacking the underlying drivers of their success, and transforming lessons into accessible, actionable insights. By bridging the divide between policy discourse and practical application, organizations can turn shared global aspirations into durable, scalable solutions.

Having served as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations for over nine years since February 2017, Amina J. Mohammed attended her final United Nations General Assembly in this role. To honor her contributions to African development and global governance, GCON Alhaji Aliko Dangote hosted a private send-off dinner in her honor at The Africa Center, bringing together leaders and colleagues to celebrate her service.

The dinner provided an opportunity to appreciate Ms. Mohammed's leadership, particularly through platforms like the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), which helped redefine the African story, attract investment, and build global trust. Her vision was instrumental in positioning the continent as a dynamic driver of economic growth and sustainable progress.

For Verbatim, occasions like this highlight the human and institutional story behind development work. Leadership transitions are far more than ceremonial; they offer critical moments to preserve institutional memory, recognize experience, and honor the partnerships that shape long-term progress. Sustaining momentum through such transitions ensures that past foundations continue to inform future impact.

For the fourth time since inception, we served as the official Report Production, Analytical Sensemaking and Desktop Publishing for the Global Africa Business Initiative’s Unstoppable Africa convening at the New York Marriott Marquis. The 2026 edition brought together African and global leaders from government, business, investment and other sectors around questions of economic transformation, investment, enterprise and Africa’s role in shaping the global economy.

Over two days, conversations spanned critical mineral value addition, regional trade integration under the AfCFTA, decentralized renewable energy transitions, sovereign AI infrastructure, and capital deployment across Africa's creative and sports industries. Across high-level panels and fireside exchanges including a fireside chat where Aliko Dangote shared insights on industrial manufacturing to discussions on the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol and creative funding mechanisms, the deliberations repeatedly returned to the fundamental challenge of value creation and retention. While Africa’s vast human and natural resource potential is well documented, translating those assets into bankable, scalable enterprise requires building credible institutions, investable project structures, and financing systems that allow economic value to be generated and retained on African balance sheets.

Telling a stronger African story must go hand in hand with understanding and evidencing the concrete conditions that make that narrative credible, actionable, and sustainable. By synthesizing these complex dialogues into structured, actionable insights, strategic momentum generated at forums like GABI will inform policy, mobilizes capital, and accelerates tangible progress across the continent

A goalkeeper since 2022, Executive Director Enene Ejembi attended the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Conversations explored what it means to remain human in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Discussions examined the potential of technology in areas including education, agriculture, and healthcare, while also considering questions of equitable access, responsible leadership, and the fundamental importance of human connection.

The event was particularly relevant to the growing debate around AI in development. Technology can expand what individuals and institutions are able to achieve, but its benefits are far from automatic. They depend heavily on who has access, whose needs shape innovation, and whether systems are designed to strengthen human capability rather than simply automate existing processes.

These discussions reinforced the importance of ensuring that technological advancements serve people and institutions rather than replacing them. Building capability, fostering local innovation, and maintaining ethical guardrails are essential if technology is to drive meaningful, inclusive development.

The General Debate of the 81st UN General Assembly brought world leaders together under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.” Held from 22 to 28 September, the debate exposed how governments are interpreting a world shaped by conflict, inequality, climate disruption, and technological change.

Across six days of statements, leaders surfaced distinct, competing priorities:

• Institutional Effectiveness: UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Bangladesh's President Khalilur Rahman placed trust at the center, questioning whether the UN genuinely works for citizens and demanding greater institutional accountability.
• Economic Sovereignty and Reform: African leaders called for structural shifts. Kenya’s President William Ruto urged fair risk assessments for African capital, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama linked historical repair to industrialization, and Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima demanded permanent African representation on the Security Council.
• Execution and Survival: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley highlighted the gap between policy knowledge and real-world execution, while Kiribati framed climate disruption and ocean livelihoods as matters of immediate national survival.

The General Debate concluded with a renewed focus on trust, reform and delivery. In his closing remarks, the President of the General Assembly stressed that trust cannot be commanded but must be earned through consistency, accountability, transparency, representation and results.

The AI and Human Development session at the United Nations Office for Partnerships examined the relationship between artificial intelligence and human progress, framing the core challenge around augmented intelligence; combining AI with human insight, social science, and anthropology to enhance rather than replace human capabilities.

Across two panel discussions, speakers addressed the key tensions surrounding AI deployment, ethics, and global access:

• Sovereignty, Inclusion, and the Global South: Panelists pointed out that countries in the Global South—including Rwanda, India, and the UAE—are actively leading in creative AI solutions, from implementing AI literacy requirements for all high school teachers to digitizing public services. However, significant structural hurdles remain, including a lack of digital connectivity, electricity access, and representation of African languages in major AI datasets. Overcoming these barriers requires targeted investments in local data digitization, audio collection, and data science education.
• Protecting Human Connection and Emotional Safety: Speakers raised concerns regarding the psychological and social impacts of AI, particularly on children and students. A notable example shared was Microsoft's contractual commitment with US school districts to prohibit AI tools that foster emotional dependence, simulate friendship, or encourage students to divulge sensitive information. The consensus emphasized that technology should remain a learning tool while preserving direct human-to-human relationships, empathy, and critical thinking.
• Ethical Guardrails and Sectoral Responsibility: Drawing parallels to aviation safety and financial regulation, participants argued that tech leaders must prioritize public safety and ethics over competitive speed. Establishing clear, trustworthy guardrails is essential to prevent misuse by non-state actors and maintain global trust.
• Accelerating the SDGs and Scientific Discovery: Digital technologies paired with AI have the potential to accelerate progress across nearly 80% of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets—from low-resource healthcare and agricultural solutions to complex scientific breakthroughs like mapping protein structures via AlphaFold.

Ultimately, the session reinforced that AI's impact depends less on machine capabilities and more on human choices. The central challenge moving forward is ensuring that technological progress is paired with critical thinking, ethical governance, and equal access so that innovation consistently serves human dignity and agency.

At the Beyond Boundaries session held at the Goals Lounge, scientists, innovators, and practitioners explored how scientific discovery can tackle pressing global challenges. Key discussions highlighted both the potential and risks of emerging technologies:

• Equitable Space Access: The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs emphasized expanding satellite technologies to the nearly 100 nations without direct space access, aiding critical applications like disaster management while addressing space debris.
• Cosmological Frontiers: Astronomers detailed how next-generation observatories and telescopes are expanding our understanding of planet formation and prebiotic molecules, serving as a gateway science that drives human curiosity and long-term technological spin-offs.
• AI and Biomimicry: Panelists examined how AI accelerates scientific breakthroughs—from analyzing massive astronomical datasets to predicting climate events and advancing pharmaceutical research.
• Ethics and Human Agency: Speakers raised urgent concerns about unpredictable machine behavior, biased data extraction, and data privacy. They cautioned that tools like AI must augment rather than replace human judgment, critical thinking, and emotional connection.

The session underscored the importance of communicating innovation responsibly—balancing technological optimism with a clear-eyed view of its risks, limitations, and human impact.

As the world approaches the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) amidst worsening climate risks, the UN Climate Summit served as a crucial platform for world leaders, policymakers, and energy sector pioneers to address the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Executive Director Enene Ejembi joined discussions focused on the economic, technological, and financial frameworks required to accelerate this transition. Key topics included clean energy adoption, energy security, climate adaptation, early warning systems, and the urgent need for international climate finance that is far more accessible to developing nations and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The deliberations tied climate action directly to the challenge of implementation, emphasizing that countries bearing the highest climate risks often possess the fewest resources to build resilience. Moving beyond simply describing vulnerability, the discussions underscored the importance of generating clear evidence, demonstrating the exact investments required, highlighting interventions that deliver results, and showing how financial resources translate into tangible protection for communities on the ground.

There were several session held at the Goals Lounge and Executive Director, Enene Ejembi, notably participated in these two:

Plates, People and Planet

The Plates, People and Planet session at the Goals Lounge brought food, people, and environmental sustainability directly into the High-Level Week conversation. The event served as a reminder that global transformation is fundamentally experienced through everyday systems, particularly the food systems that determine how communities eat, work, and live.

A central insight from the discussion was that food security, livelihoods, climate resilience, and economic opportunity cannot be treated as separate development conversations. These critical areas intersect constantly in local communities and require equally connected responses from institutions and policymakers.

Ultimately, the session reinforced the importance of connecting high-level global goals to the specific systems through which individuals experience them. Addressing global challenges requires building solutions that support local institutions and directly impact daily life.

The Financing the First Mile session examined the persistent financing challenges that affect rural transformation across Africa. Discussions focused on the necessity of directing capital toward communities and small enterprises that remain furthest from conventional financial sources.

The conversation connected closely with broader economic debates, emphasizing that Africa's economic opportunities cannot be fully realized if funding stops at high-level, visible projects. Capital must flow directly into the enterprises, farmers, and local systems where primary economic activity takes place.

Panelists concluded that making this financial connection visible is essential for driving real progress. Ensuring that investment reaches the grassroots level is critical for achieving sustainable rural growth and demonstrating development impact.

The session on Feminist Multilateralism explored concrete pathways to make global governance more inclusive. Participants called for greater focus on gender equality, sustained backing for grassroots women’s movements, and the protection of civic space.

A primary message of the panel was that women must not be treated merely as passive beneficiaries of development initiatives. Instead, global frameworks must recognize women as active decision-makers, community organizers, and primary architects of policy.

The deliberations emphasized the redistribution of decision-making power alongside rigorous accountability. Panelists stressed that grounding gender equality in evidence-based action is necessary to ensure institutions produce meaningful, lasting change.

Ahead of the Global Women’s Leadership Forum, partners gathered at the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) meeting in New York to strengthen collaboration around women’s leadership. The event focused on advancing inclusive governance through coordinated, multi-sector partnerships.

The meeting was marked by key milestones, including the appointment of Aisha Maina as AWLN Global Ambassador and the launch of the second edition of the Positive Masculinity campaign to support the implementation of the African Union Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.

The gathering reinforced the necessity of moving beyond symbolic statements toward joint, measurable action. For organizations driving change, this requires documenting not only high-level commitments, but how those announcements translate into real institutional and social progress.

Across global development forums, a fundamental question is taking center stage: Who gets to decide what progress looks like? From high-level discussions at the United Nations General Assembly to the Global Africa Business Initiative, African governments, businesses, and civil society are taking a far more assertive role in defining the continent's priorities and shaping global responses. Yet, as the sector attempts to transition from doing development for communities to supporting development led by them, a critical gap remains: having a voice in international forums does not automatically translate into holding power on the ground. Local participation alone is insufficient if strategic authority, financial control, and core decision-making remain firmly rooted elsewhere.

Beyond a Seat at the Table

Locally led development is too often reduced to surface-level metrics, hiring local staff, partnering with community non-profits, or conducting local consultations. While these practices are important, they do not automatically constitute genuine local leadership. An initiative can feature widespread community participation while its key structural choices remain dictated from afar. Priorities are routinely established before local actors enter the room, funding mechanisms remain externally controlled, project timelines follow donor budget cycles, and success is measured by what matters to funders rather than what transforms lives locally.

Moving beyond token inclusion requires confronting core questions of authority. The central inquiry isn't merely who participates, but who exercises power over the direction of the work. Who defines the problem? Who determines success? Who controls the capital, and whose knowledge is recognized as valid evidence? Locally led development becomes meaningful only when local institutions hold genuine, decisive influence over these strategic questions.

Power Follows Resources and Knowledge

Expecting local organizations to take the lead while restricting their financial autonomy is an impossible standard. Many local entities operate under rigid funding models that demand ambitious project outcomes within tight timelines, all while major decisions regarding budgets, overhead, and design remain controlled by external partners. Correcting this imbalance requires a fundamental overhaul of development finance; shifting toward longer-term financing, flexible core grants, and targeted investment in organizational capacity. Strengthening a local institution must be viewed as a primary development outcome in itself, not merely an administrative expense.

Financial control, however, is only one dimension of authority; intellectual ownership is equally vital. Operational insights generated during implementation often become fragmented across isolated projects and donor cycles, documented primarily to satisfy reporting requirements rather than embedded within local systems. True local leadership depends on robust systems that allow institutions and communities to retain, analyze, and build upon their own operational experience. Investing in homegrown research, institutional memory, and knowledge management is essential core infrastructure that enables institutions to learn, adapt, and lead independently.

Building Lasting Institutions Over Short-Term Projects

Development challenges are rarely temporary, yet interventions remain overwhelmingly structured around short-term, temporary projects. Health networks, education systems, local economies, and governance frameworks must continue functioning long after individual donor programmes expire. If local leadership is the ultimate objective, development investments must prioritize strengthening the institutions that remain behind after project cycles end.

The key metric of success cannot merely be whether a project delivered its target activities, but whether local institutions emerged stronger, retained critical knowledge, and built the resilience to operate without external management. As global development finance tightens, a model reliant on perpetual external interventions is inherently fragile. Building self-sustaining, resilient local institutions is the foundation of long-term stability.

Redefining Partnership, Not Withdrawal

Ceding strategic authority to local leadership does not mean international actors have no role to play. Global capital, technical expertise, technology transfer, and international networks remain highly valuable assets. What must evolve is the nature of the relationship.

International organizations must shift from managing project delivery to enabling institutional capability. They can provide patient capital, technical backing, and global connections while ceding strategic control over priorities and implementation to local leadership. Simultaneously, host governments must create policy environments where local institutions can thrive. The goal is not isolation, but genuine partnership where diverse resources elevate rather than displace local agency.

Real localization requires moving past symbolic inclusion to shift decision-making, financial control, and knowledge generation to the people who ultimately live with the outcomes. Sustainable progress cannot be built indefinitely through externally driven interventions. The true measure of locally led development is whether local actors possess the authority, resources, and institutional strength to shape what happens long after the conversation ends.

Are you seeking an internship or Fellowship placement? This section provides information on available opportunities in the global space. All the best!

• Mo Ibrahim Foundation – 2027 Leadership Fellowship
• Eligibility: African nationals aged 40 or below (45 for women with children), with at least a master's degree and seven years of relevant professional experience. Applicants need experience in strategy, policy, project management, leadership and development-related work.
• Program Details: A 12-month fellowship at the African Development Bank, supported financially by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Fellows work on strategic assignments, research, policy and high-level institutional priorities.
• Deadline: November 20, 2026.
• More Info: Read more and submit your applications

• Commonwealth Foundation – 2026–2027 Open Grants
• Eligibility: Eligible Commonwealth civil-society organisations, networks, coalitions, alliances, platforms and creative collectives working on policy and civic engagement.
• Opportunity: The new grants programme provides support through Individual Organisation Grants and Collective Action Grants, with an emphasis on strengthening the ability of communities and civil society to engage decision-makers and influence policy.
• Deadline: October 26, 2026.
• More Info: Read more and submit your applications

• GFF × CIVIC VOICES Grant for African CSOs and Youth-Led Organisations
• Eligibility: Local CSOs, youth-led organisations and community-based organisations in 22 African countries, including Nigeria. Partnerships must include 2–3 organisations, with at least one youth-led organisation.
• Opportunity: Grants of US$150,000–US$175,000 for initiatives strengthening youth and civil-society participation in health financing, accountability and advocacy for women’s, children’s and adolescent health and nutrition. Grants can run for up to 18 months and include technical assistance and mentorship.
• Deadline: October 7, 2026.
• More Info: Read more and submit your applications

• Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027
• Eligibility: Young African leaders aged 25–35 from eligible African countries, including Nigeria, with demonstrated leadership and professional/community experience.
• Opportunity: A six-week, fully funded leadership programme in the United States covering leadership development, networking and engagement with American leaders. The 2027 programme plans to select approximately 550 young African leaders.
• Deadline: October 13, 2026.
• More Info: Read more and submit your applications

At the forefront of systems transformation in frontier markets, we collaborate with governments, agencies, private corporations, and philanthropies to create meaningful change. Our expertise spans:

• Strategic Communications
• Governance & Policy Engagement
• Economic Development & Investment Promotion
• Open Governance & Accountability
• Stakeholder Engagement & Dialogue
• Knowledge Management

Let’s work together to turn bold ideas into sustainable solutions. Contact us today to start a conversation.

• Sustainability: We empower communities to lead and sustain their own development journeys.
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• Transparency: We build trust through open, honest communication.
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• Innovation: We continually seek bold, creative ways to solve development challenges.
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• Results: We deliver tangible outcomes—tracking, measuring, and reporting every step of the way.

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