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Abdul Samad Rabiu's ASR Africa celebrates mentorship milestone at UN women's summit in New York
The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative brought together mentors, partners and program leaders in New York this month to shape the next chapter of its women's mentorship program, using one of the world's most prominent gender equality forums as the backdrop.
The stakeholder meeting took place on the sidelines of the 70th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a principal intergovernmental body that drives global policy on gender equality and women's empowerment. The gathering drew existing and incoming mentors from across Africa and the diaspora into a single room for what organizers framed as both a recognition event and a planning session.
BUA Group chairman and philanthropist Abdul Samad Rabiu established ASR Africa in 2021 to deliver homegrown solutions to development gaps in health, education and social development across the continent. The mentorship program sits at the heart of that education mandate, pairing young women in African tertiary institutions with professionals who guide them through the transition from academic life to professional careers.
The chief executive of ASR Africa told the gathering that among all of the initiative's development interventions, the mentorship program carries a particular weight. The reason, he said, is its capacity to bring clarity to young women navigating an often disorienting passage from campus to career, a transition that lacks structure for far too many graduates on the continent.
Over three years of implementation, the program has supported more than 200 mentees across Nigeria, Zambia and Senegal. Upcoming rollouts are planned for Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and other African markets, extending a model that has already produced measurable results in leadership development and career readiness.
Pamela Morgan, guest of honor and co-chair of the NGO CSW New York, offered perspective from the program's earliest days. Morgan, who attended the inaugural mentorship meeting during the 67th session of the commission, noted that global leaders have grown to recognize mentorship as something distinct from formal education, a sustained human relationship that builds confidence and direction in ways a classroom often cannot.
She urged the assembled mentors to keep investing their time, and reminded them that the exchange runs both ways: the stories of the young women they guide carry lessons worth receiving, not just giving.
The highlight of the New York meeting was a certificate presentation to mentors in recognition of their dedication, a moment that served as both tribute and motivation heading into the program's expansion phase. Discussions also centered on outcomes achieved in the three years since launch, with particular attention to how mentees have progressed in their academic and professional trajectories since completing the program.
ASR Africa's bet is a straightforward one: that sustained, structured mentorship is not a supplement to education but a necessary bridge between it and meaningful participation in professional life, and that building that bridge across Africa requires people willing to show up, consistently, over time.
