By Godfred Amoaful
The Presidential Advisor on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr. Eugene Owusu, has called for an accelerated effort towards achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030.
He said the fast-reaching date for achieving the goals imposes much responsibility on countries like Ghana to fast-track policies and measures that contribute to the attainment of the goals.
According to Dr. Owusu, Africa is on course to attain less than four percent of the SDGs by 2030, whereas 12 percent is on course to be achieved globally.
Speaking at the launch of the SDGs Action Summit 2024, Dr Owusu noted that, as a result of the slow pace of the world in achieving the SDGs, about 500 million Africans will remain in extreme poverty by 2030.
He said that Africa’s challenges in attaining the SDGs are compounded by man-made challenges such as conflicts, policy failures, misgovernance, and the global governance architecture.
He noted that these challenges have necessitated the call to action to protect the future.
The SDGs Action Summit 2024 will focus on the urgent actions needed to be taken for the implementation of Ghana’s sustainable development goals. It precedes the UN’s general assembly on sustainable development goals scheduled for September this year, which is aimed at tabling charged actions on the SDGs as well as building consensus on delivering a better today while safeguarding the future.
The outcome of the summit will represent the collective voice of Africa’s call to action in the future. It is also to rejuvenate Africa’s commitment to the SDGs and mobilise actions to be able to drive successful implementation of the SDGs by 2030.
The presidential advisor on the SDGs, Dr. Eugene Owusu, said that notwithstanding the numerous man-made challenges that confront Africa in attaining the SDGs, there are an abundance of opportunities in the SDGs to address these challenges and foster inclusive and sustainable development across Africa and beyond. He said Africa has the potential.
He recommended the adoption of technology and innovative measures to ensure that these goals are attained.
A policy advisor, Dominic Asante, who gave an overview of the summit, said the summit will shed light on the policy gaps, governance, and institutional issues that are needed to be able to drive action on the SDGs and emphasise the specific and critical role of the private sector in driving SDG success.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, said in his remarks that Africa must ensure sustainable financing to be able to achieve the SDGs.
He, however, called on the international partners in Ghana to focus on Ghana’s vision and deliver goodwill to its citizens.
The two-day summit is scheduled for 2nd and 3rd of July. It is on the theme “From midpoint to success, recommitting, scaling up, and accelerating actions on the SDGs”.
