ARFSD-11: Implementing SDGs for Africa

With only 5 years remaining, what will the success of the implementation of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals mean for Africa?

I attended the Eleventh Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (#ARFSD-11) in Kampala, Uganda, which was jointly organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Government of the Republic of Uganda, in collaboration with the African Union  Commission, the African Development Bank and various entities in theUnited Nations  System.

#AFRSD11 was held under the theme “Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063”, and brought together ministers of state and other high-level  #policymakers and experts from Governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, civil society organizations and other major groups, and international development #partners.

During the forum, participants undertook an in-depth review of the progress made towards the achievement of five Sustainable Development Goals; SDG3 (good health and well-being), SDG5 (gender equality), SDG8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG14 (life below water) and SDG17 (partnership for the goals), along with corresponding goals of Agenda 2063. We are sitting on a time bomb; we must accelerate action!

The forum made me realize how important it is to be conscious about the usage of terminologies in development communication. That the words we use influence the lives we live as a people. Rather than using negative words (which we do a lot as Africans), we should prefer winning words that inspire us to dwell in possibility and keep our heads focused on our development goals. For instance, instead of saying ‘poverty reduction’, we should rather label it ‘wealth creation’.

The UN Women ‘s parallel event on #gender  equality was of utmost priority to me. Panelists highlighted the need to involve more women in decision-making and ensure equal access to education and #economic opportunities, which really mattered to me because of our ongoing She Leads Ghana project and my profession as a classroom teacher.

 How do we get more of Africa’s women to earn incomes and contribute to accelerating its economic growth?

The success stories harvested by Stanbic Bank Uganda from their ‘Stanbic For Her’ initiative (a women’s value proposition which aims to provide both financial offerings and non- financial offerings to small scale women entrepreneurs in Uganda) got me reflecting on sustainable growth and its linkage to wealth creation.

Africa needs to do better by stimulating its economic power through inclusion.

Building capacities in women that channel their latent energies towards the economic development of the continent must be our priority as a continent. Africa’s human resource remains its most potent instrument of growth; we cannot afford to leave any group behind.

I was particularly touched by the works of the Samburu GIRLS Foundation  in Kenya on their rescue mission to end child marriage and female genital mutilation, and ensure the victims have access to #education. I strongly connected with this part because of my own work in empowering women and girls in Ghana through the Erudite Women’s Empowerment Foundation.

The forum has adopted outcome documents containing policy measures and sustainable, inclusive and evidence-based solutions to scale up financing and implementation of the SDGs and Agenda 2063; and Africa’s regional inputs to the upcoming 2025 high- level political forum on sustainable development in New York and the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha.

Now, there is a call to action for #africa  to move from commitment to action with urgency, ambition, speed and scale!

But…

How meaningful are the #SDGs (Agenda 2030) and Agenda 2063 to the citizens of our countries?

As a student of public administration, I understand policies in themselves do not bring about change. Strong political will and local ownership are required to ensure effective and efficient implementation of policies. There should be a broad-based plan for citizens’  #inclusion in driving the components of the two Agendas down to our communities.

PS: I am so thankful toWOSSO  byGender Links  for facilitating my participation in#ARFSD11, and their strong commitment to resourcing and strengthening the capacities of young women to lead change in their communities. My participation in the program has improved my leadership skills, widened my network, and increased my access to opportunities to scale my empowerment programs for the girls in my school.

 Application for the second cohort opens soon. I encourage young women in Ghana who have interest to be a part of this transformative fellowship program to stay alert for updates on the call. I will also open my doors to potential applicants who may need help with their application processes; ‘we rise by lifting others’.

And to development partners and donor agencies who prioritise strengthening the leadership skills of young women, kindly consider partnering with Gender Links to help expand the reach of WOSSO.

The Women of the South Speak Out (WOSSO) Fellowship program takes you on a transformative journey!

I am a proud WOSSO Fellow!

(Written by Ohenewaa C. Ankoma, a WOSSO Fellow)