The President, Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed confidence that the 2030 set target for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is feasible and shoots down ideas being expressed by some personalities that who the SDGs are remote in scope.
“They are not, and they cannot be! Implementation and success of the SDGs must be everyone’s business,” he said.
According to him, although the fulfillment of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is critical to the growth of the nation, Goal 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,” is critical to his government’s growth agenda.
The President noted that the SDG Goal 5, is at the heart of the structure of the SDGs and for that matter needed special attention.
He stressed however that, he will endeavor to help mobilize strong political will and support for all the SDGs for Africa’s leaders to take action to rid the continent of poverty and gender biases and to build strong representative institutions that will stimulate inclusive economic growth and combat the effects of climate change.
The President made this remark when he officially inaugurated a 15-member Inter-ministerial Committee chaired by the Minister for Planning, to oversee such implementation of the SDGs.
President Akufo-Addo said his role as a co-Chair of this Eminent Group of Advocates is to garner the support of Africa’s political leaders, especially her Presidents and Heads of State, to rally the masses of the African peoples behind the implementation of the SDGs.
“I am aware that all the SDGs are of equal significance and importance. But, I hope you will forgive me if, as the AU Gender Champion, I single out, for special mention, SDG 5, which defines the goal of gender equality and full female empowerment,” he said.
“the SDGs are intended to be the boldest and loudest articulation of a collective ambition for development the world has ever seen. They have helped focus the world’s attention on a common agenda of development. We have a unique opportunity to transform our world, to protect this planet, and bring prosperity to all by diligently implementing the SDGs,” he indicated, adding that, “In this regard, and like anyone who is passionate about any goal, I am unhappy listening to important personalities, who regard the SDGs as somewhat remote in scope. They are not, and they cannot be! Implementation and success of the SDGs must be everyone’s business.”
President Akufo-Addo also mentioned that the SDGs are about the future that we all want and, “indeed, the future that we should have.”
As part of Ghana’s institutional arrangement for the implementation of the SDGs, the President has constituted the Inter-Ministerial Committee of fifteen ministers tasked to discharge its duties efficiently and ensure that Ghana becomes a shining example for the implementation of the SDGs.
He also averred that achieving SDGs is not a light responsibility, but it calls for an enhanced personal contribution to the transformation of the world.
“More significantly, it calls into play the development of Ghana and her people. And, that is why I attach such great importance to this occasion, and how reassured I am by the declaration of support by the Minority Leader in Parliament, for that declaration guarantees national support for the work I am about to undertake.”
Agenda 2030, the President said, presents our generation with the great opportunity to fight inequality on all fronts, wipeout extreme poverty, tackle the issues of climate change and reverse the degradation and unsustainable use of our environmental resources and that that Agenda is an investment in the future.
“The future of our youth and that of our children. We are obliged to leave them with an enduring legacy of a richer, more stable, more secure and more peaceful world. Ghana has taken up the challenge of the SDGs. We have captured them in our coordinated programme for economic and social development policies, which, in accordance with the dictates of Article 36(5) of the Constitution of the Republic, I shall be presenting to Parliament in its next session, starting in October,” he revealed.
He pointed out that Ghana’s approach to implementing the SDGs involves all stakeholders and government is committed to strengthening its partnerships with friends on multilateral and bilateral fronts, the private sector and civil society to achieve and implement the SDGs.
President Akufo-Addo said: “We are committed to leaving no one behind. The programmes and policies that have been outlined in our coordinated programme are all hinged towards the realization of the SDGs, both at the national and local levels. Our flagship programmes and policies on how to ensure the realization of the SDGs will only be as good as how well they are financed, and how robustly results are tracked and measured.”
He charged the Committee to master resources, be efficient and effective and also eliminate pervasive revenue leakages, and addressing misallocation and misuse of public funds.
“Crucially, if we are to succeed in increasing domestic financing of the SDGs, we must address the unacceptable leakage of resources in the form of wanton corruption. We cannot achieve the SDGs with an aid-dependent mentality. This is the inspiration and the passion behind my vision of a Ghana beyond Aid,” he charged.
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Haurna Iddrisu in a short remarks to congratulate President Akufo - Addo for succeeding
Former President John Mahama as Co-Chair of the UN SDG Advocates the best of strength, focus and vision as the Advocates work to enhance the gains made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
According to him, President Akufo-Addo will work with his fellow Advocates to promote the SDGs as part of an ambitious and transformative global development agenda.
He continued that the SDG Advocates promote the universal character of the SDGs, including a commitment to leave no one behind; to promote the engagement of new stakeholders in the implementation and financing of the SDGs; to encourage partnerships with governments, civil society and the private sector, to share knowledge and resources; and to raise awareness for the integrated nature of the SDGs adding that during the Millennium Challenge goals the country missed a lot through sanitation.
The Minority Leader urged that SDGs represent a commitment by all nations to work together to end poverty, achieve shared prosperity, build peace, and secure a life of dignity and a healthy planet for present and future generations.
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