President Akufo-Addo with former South African President Thabo Mbeki
President Akufo-Addo has charged African leaders to show commitment in the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking at the sidelines of the 32nd ordinary session of the African Union (AU) which opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday, he stated: “We have to implement the SDGs with great gusto.”
This year’s session was under the theme: “The year of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons: towards durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa.”
According to President Akufo-Addo, African leaders have the capacity, creativity, knowledge and resources to lead the world in the implementation of the SDGs.
He was joined by Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg to co-chair the SDGs Group of Advocates at an event dubbed, ‘SDG Moment.’
The President said that “the SDGs are about hope, and they are investments for our future – the future of our youth and that of generations yet unborn.”
He, therefore, stressed the need for African leaders to intensify efforts to implement the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, insisting that “posterity will be the judge of our determination and resolve.”
The global community has collectively adopted the noble agenda of the SDGs as a framework to tackle the many challenges that currently confront the world.
President Akufo-Addo said the “17 SDGs present our generation with a great opportunity to fight inequality on all fronts, wipe out extreme poverty, tackle the issues of climate change, reverse the degradation and unsustainable use of our environmental and marine resources, transform our economies and bring enhanced prosperity to our peoples.”
Apart from that, he said that “the strong degree of convergence between the SDGs and Agenda 2063 makes it imperative for Africa to leverage the implementation of the SDGs to achieve the goals and objectives of its Agenda 2063. With the substantial progress that our continent is making on many fronts, I stand firmly with those who say that ‘this is Africa’s moment.”
The president also urged his colleagues on the continent to take advantage of the opportunities that SDGs present.
From Charles Takyi-Boadu, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia