ABCF Launches Report On Capacity For Achieving SDG’s

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) has launched its report on the capacity imperatives necessary for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in relation to countries on the continent.

The launch was done with support from the African Union’s (AU) specialized agency for capacity building in partnership with the SDGs Advisory Unit in the Office of the Ghana President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Accra.

The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They were set in 2015 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and intended to be achieved by the year 2030.

In a bid to better inform African governments on measures that can be undertaken to ensure the goals are achieved within the stipulated timeline, the ABCF has conducted research and has come out with the report of their findings.

According to the organization whose focus is on capacity building, all African governments must see to it that they have a specific budget line for capacity development whiles investing in training, research, and innovation to close the gaps in critical technical skills.

In addition, they have stressed in their report the need for governments to establish a tripartite platform of academia and private sector to establish priorities in skills development as well as joining heads with the AUC, the UNDP, and other partners to provide support for the ACBF in coordinating capacity development programs.

Speaking at the launch, the Executive Secretary for ACBF, Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie observed that stakeholders must see the SDGs as an opportunity that will benefit all parties when achieved.

“Going forward, the call of action is that there is the need to view and pursue the SDGs as opportunities for mutually beneficial partnership for development because the SDGs presents opportunities for all stakeholders especially governments, the private sector, academia, civil societies”, Prof noted insisting that once that is done the Goals will be achieved.

He further urged African governments to invest in building the capacities of institutions to have more Africans receive basic and advanced learning including critical thinking, strategic planning, results-based management, and coordination capacities.

On his part, Prof. George Yaw Gyan Baffour who is Ghana’s Minister for Planning and in charge of the country’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on the SDGs assured that government is committed to seeing to it that the Goals are achieved by 2030.

“We see that progress has been made across the Goals. Yet there is a lot more to be done to achieve our targets by 2030. We are poised to build on the progress made so far and address the bottlenecks that hamper accelerated implementation,” he emphasised.

About the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF).

This report analyzes the capacity dimensions and imperatives for achieving the SDGs within the context of Agenda 2063.

This focus recognizes that capacity remains the critical missing link for fulfilling the development agendas of most African countries.

The objective of this report is to identify, map, and analyse the key capacity dimensions that are important to address and enhance national capabilities for implementing the SDGs in Africa.

The exercise views the SDGs as a unique opportunity for governments to redirect investments in economic development, inclusive growth, and mechanisms to sustain achievements.

The attached document contains the full report by the ACBF