April 17, 2025
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank and other agencies of the United Nations, convened the eleventh session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development at the Speke Resort and Conference Centre in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, from April 9-11. The forum was themed “Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science-based and evidence-based solutions for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union.”
A high-level Ethiopian delegation headed by Youth and Sports Affairs Advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Kejela Merdassa, took part in the three-day gathering that brought together several African leaders, including former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Board Chair of Sustainably Growing Africa’s Food Systems (AGRA), Hailemariam Dessalegn.
Speaking at a panel discussion as part of the Forum, Hailemariam stated that Africa is left behind in fulfilling its mandate in realizing key targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. He noted, “The figures are very clear, but we wanted to understand why this is happening.”
The lack of delivery capacity within African nations and the erosion of the international financing model as outlined in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda are the fundamental challenges in effecting results with regard to the SDGs, he added. In this regard, he urged, Africa must stop depending on promises of external aid that have consistently failed to materialize. To quote,
“The notion was that SDGs would be financed—especially in developing countries, mostly in Africa—through Official Development Assistance (ODA). That basis has already been eroded. It doesn’t exist. The 0.7 percent GDP commitment by developed nations to finance the SDGs has never materialized, and hopefully, it will not.”
Considering the current situation and the road ahead, the former prime minister urged African countries to shift their focus towards building domestic capacity to drive sustainable development. He stressed, “We need to focus on our domestic capacity,” indisputably putting out a clarion call for a new era of self-reliance, regional cooperation, and local innovation.
The Forum was attended by several participants, comprising ministers and high-level representatives, members of the ECA, intergovernmental bodies, United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, other international organizations, major groups and other stakeholders.