Windhoek, Namibia – 31 August 2022 (AUC, ECA, AfDB, UNDP) - The Experts Group meeting to validate the 2022 Africa Sustainable Development Report saw African Member States come together in Windhoek, Namibia to discuss the continent's progress and challenges in meeting both Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting is organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Against the triple threat of COVID, climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war which has reversed gains made on these goals, Ms. Alka Bhatia, Resident Representative, UNDP explained that the meeting was an opportunity “to recast the African narrative to leverage the abundant natural and human capital the continent has. This report provides the basis for this change.”
Experts reviewed key findings along each of the five selected SDGs, which are Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), Goal 14 (Life Below Water), Goal 15 (Life on Land) and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and made a number of recommendations to strengthen the quality and reach of the report.
Recommendations from Member States included sharing information about best practices from other countries that are making progress. Examples like those shared by, Arshalom Nghifitikeko, Director for multilateral cooperation, Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, in opening the meeting he referred to Namibia’s own progress – their green hydrogen project which will start production from 2026. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions [through the use of green hydrogen] is in line with Namibia's commitment to cut carbon emission by 91% by 2030, towards the fulfilment of SDG 13 on climate action, the Paris Agreement, and goal 7 of Africa's Agenda 2063” He explained.
Member States also provided input on developing strong institutions to drive these agendas, ensuring that the data quality and process for collection is robust, and finding new innovative solutions for domestic resource mobilization. Bartholomew Armah, the chief of the development planning section of the macroeconomics and governance division, UNECA also outlined the importance of “evidence-based planning that would inform policy development and implementation to achieve the SDGs.”
During the meeting, Djamel Ghrib, Director of Economic Development, Integration, and Trade, AUC noted that the “African Union Commission is planning the next ten-year plan of Agenda 2063, so it is timely to have this meeting in order to feed into this process.”
The 2022 African Sustainable Development report - the only report to track progress on both the global SDGs and Africa’s own Agenda 2063, will now be finalized, taking into the recommendations shared by experts. The final report will be launched on 9 December 2022, at the African Economic Conference in Mauritius.