Addis Ababa, 4 March 2022 (ECA) - To rapidly realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and the targets of the African Union's Agenda 2063, local governments must provide a more prominent role in the policymaking and implementation.
A panel of experts who reviewed the continent's efforts, progress, and challenges towards 2030 and 2063 emphasized the importance of decentralization in governance since policy impacts are better measured at granular levels of society. They spoke at the 8th African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development (ARFSD) in Kigali, Rwanda. The forum provides a platform to share experiences and lessons learned and national and subnational action plans and make recommendations to accelerate the implementation frameworks for sustainable development.
According to July Moyo, Minister of Local Government and Public Works of Zimbabwe, the grassroots view poverty and progress. "All the SDGs, if they are going to find manifestation, if they are going to be implemented with people-centred policies, we have to look at the lowest levels of our structures. The advantage of doing it at the local level is because you can capture everything," he said.
Mayor of Kanifing Municipality in The Gambia, Talib Ahmed Bensouda, went on to draw a connection between the devolution of governmental power and the delivery of the SDGs. "If you check countries that are lagging in the SDGs versus decentralized countries, you will see a very strong correlation. Countries that have decided to devolve power to councils and decentralize their governments and enable councils to deliver services are further ahead in the delivery of the SDGs," Mr Bensouda noted.
Raf Tuts, Director of Global Solutions Division at UN-Habitat, recommends three areas in national planning that require immediate action: housing, the urban dimensions of the fight against climate change, and involving local governments in national and global strategies.
This ARFRSD is an annual multi-stakeholder platform organized by the ECA and the host government, this year, Rwanda, in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and other entities of the United Nations Systems. This year’s main event will be held from March 3 to March 5, 2022 on the theme ‘Building forward better: A green, inclusive and resilient Africa poised to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.’
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