Africa in united affirmation to achieve sustainable development
African countries recommitted to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by building better through investing in green growth to unlock the continent’s development opportunities.
Confirming Africa’s capacity to drive sustainable development, African governments have reaffirmed commitment to meeting the SDGs at the 8th Session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD), held in Kigali, Rwanda, 3-5 March 2022.
The ARFSD is an annual multi-stakeholder platform organized jointly by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and host governments in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and other entities of the United Nations system to review and catalyze actions to achieve the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by United Nations Member States in September 2015.
Mobilizing domestic financing is key to improving Africa’s SDGs performance
African countries need to move forward on financing to improve their performance on the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s transformation Agenda 2063. This is according to panelists at a session to highlight progress made at regional and sub regional levels in the implementation of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The session was held at the opening of the Eighth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 2022) on 3 March in Kigali, Rwanda.
Bartholomew Armah, Acting Director of Macroeconomics and Governance at the ECA, who presented the 2020 Sustainable Development Report (SDR) report findings at the session said domestic resource mobilization needs to be improved, as the share of domestic debt to GDP has increased.
“The reliance on raising resources from outside the continent results in higher debt servicing costs due to a high “African premium” – compared to other regions.The special drawing rights (SDR) amounting to 650 billion recently approved by the IMF provides an important source of non-debt resources because the cost of using SDRs is relatively low,” he said.
African Development Bank begins EDGE certification programme
The African Development Bank has begun the process of becoming certified under the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality, or EDGE, Certification programme, the leading global assessment certification for gender and intersectional equity in the workplace.
The Bank made the announcement on Monday, at an official online launch held a day before International Women’s Day. The event attracted participants from headquarters as well as several of its regional offices.
Senior Vice President Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala said the launch marked the African Development Bank’s first step in the process of EDGE certification.
“We have made excellent progress. There is more room for improvement. It’s about empowerment and ending underrepresentation…EDGE certification will help us,” Tshabalala said.
In 2019, 83% of the executive workforce at the African Development Bank was men. But within three years, the ratios of women at senior leadership have changed from 17% to 32%, the senior vice president said.
