Ghana on course to achieving SDGs – Mahama

The Government of Ghana has put in place mechanisms and measures to ensure that all the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are achieved, President John Dramani Mahama has said.

According to him, although the SDGs, which came to being after the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are more ambitious with 169 targets, Ghana is ready to ensure that the targets are all met through the establishment of SDG implementation committee and their incorporation into the 40-yr development plan.

The committee, he said, was tasked to oversee the attainment as well as monitor and evaluate the progress made geared towards the SDGs.

Speaking at an event organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, he said: “The MDGs were very successful and so based on that the world has been encouraged to come up with more ambitious goals – this time 17 goals – MDGs were only eight goals.

“This time [there are] 169 targets to meet in 15 years and so it means that we have a lot of work to do. In Ghana, what we have done is to set up the SDG implementation committee and this committee is supposed to be the one that oversees the attainment of the SDG goals and will also be responsible for monitoring and evaluating annually on what progress we are making in achieving these goals.

“At the time we agreed on the SDGs, we (Ghana) agreed also at the same time, coming up with our long-term development plan, and so we have a 40-yr development plan… It is a good thing that we managed to get the SDGs to be able to be incorporated in our 40-year-development plan.”