Realising SDGs will improve environment for doing business – Bawumia

The Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has emphasised the need for the private sector to invest in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).

According to him, attainment of the SDGs will provide unparalleled opportunities for business to thrive for a resilient economy, saying failure to achieve the SDGs will make business for private sector players unprofitable.

Speaking at the Africa High Level Roundtable on Mobilizing Support and Accelerating Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being organized in the capital-Accra, Dr. Bawumia said “it’s in the interest of the private sector that we do achieve the SDGs” since it’s a major step towards creating the right business climate for a prosperous society.

“It is very profitable for them. If we actually achieve the SDGs, it will make sure that their own operation will be more sustainable. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself a question, what really is the opportunity cost of us not achieving the SDGs? You have a lot of hunger, You have a lot of poverty, You have issues with sustainability of the environment. That picture of what will happen if we don’t achieve the SDGs makes it very imperative and in the interest of the private sector that we do achieve the SGDs. Because then you have more prosperous society, more educated labour force, a healthier population, and these are all frameworks in which the private sector can therefore do very well.”

The Roundtable Discussion The roundtable discussion has as its specific objective to define fundamental enablers to achieving success in implementation of the goals at the Africa regional level and country levels. It is also a call to ignite action and mobilise regional support for the implementation of the goals, propose practical, smart and innovative actions needed to underpin their accelerated implementation.

The six main issues that the discussion focused on were; the policy, institutional and structural levers to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs in Africa; the capacities needed for appropriate data collection to support the monitoring and evaluation of support of the progress made in the implementation of the SDGs; optimisation of infrastructure, technologies and innovation as drivers for accelerating the implementation of the SDGs; innovative approaches to mobilizing resources to finance the SDGs and optimising the role, expertise and resources of the private sector.

The others are targeting actions of a “quick win” nature to accelerate the empowerment of women towards achieving the SDGs and opportunities for sharing best practices in the implementation of the SDGs and defining a strategy to scale up such practices.

Launched on 21st January, 2016, on the occasion of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates consist of 17 eminent persons assisting the UN Secretary-General in the campaign to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that world leaders unanimously adopted in September 2015.

With a mandate to support the Secretary-General in his efforts to generate momentum and commitment to achieve the SDGs by 2030, the SDG Advocates have been working to promote the universal sustainable development agenda, to raise awareness of the integrated nature of the SDGs, and to foster the engagement of new stakeholders in the implementation of these goals.



The advocates are: H.E. Mrs. Erna Solberg (Co-Chair) Prime Minister of Norway; H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (Co-Chair) and President of Ghana; Mr. Richard Curtis Screenwriter, Producer and Film Director; Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians; Ms. Leymah Gbowee, Director, Gbowee Peace Foundation; Ambassador Dho Young-Shim, Chairperson, United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation.

Other advocates are: Mrs. Graça Machel, President of the Foundation of Community Development and the UNESCO National Commission in Mozambique; Mr. Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group; Mr. Leo Messi, renowned football player and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; Ms. Shakira Mebarak Artist, Advocate and Founder of Pies Descalzos Foundation & UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Ms. Alaa Murabit, the Voice of Libyan Women; Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute at Columbia University; Mr. Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative; Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Doha, Qatar; Mr. Paul Polman Chief Executive Officer, Unilever; Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Professor Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen Bank are amongst the remaining list of advocates.

The SDGs The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

These 17 goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected, often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.

The SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the right choices now to improve life, in a sustainable way, for future generations.

They provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large. The SDGs are an inclusive agenda. They tackle the root causes of poverty and unite us together to make a positive change for both people and planet.