African Leadership Forum: Delegates call for fresh focus in SDGs implementation

KAMPALA: UGANDA: Leaders at the ongoing 8th African Leadership Forum (ALF) have urged the continent to seize the moment and create new conditions that can enable an ‘Africa first’ in efforts to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

They made the call on Monday at the ALF taking place in Kampala, organized by the Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development (UONGOZI Institute).

The event is being heralded with the theme, “Realising sustainable development goals in Africa: Progress and way forward”.

SDGs, which are a universal call to action that aims to eradicate poverty, safeguard the environment, and guarantee prosperity for all, were adopted since 2015. The ongoing ALF is discussing the current status of SDG implementation in African countries whilst identifying key challenges and bottlenecks hindering progress.

Opening the Forum here, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni made reference to the SDGs by breaking them down as aimed at removing strategic bottlenecks that block socio economic transformation across the continent.

He noted that for countries to head towards transformation, they have t co start from the basic level of building strong states capable states with good policies built around national interests.In their case, he said their economy had been built in 5 stages since they started running government, in the form of minimum recovery, expanding the old colonial economy, diversifying the economy, value addition into the economy and moving towards a knowledge economy.

Setting context for the forum, the ALF 2025 convener, who is also the ALF Patron and fourth President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, noted that in resetting SDGs implementation on the right path, urgency of action could not be overstated with high political will and turning ambition into action.

He noted that despite there being challenges in the implementation, that should be changed into opportunity and reaffirm local commitment to SDGs and Africa Agenda 2030.

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He also called for prioritizing of economic growth which then produces jobs and an education that is able to create world class learning outcomes and a middle class.

The ALF co-convener and former Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia H.E Hailemariam Desalegn noted that Africa faces opportunities but with challenges in achieving SGDs, such as a huge funding gap and thus significant resources needed to fill the gap.

He also proposed alternatives to funding the SDGs but at the same time calling for solutions like strengthened governance and institutions, transparency, rule of law, combarting corruption and curbing illicit financial flows. This, he suggested, have to come hand in hand with a resilient workforce, sustainable food security, reliable energy and strengthening of integration in trade and the broader economies across the continent through ceding but of individual countries’ sovereignty and embrace the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“If it gets harder to trade with other more established economies in the west, its only prudent that we strengthen intra trade, leverage technology and innovation, resource mobilise and cur on foreign aid and Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).

The Deputy Executive Secretary at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa,Antonio Pedro noted that in implementing SDGs, it was important to understand that unemployment is not merely an economic concern but also a threat to peace and a test to our economic model, adding that private sector must not just invest in profit but also in purpose.

He argued that the continent needed a recalibrated SDG model, further noting that removing tariff and non-tariff barriers has the potential to increase in Africa’s intra trade by 45 per cent in the next decade.
At a time when the AI global economy is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030, Africa still had only 1 percent of that.

In a keynote statement, the former FAO representative to Ethiopia, the African Union and UNECA, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa Mr. Mafa Chipeta, argued for an approach that is more selective and re-focused in implementation, noting that if the continent takes on all the SDGs at one go, it may spread itself too thin.

The basis of his argument was hinged on the facts that the continent has 17 to 18 percent of global population but with just 2 percent of the World GDP and trade, scores 3 percent for most economic indices and with only less than 0.5 percent for new critical technologies.
He further cautioned that African trade ministries tend to ignore the larger domestic trade than foreign trade which leaves exploitative traders to rob smallholders and continues to heavily subsidise the world economy by selling raw, unprocessed low value materials cheaply and buys the same back at inflated prices.

He proposed that the continent needs to cut down on donor dependency by still allocating its own funds so that donors don’t replace local commitment.
Former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, noted that while the current ‘America’ first plan had created uncertainty in the rest of the world, it was also timely for Africa to grab this opportunity so that it re-anchors itself and make new bold decisions in new development directions.
He urged prioritizing human capital development through education, health and social services delivery, agriculture development and good governance with leadership that is determined to drive all these processes.

Former President of the Republic of Tunisia Dr Mohamed Moncef Marzouki called for Africa to rely on itself through intra trade, which should be preceded by having democratic, independent and corrupt free governments.

Former Uganda’s Vice President Gilbert Bukenya said Africa should have innovative leadership that circumvents those who want to manage it with external interests and instead drive its own agenda on transformation.

Retired Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa said the SDGs were proper aspirations and that what was needed for the continent is innovating new measures to finance their implementation, like leveraging local natural resources and private sector to finance them.

The forum has featured four thematic sessions on poverty eradication and economic growth, health and well-being, education and skills development; and environmental sustainability and climate action.

The forum is a key event preceding the 11th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which will be held from 9 – 11 April 2025.

The Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development, commonly known as UONGOZI Institute, is a regional leadership development hub operating under the Office of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Established in 2010 by the Governments of Tanzania and Finland, the Institute is dedicated to inspiring and equipping African leaders to deliver inclusive and sustainable solutions for their nations and the wider continent.
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