FG tasks stakeholders on attainment of SDGs

… As report shows only 17% achieved 5yrs to 2030 Agenda

Five years to the 2030 agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a report shows that only 17 percent of its targets have been achieved.

Amid this slow progress, the Federal Government has emphasised the need for stakeholders within the value chain to double up efforts towards actualising the goals ahead of the deadline.

World leaders, it would be recalled, adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015 during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). With its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 2030 Agenda provides a holistic development framework for addressing economic, social and environmental challenges around the world, especially in underdeveloped nations.

However, a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report (2024) shows a universal lack of progress towards the SDGs, with developing countries and the world’s poorest people bearing the heavier brunt.

Confirming the report while speaking at the regional stakeholders’ consultation on Nigeria’s 2025 Voluntary National Review (VNR), Southwest geopolitical zone, on Tuesday, hosted by the Lagos State government, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the senior special assistant to the president on SDGs, stressed the need for an inclusive, broad-based and participatory process to for Nigeria to make better progress with the SDGs.

Read also: How blockchain can transform SDGs in emerging economies in 2025

“Only 17 percent of the SDG targets are on track, nearly half are showing minimal or moderate progress, and progress on over one third has stalled or even regressed”, Orelope-Adefulire noted.

According to her, the periodic regional stakeholders’ forum, therefore, has become necessary to consult widely with critical stakeholders across key segments of the society.

“This is our idea of the ‘whole of government and society’ approach to the implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria”, Orelope-Adefulire said.

Speaking also in her welcome address, Oreoluwa Finnih, the special adviser to the Lagos State governor on SDGs, said the VNR represented a pivotal mechanism in the implementation of SDGs targets, as it provides an opportunity for national and subnational governments to periodically assess progress, identify gaps, and strengthen accountability in Nigeria’s collective journey towards inclusion and sustainability.

“It allows us to critically reflect on our obligations, assess our challenges, and refine our strategies to ensure that no one is left behind”, she explained.

Finnih, however, noted the imperative of data-driven governance, policy coherence, and multi-stakeholder collaboration in driving the process, adding that with its high population and economic viability, Lagos State had been a driving force in achieving the SDGs, leveraging evidence-based decision-making to drive impact.