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The United Nations (UN) is optimistic that Zambia and many other African countries will meet the set targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) despite being in debt distress.
Zambia has a leadership that is taking ownership and these are the kind of governments, UN Deputy Secretary Amina Mohammed said in Niamey on Tuesday.
Addressing journalists shortly after the official opening of the ninth session of the African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development (ARFSD) in Niger, Mohammed said that over 20 African countries including Zambia are on the debt roll.
For this, she said they must have a flexible, more robust framework, a debt mechanism to allow Africa deal with some of these issues.
Mohammed said these are some of the issues they will bring out at the G20 with the SDG stimulus and be specific of what needs to change to allow those investments to happen.
She also said they must put forward concrete plans to drive critical SDG transformations from energy and food, to digital technology, social protection and education and make real commitment to leave no one behind.
She said UN have to ensure that African countries can access the debt relief, write-downs and additional financing they desperately need to cover and plan for uncertain future.
When asked how Zambia and other African countries that are in debt distress if they will be able to attain the SDG targets?
Mohammed said she was a firm believer of ensuring the commodity of hope in the UN doesn’t die.
“If I start giving up before I get to target date why do I set a date ? …so I believe there is every country that can attain SDGs but the stock take that we have in September has to determine how bigger lift it will take for Zambia, Niger, Cameroon to reach the SDGs and that’s what we want to hear from our countries on this Forum what are those issues you are falling behind the most,” she said.
She indicated that the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) had done its research and mapping but that countries must take ownership to take this forward.
“In the case of Zambia you do have leadership that is taking ownership, these are the kind of governments Zambia, Niger, Luanda we are seeing many governments now saying okay nothing is coming from all the promises and meetings we go to now we are determine to take the leadership, this is what we need and these are the negotiations that we will have.
“So I think there is a better chance today at achieving SDGs even though it’s like climbing mountain Everest …it’s a big climb, it’s a big lift and it needs some part of our international systems to change, it needs business to take more risks and needs business in Africa to grow,” she said.
Mohammed pointed out that venture capital in Africa was going up at six percent compared to a decline being posted in the rest of the world.
She added that entrepreneurs and young people were working hard and making a difference despite these achievements not being captured.
“Something good is happening here it’s not just a continent of conflicts, risks and illicit flows,” she said.
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