FG seeks private sector partnership to accelerate SDGs

The Federal Government has called for private sector partnership for the establishment of innovative technology hubs that would help the country to realise the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, made the call, yesterday, at the United Nation SDGs roundtable dialogue on the establishment of SDGs innovation hubs across the country’s six geopolitical zones, held in Abuja.

The minister said securing private sector commitment in building innovation hubs is key to mitigating the structural challenges faced by sub-national SDGs offices in innovating pathways to accelerated progress.

He said: “Nigeria has a huge implementation context for the year 2030 Agenda – a large population, landmass and ethnic diversity. To achieve the SDGs and propel its effective implementation, it is important to establish the SDGs innovation hubs at the sub-national levels of government. The hubs will serve as a novel approach to tackling some of the most pertinent developmental challenges for each geo-political context.”

Agba also said the recent approval of the National Development Plan 2021 – 2025 by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting of November 10, 2021, has set the stage for the country’s transformation, because the plan has a robust social protection component and seeks to lift 34m Nigerians out of poverty by 2025 and 100m Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, organisers of the event, noted that the SDGs will ensure effective implementation of the social protection policy as a universal call to end poverty, safeguard the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Deputy Resident Representative, Lealem Dinku, said the initiative would give state and non-state actors the opportunity to collaborate with each other, check the progress made since the adoption of SDGs goals in 2015, and secondly ensure that SDG is accelerated by the states, fired by private sectors and CSOs, with government creating an enabling environment for the innovators.

Represented by Clare Henshaw, Dinku said: “We take pride in working with other states, with a regional outlook towards delivering innovative programmes and projects to make laudable impact in our respective states and zones.”