By Joseph Abuje
The Eleventh Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-11) in Kampala, Uganda, has made a powerful call to action on bold leadership and decisive policies that drive jobs, inclusive growth, science and evidence-based solutions.
President Kaguta Yoweri Museveni, host of the ARFSD 11 stressed the need for Africa to stop exporting raw materials saying that exporting raw materials means you are donating money and donating jobs to somebody else. He regreted that, that is what Africa as a continent has been doing. “I’ve banned the export of unprocessed minerals. No unprocessed mineral leaves Uganda now. I told our people that if we can’t process the minerals, they must stay in the ground. Our grandchildren will process them.” reiterated Museveni.
The forum serves as a critical platform for dialogue and action, with the potential to shape Africa’s trajectory towards sustainable prosperity in the coming years, where a clarion call was made towards
Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science-and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
President Museveni said the Uganda’s agricultural sector employs 3.6 million people; manufacturing and industry employs 1.4 million people; and the services sector 5 million people. The ICT sector is currently employing 46,000 people. “We are just beginning, but you can see jobs can be created,” he said.
“We cannot have individual countries championing as individual countries. There must be a connectedness of our efforts. We need to share, discuss and interrogate what means we have to achieve our goals, said Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe.
United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed said progress has not been fast enough. She noted that Structural inequalities persist, and informal unemployment remains widespread across the continent and challenged African leadership to start crafting a new story driven by African leadership, especially our young people, powered by African people and anchored in African values.
Addressing the participants, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Mr. Claver Gatete underscored the significant hurdles that currently obstruct the continent’s progress, including the lingering effects of COVID-19, geopolitical tensions, and a staggering debt burden that stands at 64.3% of GDP. He noted that Africa’s GDP growth has stagnated at around 3%, falling short of the 7% required to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, which focuses on economic growth and decent work.
“Aid is no longer sustainable. We must scale up domestic resources, curb illicit financial flows, and tap into pension and sovereign wealth funds to fund Africa’s transformation,” he said, adding that with only five years to 2030, the clock is ticking.
He stressed the need to move beyond diagnosis to implementation – bold, inclusive, and evidence-based solutions as the only options for Africa’s development sustainability.
“Africa for the Africans” was a slogan of the 1950s and 1960s but it still needs to be a slogan today, to show how we’re going to achieve prosperity” remarked Robert Rae- president of Economic and Social Council and permanent representative of Canada to United Nations, emphasising the need for Africa’s integration agenda.
“The next five years must be marked by bold leadership, decisive policies, and strengthened partnerships.” The ECA and UN system remain committed to collaborating with African nations and partners to achieve the promises of sustainable development for the continent” Rae continued.
ARFSD 11 is themed “Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and AU Agenda 2063,” and has brought together heads of state, government officials, academia, civil society representatives, and international partners to tackle pressing development challenges facing the continent.
The forum is being held against sobering data – with just five years until 2030, of 144 measurable SDG targets, only 10 are on track, while 106 are progressing too slowly. Leaders have called for a shift from merely diagnosing issues to implementing actionable solutions on the five critical SDGs that are under review in 2025: Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Life Below Water (SDG 14), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).