THREE years into the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ghana’s performance and progress have been described as a mixture of successes and challenges.
According to a review report by the Ghana Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) platform on the SDGs, although appreciable achievement had been made in some areas, other areas needed critical action.
The SDGs are 17 goals, adopted by the UN member states, in 2015 to address various global challenges and ensure a better future for all by 2030, so that no one is left behind.
On the SDG four on education, for instance, the report said the country was doing well in terms of increase to access due to the free Senior High School programme and redefinition of basic education to include high school but the quality of education was a concern that needed to be addressed.
The “CSOs’ Voluntary National Review (VNR) Shadow Report on the SDG” subtitled “Progress on the SDGs: Telling the Ghanaian Story through the lens of Citizens” was launched yesterday in Accra.
The 61-page report is complementary to government’s VNR report, an assessment of the implementation of the SDGs, to be presented at the UN High level Political Forum (HLPF) next week in US.
It sampled the views of 1,000 citizens across the country between March and April this year, on implementation of selected goals to be discussed at the HLPF. They are SDGs four, eight, 10, 13, 16 and 17.
On Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth), the report said although about 80 per cent of respondents acknowledged Ghana’s high economic growth rate, they said it had not resulted in the needed decent job.
For Less than 10 per cent of respondents were of the view that there was high access to justice and public institutions while 38 per cent of them though otherwise when asked about Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).
According to the report the implementation of the goals were not well coordinated at the local level, albeit there were strong national level structures while there was low level of awareness and citizens’ ownership of the goals.
The significant contribution of the CSO to the SDGs in the area of awareness creation was recognised in the highlights of the report presented by Chairperson of STAR-Ghana, Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye at the launch.
The report recommended that all stakeholders, including CSOs and the government should work together to step up public education, improve coordination and do all they could to ensure the SDGs were achieved.
Minister for Planning, George Gyan Baffour, in a speech read on his behalf, lauded the CSO for the report which he said would help shape efforts to accelerate the attainment of the goals.
The Co-Chair of CSO platform, Mrs Beauty Nartey, on her part, called for concerted efforts from all actors in achieving the goals saying “citizens must collectively hold people accountable towards the goal.”
BY JONATHAN DONKOR AND DEBORAH ASUMA
