Professor George Gyan – Baffour – Minister of planning
A Technical Committee set up by government for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has initiated preparations to present and submit Ghana’s progress report on the SDGs to the next United Nations (UN) General Assembly in October 2018. This was made known by Minister of Planning, Professor George Gyan – Baffour at the 2017 Impact Africa Summit: Ghana on SDGs on Thursday November 30 at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra where he delivered the opening address on behalf of government as the Special Guest of Honor.
Technical Committee.
The Technical Committee made up of diverse public institutional representation, civil society groups and the private sector according to the Planning Minister has the responsibility of implementing the decisions of the High Level Ministerial Committee inaugurated by President Nana Akufo – Addo in September for initiating and facilitating activities for achieving the SDGs.
Professor Gyan Baffour who is also the Chair of the High Level Ministerial Committee indicated that the Technical Committee has already developed indicators for measuring Ghana’s SDG performance. This has been ratified by the respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies.
The Minister further mentioned that government has aligned the SDGs and its targets with Ghana’s national development priorities and aspirations as embodied in The Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (CPESDP) 2017-2024: “An agenda for jobs: creating prosperity and equal opportunities for all” recently presented to Parliament.
This agenda is organized under four goals including creating opportunities for all Ghanaians, and safeguarding the natural environment and ensuring a resilient built environment. The rest are maintaining a stable, united and safe society and building a prosperous society.
According to the Minister, all the seventeen SDGs can be matched to the Goals of the Agenda for Jobs. Also, a matrix has been developed matching the relevant SDGs targets to the indicators of Medium-Term Development Planning Framework (MTDPF), 2018-2021, which is the medium term action plan for the Coordinated Programme.
Call to Action
Professor Gyan – Baffour charged organizers of the Impact Africa Summit on SDGs to support in building the local momentum for implementing and achieving the SDGs and also strengthen the means of localizing and sustaining the gains that will be made in the implementation the SDGs.
Impact Africa Summit: Ghana on SDGs.
The Impact Africa Summit: Ghana on SDGs presents the biggest platform for government officials, senior diplomats, academia, local and international business executives, youth groups, civil society, the media among others, to share ideas and identify strategic means for the implementation and realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana.
A key component of the summit is the Impact Africa Awards which is to celebrate and award illustrious sons of the land who have and continues to make a significant impact on the socio – economic development agenda in Ghana in different fields.
The Impact Africa Summit is an initiative of the International Perspective for Policy & Governance (IPPG) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with support from the Diplomatic Community, Ideal Capital Partners & Africa Investment Group International.
By: Seth Owusu – Mante Jnr.
