Kigali, 14.06.2019 – From June 12-14, Heads of States, policy makers, representatives of International Organisations, Civil Society Organisation, Research and Academia and the general public gathered together to discuss progress on SDGs implementation.

Kigali, 13.06.2019 – There is without doubt and urgent need for financing the SDGs in Africa. In Low Income Countries this gap is estimated to be in excess of 14% of GDP which is a financial burden developing countries are unable to bear on their own

Kigali, 12.06.2019 – The 3 days conference on “SDGs Implementation in Africa - Reflections on a Three-Year Journey”

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa was honoured by the visit of His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, last Saturday, 8th June.

Honorable Dr. Fitsum Assefa Adela, the Minister in charge of Plan and Development Commission of the Federal Government of Ethiopia has today visited the Sustainable Development Center for Africa. She said the purpose of her visit is to discuss ways of partnership in strengthening the reporting systems for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and other African Development Agendas.

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Chair of the African Union attended the Global Citizen SDG Reception hosted by Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana on 2nd December 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. In His address, President Kagame urged African Countries to increase ownership of the SGDs and continue to generate revenues domestically.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/Africa) has selected Rwanda as the first country to spearhead and implement a new women entrepreneurship and business agenda that will be disseminated in ten African countries.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) in partnership with the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) hosted the 2nd African Dialogue on the World in 2050 (TWI 2050) from 30 – 31 October 2018 at the Park Inn by Radisson in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) in partnership with the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) hosted the second African Dialogue on the World in 2050 (TWI 2050) from 30 – 31 October 2018 at the Park Inn by Radisson in Kigali, Rwanda. During the workshop, participants from policy makers, business leaders,academicians, researchers and representatives from farmer organizations and civil society identified African regional pathways that enrich the global Sustainable Development Pathways and support of the implementation of Agenda 2030.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MOU was signed by Dr. Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, Director and Regional Representative of the UN Environment Africa Office and Dr. Belay Begashaw, Director General of the SDGC/A, during the 7th African Rift Geothermal Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.

Various experts including policy makers, business leaders, academicia, researchers and representatives from farmer organisations and civil society have gathered in Kigali in a workshop to discuss ways of further implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda 2030 by eradicating hunger and improve on food security. They are looking at African regional pathways that enrich the global Sustainable Development Pathway and analysis in support of attaining the SDG Agenda 2030. The theme of the workshop is How to Attain the SDGs within Planetary Boundaries with Focus on Agriculture and Food Systems.

President Paul Kagame has stressed the need for stronger healthcare systems across Africa, if the continent is to register the tangible socio-economic transformation it desires.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa is adding a sub-regional center of excellence to support countries in the Southern African region in achieving the SDGs and the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063. The center will be located in Lusaka, Zambia, with the Government of Zambia providing facilities and services.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia and the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) signed a Host Country Agreement that will facilitate the establishment of a Sub-regional Center of Excellence in Zambia.

President Edgar Lungu has urged world leaders to redouble efforts to build a just, peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and fair world for the common good of humanity. Meanwhile, Government has signed an agreement with Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) for Zambia to host a regional sub-office in Lusaka. Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Malanji said Government is committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through enhanced efforts.

Lusaka accélère la cadence. Le Centre sous-régional SDGC/A en Zambie a l’intention d’aider le gouvernement de Zambie et d’autres gouvernements de la région de l’Afrique australe à atteindre les objectifs du développement durable (ODD).

The Government of the Republic of Zambia and the SDGC/A signed a Host Country Agreement that will facilitate the establishment of the SDGC/A’s first Southern African Sub-regional Center in Lusaka, Zambia.

Zambia has signed an agreement with the Sustainable Development Goals -SDGs- Centre for Africa to host a regional office. The office will advocate for the implementation of SDGs in the Southern African region, in line with the principles of African Union -AU-‘s Agenda 2063.

The inaugural index on how African countries are implementing the Sustainable Development Goals was released on Monday in Kigali, indicating that Morocco is on top of countries that are making strides in implementing the global goals. The report, the Africa SDG Index and Dashboards Report 2018, was released by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa on Monday morning in Kigali.

Le Rapport 2018 sur les ODD (Objectifs de Développement Durable) a été publié ce Lundi à Kigali et indique que le Maroc est en tête des pays qui progressent dans la mise en œuvre des Objectifs mondiaux DD, tandis que le Rwanda occupe la 11ème place.

Officials from the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa informed media practitioners and other stakeholders in development that Rwanda is ranked number 11th in achieving the SDGs as compared to the rest of countries in this course.

Liberian President George Manneh Weah has called on the Director General on the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) to ensure that Liberia improves on its development performance. According to the Liberian leader, “Liberia currently lies in the red-zone, but this administration is determined to improve the standing of Liberia by implementing development programs set out in the SDGs.”

His Excellency George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia has called on the Director General of the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) to ensure that Liberia improves on its development performance. According to the Liberian leader, “Liberia currently lies in the red-zone, but this administration is determined to improve the standing of Liberia by implementing development programs set out in the SDGs.” President Weah made the call August 17, 2018 at his Foreign Affairs office when he played host to Dr. Belay Begashaw, Director General of the SDGC/A,who is in the country to conclude arrangements for the establishment of the Center in Liberia. The Liberian leader immediately moved to set date for the launch of the Center, which will be done concomitantly with the launch of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) that are already aligned with the government’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

Experts have appealed to African Governments to discuss gender statistics, particularly by capturing statistics of women’s contribution in countries’ development. The appeal was made Wednesday in Kigali in a three-day Gender Data Workshop that brought together participants from ten African countries. The workshop was organized by UN for Women in partnership with the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa. According to UN Women Africa, only 13% of countries allocate a budget to gender statistics and only 15% of countries have legislation that mandates specialized gender-based surveys.

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), and the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) organized a workshop on scaling up investments in “green water” – rainwater stored as soil moisture that can be used by plants. More than 80 workshop participants from national governments, universities, businesses and aid organizations gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, from 27-28 June 2018, to discuss how promoting access to technology and financing for green water could improve food security (SDG 2) and increase resilience in the face of climate change (SDG 13).

Water and agriculture experts have said that water shortages for agriculture and other activities can be addressed by harvesting rain water. This is at a time when the African continent is facing rising water challenges due to higher demand caused by rapid population growth, urbanisation, increasing food demands and depletion of natural water resources. Experts say that this can be addressed through efficient use of water harvesting measure across Sub-Saharan Africa with potential impacts on farmers and whole economies. This was observed this week during an expert workshop on answering the call for an African water revolution hosted by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A). The workshop, which was held in Kigali, convened about 80 participants from 16 countries.

Water experts have been discussing ways of scaling up clean water for every citizen in Africa to build citizen’s resilience in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The discussions were held yesterday on Tuesday June 27, 2018 in Kigali where different Water experts have been sharing ideas on how to answer the call for an African water revolution. The move targets to put in place new strategies for rain water harvesting and plants’ evapo-transpiration by ensuring that water is used in Agriculture to fight hunger and sustain food security according to the permanent secretary in the ministry of agriculture and animal resources (MINAGRI) Kayisinga Jean Claude.

The global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have been given a boost on the African continent as countries work towards achieving the 17 goals ahead of 2030. This week, the Africa Sustainable Development Goals Index and Dashboards 2018 report, established by the SDG Centre for Africa which worked alongside the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, was launched. The report was revealed at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was presented to all ambassadors and permanent representatives of the AU, UN agencies, government officials and other stakeholders. Hope Tumukunde Gasatura, ambassador of Rwanda, addressed officials from the AU member states, encouraging them to support the initiative and ideals carried out in the document.

On June 19, the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) in partnership with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) held the soft launch the Africa SDG Index and Dashboards 2018 Report at the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa. The summary report was presented to Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives to the Commission of the African Union, heads of UN agencies, representatives from government, and various stakeholders. The Africa SDG Index and Dashboards are a tool to track progress toward the SDGs, to help pinpoint key implementation challenges and to assist countries in benchmarking their SDG performance against their African peers. 51 countries are included in the Index ranking and all 54 African countries have country dashboards. Morocco tops the ranking in this first edition of the report with a score of 66,1. This means that Morocco is about 66.1% of the way to achieving the SDGs, according to the measures used in this Index.

Governments, UN entities, international financial institutions (IFIs), institutional investors, business actors and other stakeholders discussed ways to break bottlenecks and obstacles to increasing private investment in the SDGs. UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak said his Office will develop a toolbox of ideas and best practices to increase SDG financing, following the meeting.During a high-level event convened by the UNGA President in New York, US, on 11 June 2018, participants focused on: identifying the biggest challenges and obstacles along the investment chain; exchanging priority actions and solutions that policy makers could consider; strengthening partnerships between Member States, the private sector, multilateral development banks, and international organizations; and the role of the UN in removing the identified obstacles and strengthening coordination among major institutional stakeholders to support financing for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, both at country and at global level.

Northern African region is best performing towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to a new report launched on Tuesday at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The report dubbed the Africa SDG Index and Dashboards 2018 was carried out by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) involving 51 African countries. Of the five sub-regions, North Africa claims the top spot while the central African region is the lowest performing and East Africa ranks the second from the lowest.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) launched the Africa SDG Index and Dashboards 2018 Report, in partnership with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). The launch was held at the Africa Union Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 2018 report was presented to Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of the African Union, UN agencies, government officials and other stakeholders. H.E. Mrs. Hope Tumukunde Gasatura, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda addressed AU Member States and encouraged them to support this initiative.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) in partnership with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) held the launch the Africa SDG Index and Dashboards 2018 Report, at the Africa Union Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the launch, the report was presented to 100 participants including African Ambassadors to Ethiopia, Permanent Representatives to the Commission of the African Union, heads of UN agencies, representatives from government and various stakeholders.

Global Goals can never be achieved without sustainable peace, and this is impossible where human rights are not respected, according to the Director General of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Centre for Africa, Dr Delay Begashaw. He was speaking at the end of last week as 32 staff members of the SDG Centre for Africa visited Ntarama Genocide Site in Bugesera District to understand the history of Genocide against the Tutsi and how it was executed.

In 1994, Angelique Mukaruzizi was a married woman with two kids. She lived in the former Kanzenze Commune which is now one cell making Ntarama Sector of Bugesera District. Bugesera District, where she was born, was not her parents’ place of origin. Her parents had been forced to there in the 1960s when the then government wanted them killed by Tsetse flies that had occupied the whole district. “Bugesera was not a livable place, but our parents tried their best and survived,” says Mukaruzizi. “We grew up in very bad conditions of life,” she recounted.

The absence of a clear governance system is impeding the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa, a meeting has heard. According to the UN SDGs report published last year, the progress being made is uneven and too slow to achieve the targets universally by 2030. Belay Begashaw, director-general of the SDG Center for Africa based in Rwanda, told a conference this month (9-11 May) in South Africa that countries currently share favorable SDG progress reviews while excluding badly performing or complex areas.

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the SDG Center for Africa (SDGC/A) hosted an online consultation on proposed indicators for the draft Africa SDG Index and Dashboard. The Africa SDG Index and Dashboard build on the global SDG Index and Dashboard, which SDSN launched in 2016. To ensure the Index and Dashboard’s relevance for Africa, the Africa Index and Dashboard include additional Africa-relevant indicators and metrics from institutions within and focused on Africa, including both official and unofficial sources.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) are jointly working to develop and publish the Africa SDG Index and Dashboard, building on the flagship SDG Index and Dashboards global report.

Rwanda continues to register high cases of maternal deaths even as the country cut the deaths by more than half in less than a decade, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health. The ministry’s death audits list postpartum hemorrhage, complications of prematurity and fetal distress among the main causes of maternal mortality in the country.

African health actors have urged governments on the continent to prioritize healthcare and increase its funding in order to mitigate preventable deaths. The actors are gathered in Kigali, Rwanda for the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) conference at Kigali Convention Centre. The two-day meeting that kicked off on Thursday is focusing on accountability framework as a necessary tool to achieve the SDG3 in Africa. The SDG3 aims at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.

Through a two-day conference on strengthening accountability in African health systems that opens in Kigali today, government’s officials including health professionals have pledged to enforce sustainable development goals especially in healthcare delivery.

A two-day conference on strengthening accountability in African health systems is opening in Kigali today. It is being oragnised by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) in partnership with Rwanda Ministry of Health. It will convene over 500 participants including government ministers, health professionals, and representatives of health associations, councils and research centers from across the world.

Political actors, governments and other leaders in the healthcare sector have been called on to enact and also enforce a standard regulatory system that facilitates and ensures true accountability in the health system.

Instances of medical negligence have been found to be one of the contributing factors to high mortality rates in the region by most indexes, including the World Health Organisation. Studies show that a significant majority of deaths in African countries are actually avoidable.This week on Thursday, the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa will host a two day summit that will seek to build and strengthen accountability in African health care systems. The New Times’ Collins Mwai spoke to the Dr. Belay Begashaw, Director General of the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa for insights.

Universities in Africa have the onerous task of honing creative and sustainable ideas and innovations to power Africa’s socio-economic transformation, in line with aspirations of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an official has said. Dr. Belay Begashaw, the Director General for Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC-Africa) however warned that the role could only be executed if the institutions re-positioned themselves as centers of excellence manned by quality manpower. Dr. Begashaw said SDGC-Africa had embarked on an ambitious plan to strengthen tertiary education in the continent under the auspices of the Kigali Initiative. Among other things, the initiative adopted in July 2016 aims to mobilize African leaders to invest in higher education.

The Government of Liberia and the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) have signed a “Host Country Agreement” that will facilitate the establishment of the first West African SDGC/A sub-regional center in Monrovia. The SDGC/A sub-regional center in Liberia will support countries of the Mano River Union (MRU) and member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Its establishment is at the request of the MRU countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia) and comes with the approval of the SDGC/A Board of Directors.

The Liberian Government and the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) Tuesday signed a Host Country Agreement that will facilitate the establishment of the first West African SDGC/A Subregional Center in Monrovia, Liberia.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) signed a host country agreement with the Government of Liberia to establish the West African SDGC/A Sub-regional Center in Monrovia, Liberia.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) have signed a cooperation deal. The Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) was signed on Monday by Shinichi Kitaoka, president of JICA, and Belay Begashaw, director general of the SDGC/A, at the JICA headquarters in Tokyo. The deal is a framework for cooperation, expected to facilitate collaboration between JICA and the SDGC/A to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in Africa through the promotion of innovation and knowledge co-creation partnering with private companies, academia and civil society, according to a statement.

President Paul Kagame on Monday chaired the 5th board meeting of the Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa, on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York. Kagame said that the initiative continues to be an important step with far reaching implications to the African continent’s development agenda.

Africa must invest in advanced technology as one of the strategies to deal with challenges of climate change. The remarks were made in Kigali yesterday, at a meeting to discuss pathways for how agriculture can contribute to meeting the SDGs. The two day meeting is bringing together a cross section of local and international policy makers, academicians, business leaders and civil society from all over Africa.

Rwanda has been ranked among top 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are on progress towards attaining the UN-backed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to SDG Index and Dashboards report released here on Tuesday. The second edition of the SDGs and Dashboards report on Africa, released by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) provides a report card for tracking SDG progress and ensuring accountability.

A new report has shown that Rwanda is among the top 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are on course towards attaining the UN-backed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The SDG Index and Dashboards report by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was released on Tuesday in Kigali.

A major conference on tertiary education concluded on Thursday in Kigali with Africa’s education leaders committing to work to bring sustainable solutions to the continent’s higher education challenges. The two-day symposium was held under the theme, “Mobilizing African Intellectuals towards Quality Tertiary Education.”

Experts in tertiary education on the African continent are set to meet in Kigali to look into what can be done to improve the quality of tertiary education in line with achieving sustainable development goals. The conference organised by the Sustainable Development Centre for Africa (SDGC/A) is slated to take place from Wednesday to Thursday in Kigali. Dubbed, “Mobilising African intellectuals towards quality tertiary education,” the conference will attract actors in tertiary education from within the continent and the diaspora. It will draw a coalition of African intellectuals who will brainstorm and hold principal discussions on practical actions, explore solutions and build consensual approaches that can be undertaken right away against the back-drop of under-performing higher education systems throughout the continent.

President Paul Kagame said on Wednesday that Africa still grapples with low numbers of graduates in tertiary education and research, and calls for heavy investment into the sector. “Africa’s Gross Enrollment Ratio in tertiary education is about a quarter of the world average,” Kagame said, adding that more children are attending school but Africa needs more graduates with knowledge and skills to “grow our economies and shape the continent’s future.”

Africa has taken its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals a step further by launching an SDG Center for the continent. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda officially launched the center at an international conference in Kigali. The conference focused on how Africa could achieve the United Nations’ SDGs by 2030.

The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) was launched last week in Kigali bringing together 200 delegates from across Africa representing the private sector, academic institutions, multilateral organisations and government. The SDGC/A will provide technical support, advice and expertise to governments, private sector, civil society, and academic institutions to accelerate the implementation of the agenda across Africa. Officiating at the launch, President Paul Kagame reminded participants of the inclusive and result-driven aspect in the creation of the centre.

President Kagame, alongside Nigerian businessman, Aliko Dangote, yesterday also co-chaired a Sustainable Development Goals board meeting that explored resource mobilization and partnership on upcoming projects and activities.

“Il faut que nos mentalités et nos habitudes soient telles qu’elles réalisent les Objectifs de Développement Durables (ODD) à l’horizon 2030. Les entreprises expérimentées impliquées dans ce système complexe sont exhortées à réussir ce grand projet pour le bien des populations”, déclare le Président Paul Kagamé lors du lancement officiel, le 27 janvier 2017, du Centre Africain pour les ODD (SDGCA).

President Paul Kagame has called on African countries to take advantage of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework to bridge the gap between the current challenges and their mission to advance by doing the right things in the right way.

The SDGC/A Conference: Expediting the Implementation of Africa’s 2030 Agenda will bring together over 200 government officials, businesses, civil society, academia and experts from all over Africa to the official launch of the SDGC/A; the presentation of the Africa Report 2030 (How Africa can achieve the SDGs by 2030) and discussing the major themes relevant to SDG implementation in Africa.

President Kagame has asked African nations not to see the Sustainable Development Goals as an external agenda, but as an integrated part of a country’s development vision. He made the remarks on Friday at the conference on Sustainable Development Goals for Africa, during which the SDG Centre for Africa, based in Kigali, was launched.

The SDGC/A Conference is the first major conference for the Center this year with over 200 government officials, businesses, civil society, academia and experts both international and from all over Africa to the official launch of the SDGC/A; the presentation of the Africa Report 2030 - serving as a blueprint for how Africa can achieve the SDGs by 2030 - and discussing the major themes relevant to SDG implementation in Africa.

Strathmore Business School Dean, Dr. George Njenga will be attending The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) Conference to be held on 27th January 2017 in Kigali, Rwanda. The conference themed ‘Expediting the Implementation of Africa’s 2030 Agenda’ will convene over 200 African leaders as they discuss the path towards the attainment of the Sustainability Goals agenda of 2030.

We are honored and humbled to have been invited by The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) to participate in their conference in Kigali, Rwanda on January 27th. This landmark conference convenes around the subject of Expediting the Implementation of Africa’s 2030 Agenda.