Experts Urge FG to Bridge Finance Gap to Drive SDG Implementation

Omolabake Fasogbon

Experts have identified inadequate financing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a snag dragging its timely implementation. 

To this effect, they urged federal government to facilitate funding and investments across sectors as not to miss the 2030 target.

Speaking recently at 2nd International Conference of the Faculty of Management & Social Sciences (FM&SS), Lead City University Ibadan, a professor of Economics at Rhodes University, South Africa, Prof.  Meschach Aziakpono expressed that realising the SDGs would enable a more equitable world and improve quality of life, adding however that financing the goals remained a key challenge.

He said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has yet highlighted the urgent need for sustainable and inclusive development that can withstand future crises. It is thus urgent to drive fund to the realisation of the goals to be able to harness both immediate and future gains.”

While speaking on the theme of the conference, “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030: Approaching Possibilities through Socio-Political, Economic and Management Dimensions”, Convener of the conference and Dean, FM&SS, Prof. Omolara Campbell emphasized concerted efforts towards the realisation of the goals.

According to her, everyone was relevant to the actualisation of SDGS, hence the decision to make the conference multidisciplinary to draw knowledge and contributions across various disciplines. 

She said, “The multidisciplinary related contributions of participants will also prevent the distortion of the national progress by the political, environmental, economic and security challenges experienced in the post-pandemic era.” 

On his part, Vice Chancellor of Lead City University, Prof. Kabiru Aderemi Adeyemo stressed that education remained a major driver of the SDGs especially in alleviating poverty. 

 He said efforts must be channeled towards innovative solutions to achieve the goals.