Kemisola Owonikoko
Lagos State University played host to the National Conference on Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), recently with the theme “At the midpoint of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals: which way Nigeria and Africa?” with experts from various fields discussed the progress and challenges of the SDGs in Nigeria and Africa.
The conference was organized by the Lagos State University Center for the actualization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (LASU SDG), in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre, (UNIC), Abuja, Nigeria.
The Lagos State University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello while declaring the conference open highlighted prominent obstacles hindering the SDGs such as poverty, insecurity, inadequate governance, and the enduring aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Director, Lagos State University Centre for the Actualization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (LASU-SDG), Prof. Tayo Ajayi reaffirmed the vision of the 2030 agenda for SDGs, which encompasses an economically viable, socially inclusive, and environmentally resilient present and future society.
Mr. Mathias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, conveyed his goodwill message via a virtual platform, emphasizing the pivotal role of academia in propelling the SDGs forward.
The keynote address, delivered by Prof. Labode Popoola, represented by Prof. S.O. Jimoh, drew from the Sustainable Development Report published by the UN.
Professor Popoola highlighted the progress and challenges of the SDGs globally and in Africa. He underscored the critical role that universities play in crafting sustainable solutions and advocated for a renewed dedication to the cause of sustainable development by African nations.
The conference provided a platform for experts, academics, and non-academics to assess how far the SDGs have been achieved in Nigeria and Africa, offer viable resolutions to the persistent challenges facing Africa, examine the role of universities and higher education as key actors in attaining the SDGs, and proffer workable solutions over the next seven (7) years for actualizing the SDGs.
At the end of the conference, some of the main resolutions included the need for governments to stop paying lip service to the achievement of the SDGs, African nations to find solutions to their problems without recourse to the West, and the importance of research funding in critical areas such as agriculture, dam management, water supply, irrigation, and hydropower generation.
In her closing remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, congratulated the delegates and the LASU-SDG Centre for a successful conference.
She emphasized the importance of collective efforts in achieving the SDGs and renewed the commitment of the Lagos State University to the advancement and realization of the SDGs.
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