By: Precious Miracle Kargbo (Intern)
The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) has concluded an engagement to discuss the roadmap of the 2023 SDG’S summit, set to be held in September which compromises of all developing countries around the globe.
The Minister of MoPED Madam Kenyeh Barlay was in attendance during the workshop on the 31st august 2023 started off by highlighting that as a ministry they are highly concerned to discuss the roadmap of the sustainable development goals and how best they can efficiently work to achieve these goals.
Madam Barlay also expresses her sincere appreciation to civil societies, academia’s and the United nation for making it as a point of duty to attend their meeting and to help find these roadmaps, look into these roadmaps and to create ideas down to attain these development goals which they will in turn take as presentations to the summit.
“As a country we intend to achieve these goals and within the seven year period that has been estimated to all developing countries, but we have our own goals within the national development plan, the medium term development plan which will be developed in the next five(5) years and with the five game changers which will be our main focus, which includes feed salone, human capital development, youth employment skill, technology and innovation and the public sector architecture, all these goals fall within the SDG’S, so as we work to achieve them nationally in the next five years this will simultaneously help us to impact these sustainable development goals”. Minister Barlay narrated.
Furthermore, she explains that the sustainable development goals (SDG’S) were created in 2015, in order for developing countries to attain development by 2030. But what is prevalent is that a lot of actions happening around the world especially with the western Russia and Ukraine war, covid-19 and many actions around the world, has rendered the achievement of these goals to a total set back.
The Minister asserts that “only twelve percent (12%) of developing countries in the world has managed to achieve twelve percent (12%) of these development goals”.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone Dr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi reminded that according to a research that has just been concluded, thirty-eight percent (38%) of Sierra Leones don’t have access to food for at least three times a day.
Dr Ahonsi said “what we should be looking at now is how in seven (7) years plus around the corner , how we will be able to achieve zero hunger in Sierra Leone or by making strategies and recommendations as leaders and citizens to come together and rescue ourselves from this situation in our country, so I am happy that all stakeholders are present in this workshop today that we all can discuss and help promote the interest of our country especially with hunger and the sustainable development goals that falls within the terrain of our country”.
In attaining the sustainable development goals through the parliamentary lens, the former chairman for Planning and Economic Development in Parliament Honorable Musa Fofanah says that parliament is working rigorously to make sure that Sierra Leone will be able to achieve the sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
He added that parliament is awake to support the alignment of all documents required for this project by pushing to ensure international support and finally to monitor all ministries and agencies that are charged with the task to achieve these goals.
Conclusively, the Minister, Madam Kenyeh Barlay reaffirms that as a ministry they are bent on promoting sustainable growth and development through planning, monitoring and resource mobilization for comprehensive and national development and the SDG’S is all a part of that process.