Lungu Urges African Countries to Find Own Solutions to Problems

President Edgar Lungu used his acceptance speech at the Sustainable Development Goals Centre as a platform to call on other African countries to adopt home grown solutions to their challenges. He urged that some African countries are having financial challenges in attaining various goals that have been set to improve their countries.

“Most African countries could not attain the Millennium Development Goals mainly on account of various challenges such inadequate financial resources. Given that most countries on the continent did not meet the Millennium Development Goals due to lack of concerted efforts, the Africa Centre provides an avenue for accelerating the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals,” President Lungu said.

He said the establishment of the Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa in Kigali was a launch pad for such strategies and commended President Kagame for his efforts towards the initiative. The Head of State stated that the launch of the SDG centre brings an initiative closer to home to countries in the Southern African region.

“It will be a vehicle for facilitating engagement between governments, and other stakeholders, to accelerate the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals. We believe that this centre will not only propel our ability to attain the sustainable development goals, but it will also enhance our capacities to develop and implement home-grown interventions,” President Lungu said.

He expressed optimism that most of the solutions to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa reside within the continent itself.

“The successful attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals will reinforce the realisation of our aspirations espoused in the african union agenda 2063. Collective resolve as a people therefore, re-assures us that the achievement of the sustainable development goals, and the african union agenda 2063 are indeed attainable,” President Lungu said.

He said the center should assist member states to develop regional policies and strategies that promote the creation of employment opportunities for all.

“Our quest to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, call for promotion of development-oriented policies, and programmes that support productive activities, creation of decent jobs, and entrepreneurship, especially for women and youth,” said President Lungu.

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