ADDIS ABABA — Africa must implement structural reforms, expanding domestic resource mobilization, fostering regional value chains, and cutting raw commodity exports, as foreign aid is unsustainable for meeting growing development needs, UNECA emphasized.
A high-level session, held in New York on July 21, 2025, on the margins of the 2025 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, focused on translating the Kampala Declaration into concrete action. The Government of Uganda and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) co-hosted the session.
Information from the ECA’s official website stated that African leaders called for structural reforms to expand domestic resource mobilization, build regional value chains, and shift away from exporting raw commodities.
UN Under-Secretary-General and ECA’s Executive Secretary Claver Gatete said on the occasion that foreign aid is no longer a viable solution for Africa’s growing development needs. He mentioned that the continent’s annual Sustainable Development Goal financing shortfall has reached 1.3 trillion USD, and leaders are increasingly clear-eyed about the limits of donor-driven models.
“Aid won’t close the gap. We must stop exporting raw materials and importing poverty,” he stressed.
“The future we want will not be given to us. It must be built. And we must build it now,” Claver urged.
He called for greater investment in manufacturing, green industries, and youth-led enterprises, noting that more than 80 percent of Africa’s exports remain unprocessed.
Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said the continent was “dangerously off track” but highlighted progress made in her country, including reductions in maternal mortality, gains in gender equality, and increased national budget allocations linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.
“The Kampala Declaration is practical,” Robinah said, adding, “We’re proud to host this conversation and to take it forward in terms of implementation.”
Debt pressures, limited access to concessional finance, and the high cost of capital continue to challenge many African economies. Claver reiterated ECA’s support for the creation of an African Credit Rating Agency, arguing that current international rating practices distort risk and restrict access to affordable capital.
The Executive Secretary also called for scaling blended finance mechanisms, issuing local currency bonds, and digitizing tax and revenue systems to boost efficiency and compliance.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He noted that inclusive growth also depends on people-centered investments. “We must stop viewing youth as recipients of development and start recognizing them as drivers of it,” he said, emphasizing the need for vocational training, digital skills, and youth entrepreneurship.
The African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi said the Kampala Declaration represents more than a political commitment. “It is not just about potential; it is about will. Partnership is not patronage. It must be grounded in mutual recognition and institutional respect,” she said.
Selma warned against “performative partnerships” and called for better alignment between global funding frameworks and Africa’s priorities. She cited progress on regional integration, including the rollout of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System and implementation of the African Union’s climate finance strategy.
With fewer than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and with the second ten-year plan of Agenda 2063 now underway, speakers agreed that declarations must be backed by systems capable of delivery.
The event drew senior-level representation from across the continent and the UN system, including Uganda’s Minister for General Duties, the UN Special Adviser on Africa, and other experts and policymakers engaged in development financing, innovation, and regional planning.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 23 JULY 2025
