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Africa Holds Promise Toward SDGs Amid Challenges – UN

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Africa Holds Promise Toward SDGs Amid Challenges – UN


ADDIS ABABA – Africa’s youthful population and digital momentum position the continent as both vulnerable and uniquely poised to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to UN’s 2025 SDG report.

With just five years remaining until the 2030 deadline, the report reveals that only one-third of the goals are showing sufficient progress. Experts are urging the removal of barriers that hinder countries from implementing the SDGs effectively.

“We are in a global development emergency. About 800 million people still live in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts and in relentless debt service straining the resources that countries need to invest in their people,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the report’s launch.

Despite ongoing global shocks, including conflict, climate change, and pandemics, the report highlights that millions of lives have improved over the past decade. More people across Africa and other regions now have access to electricity, clean cooking solutions, and the internet. Social protection has expanded to cover over half the global population, a significant leap from a decade ago.

In Africa, however, progress has been hampered by overlapping crises, ranging from high debt levels and declining aid to persistent inequality. Still, the report underscores the continent’s unique potential noting, “With the youngest population in the world and an accelerating digital economy, the continent is both vulnerable and full of promise.”

Achieving the SDGs in Africa will require more than domestic reforms. The report calls for renewed global solidarity, resolution of debt crises, conflict de-escalation, and strategic investment in the continent’s youth.

To prevent further regression, the report urges bold partnerships and investments in climate resilience, youth employment, healthcare systems, education, and peace-building measures to enable sustainable development.

Compounding the challenge, official development assistance (ODA) fell by more than 7 percent in 2024 after five consecutive years of growth. Additional cuts are anticipated in 2025, intensifying pressures on countries already burdened with record-high debt servicing.

Extreme poverty remains entrenched, affecting 1 in 10 people globally. According to the report, sub-Saharan Africa and conflict-affected areas continue to bear the heaviest burden as recent crises stall progress.