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<p>As, the conversation around achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Africa continues, the question remains, where will the investment come from? Recently sub-Saharan African fund managers, African Alliance Asset Management, joined forces with Tshikululu Social Investments, to give global investors a reason to bring their money on our continent. Sibonakaliso Mavuka, Manager of Special Projects at Tshikululu Social Investments joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


African Alliance

African Alliance, Tshikululu joins forces to provide investment offering for Africa

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<p>Leveraging on technology is the way to go to achieve the “smart Lagos” agenda towards a sustainable and liveable city. That’s according to Tubosun Alake, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Technology. On the side-lines of the Art of Technology 2.0, Alake tells CNBC Africa’s Esther Awoniyi about the on-going projects geared towards achieving a ‘smart city’.</p>


How Lagos State is leverage technology to build a smart city

Tubosun Alake on how to leverage technology for a “smart Lagos”

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<p>The Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos state on SDGs and Investment, Solape Hammond speaks on how technology can be an enabler for reducing inequalities among school children. She spoke to CNBC Africa on the side-lines of the second edition of the Art of Technology.</p>


How tech can be used to reduce inequalities

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<p>This year marks forty years of evaluation at the African Development Bank with over 2,000 evaluations concluded and reported. Joining CNBC Africa’s Kenneth Igbomor to discuss the role of development evaluation in supporting African countries for the successful delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals is Karen Rot-Munstermann, Acting Evaluator General at the AfDB’s Independent Development Evaluation.</p>


How crucial is development evaluation to the success of SDGs?

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<p>2020 marks the fifth year since the launch of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It also means that there are ten years left to achieve the systemic changes needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. So how can organisations drive these changes? Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head of Sustainability at Access Bank joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Access Bank on the role of business in achieving SDGs

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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are ten years away from the set year 2030. Are African governments equipped to fill the financial gap that is running between $500 billion and $1.2 trillion a year to achieve the SDGs? Is the private sector doing enough? Arielle Molino, Associate Vice-President of Intellecap Limited joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Is Africa’s private sector doing enough to finance SDGs?

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Sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim for safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 and investment in infrastructure and sanitation facilities has been identified as critical steps to achieving this.</p>


This clean tech company is developing solutions to water-related problems in Africa

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<p>Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo says the country’s national budget reflects its commitment towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He made this remark while speaking on Ghana’s climate change strategy, economic transformation and more at a press conference in the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos.</p>


World Economic Forum: President Akufo-Addo on Ghana’s response strategy for climate change

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<p>The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) 19th Annual Essay Competition is designed to develop a culture of wealth creation for the youth. CEO of the Nigerian Stock Exchange Oscar Onyema emphasized the need for innovative solutions to leverage the Capital Market for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. CNBC Africa’s Samuel Onalaru caught up with him on the sidelines of the event.</p>


Oscar Onyema: Annual Essay Competition seeks to improve financial literacy and inclusion

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<p>Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations (UN), Amina Mohammed says the context, quality and the use of debt matters. She discussed Africa&#8217;s progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kenneth Igbomor on the sidelines of IMF&#8217;s International Conference in Senegal which focused on sustainable development and debt sustainability.</p>


Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: The context, quality and the use of debt matters, says UN’s Amina Mohammed

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<p>With just a decade left to the realisation of SDGs, sustainable agriculture is crucial in the realisation of goal number two – CNBC Africa&#8217;s Arnold Kwizera spoke Founder of Seeds and Chips, Marco Gaultieri for more.</p>


Seeds and Chips Founder Gaultieri on how technology can improve food security

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<p>This is an important time for Africa – with the continent being focused on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and with the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is gaining traction to drive intra-Africa trade. This is the opinion of Sola David-Borha, Chief Executive Officer of Africa Regions at Standard Bank, who spoke to CNBC Africa’s Kenneth Igbomor.</p>


Africa Investment Forum: Standard Bank: Its prime-time to drive intra-Africa trade through SDGs & AfCFTA

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<p>Whilst agricultural development is fundamental to achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African Union’s Agenda 2063, and commitments under the Malabo Declaration, agricultural productivity on the continent remains low. Chairperson of the Board of Governors for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), Professor Sidi Osho joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


How agriculture is enhancing food security in a time of climate resilience

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<p>With 2020 around the corner, it leaves us with only 10 years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of the most fundamental of the goals has been goal number 2 that aims at zero hunger. Amar Ali, CEO of Africa Improved Foods joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Improved Foods CEO Amar Ali on the next decade of  Sustainable Development Goals

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<p>The Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa and Liberia has signed a host country agreement to establish the first West African sub-regional centre. This comes barely a year after the launch of the centre in Kigali.</p>


Liberia to host first sub-regional African SDGs Centre for Africa

<p><strong>By: Mary-Jean Nleya * </strong></p>
<p>The 72<sup>nd</sup> United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) runs until Monday 25 September. Speeches from different heads of state commenced on 19 September. The much-anticipated debut of President Donald Trump on the world stage took place on Tuesday. He applauded the African Union and United in his debut speech for “[leading] peacekeeping missions [and] to have invaluable contributions in stabilizing conflicts in Africa”.</p>
<p>Among African heads of state, President Alpha Condé of Guinea was the first African to take the international stage. He was fifth on the list, directly after President Trump. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was the second African head of state to address the assembly and eighth on the general debate list.</p>
<p>While there are many issues heads of state have to cover in the time granted them to address the international community, the entire programme, including the side events, provides an opportunity to discuss issues that may or may not be directly addressed by the respective heads of states. One of the important topics is on bridging the digital divide and harnessing technology to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.</p>
<h4><strong>Rapid innovation versus digital inclusivity </strong></h4>
<p>The 21<sup>st</sup> century has brought about a significant rise in the use and advancement of technology. In recent months there have been widespread <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/musk-vs-zuck/535077/">debate and discussion</a> on the <a href="https://www.inc.com/kevin-j-ryan/elon-musk-says-artificial-intelligence-bigger-threat-than-north-korea.html">perils</a> or conversely the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/24/mark-zuckerberg-elon-musks-doomsday-ai-predictions-are-irresponsible.html">advantages</a> of artificial intelligence (AI), with tech giants painting various images on the future use of AI.</p>
<p>Debates on the future of technology have become so futuristic that there is a need to pause and look at the current issues surrounding existing digital infrastructure. The various debates on AI ought not to surpass the important discussions on <a href="http://www.g20-insights.org/policy_briefs/digital-infrastructure-overcoming-digital-divide-emerging-economies/">overcoming the digital divide</a> and the current inequalities as they relate to the basic infrastructure and access to technology, e.g. internet connectivity in some parts of the world.</p>
<p>While debates on the future uses of AI should be considered and <a href="https://qz.com/1061404/we-need-to-shift-the-conversation-around-ai-before-elon-musk-dooms-us-all/">genuinely</a> debated; practical and critical issues of preventing an irreparable digital divide have to be given due recognition, too.</p>
<p>Therefore, it is imperative that in the midst of the headline grabbing futuristic debates by tech billionaires that actions, strategies and methods of ensuring access to the internet should be implemented to connect those that are still unconnected. We’re talking here about the use of basic internet services, through affordable methods such as the <a href="http://whitespaces.microsoftspectrum.com/">TV White Spaces spectrum</a>. The digital divide affects certain segments of the populace, such as low-income and rural localities – due to unaffordability and inadequate skills.</p>
<h4><strong>Discussions on tech   </strong></h4>
<p>During a panel discussion on “The Digital Transformation of Social Impact”, co-founder of Xbox, Otto Berkes, said: “Technology is a powerful enabler of communication and outreach, [particularly] when internet &amp; mobile devices come together”, and that the way to harness technology as an enabler is to “harvest the intellectual capability across the globe”.</p>
<p>A subsequent side event during the UNGA was the “High Level Event on Innovation and Technology: SDG Innovation”. Here, Aliko Dangote had this to say, “There is no way we can reach the Sustainable Development Goals’ targets without leveraging on technology and innovation”.</p>
<p>Ashish Thakkar, dubbed “Africa’s youngest billionaire”, said: “By 2020, Africa will have 700 million cellphones online”. This emphasises the importance of finding ways to ensure that mobile penetration in conjunction with access to basic internet services, especially on the African continent, is leveraged to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and break inequalities as they currently exist in areas such as access to education and healthcare.</p>
<h4><strong>Tech &amp; globalisation </strong></h4>
<p>Globalisation as it exists in the 21<sup>st</sup> century has been <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10433.html">credited</a> with a lot, among others, ensuring an interconnected and vibrant world economy; maintaining multilateralism; improving the standard of living exponentially for over half a billion people in emerging economies such as China, Brazil and India; and <em>viz-a-viz</em> being a proponent which has reduced inequalities <em>across</em> nations.</p>
<p>Conversely, globalisation has also been <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10433.html">critiqued</a> for having been the cause of inequalities <em>within</em> nations by benefitting a privileged elite, and having been the cause of the contagion effect all over the world during the 2008 economic crisis, etc.</p>
<p>It is essential to find ways to ensure that technological innovation is inclusive and does not widen socio-economic inequalities that exist today in order to preempt societal unrest from taking place as seen with complexities and paradoxes of globalisation in recent years and more so in recent months.</p>
<h4><strong>Conclusion </strong></h4>
<p>Bridging the digital divide and ensuring that indeed access to basic internet services and access to other forms of enabling technology is equalised and available to all requires unconventional and bold steps.</p>
<p>To buttress this point, the president of the 72<sup>nd</sup> session of the UNGA, Miroslav Lajcak, at the “High Level Event on Innovation and Technology: SDG Innovation” session highlighted the importance of “unleash[ing] innovation to unlock the potential of every person, everywhere, especially [among] young people”.</p>
<p>In this regard, bold and unconventional steps are required to harness technology and innovation for the SDGs. Countries such as Estonia have moved to offer the internet as a right to all citizens and offers it to all its citizens.</p>
<p>The step undertaken by Estonia is indeed ambitious; however, if one country has made access to internet services possible for <em>all </em>its citizens, there are other approaches that can be followed by leaders of governments and business to afford opportunities to all citizens (despite social and economic strata) and “unlock the potential of every person, everywhere”.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>* Mary-Jean Nleya is the founder &amp; editor of <a href="http://www.theglobalcommunique.com/">The Global Communiqué</a> , a current affairs online magazine. She has been selected as a 2017 UNLEASH SDG Talent and is a G20 Young Global Changer. Mary-Jean is attending the SDG Media Zone at the 72<sup>nd</sup> United Nations General Assembly in New York City and will be covering the event. Twitter handle: <a href="https://twitter.com/thegloco">@thegloco</a>.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Op-Ed: Harnessing tech innovation for the SDGs – Leaving no-one behind

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<p>The Responsible Business Forum for the first time has come to Africa. Leaders from all over the globe gathered to deliberate on issues of sustainable development. CNBC Africa’s Lubabalo Mashiqana reports.</p>


SDGs

African Alliance, Tshikululu joins forces to provide investment offering for Africa

Tubosun Alake on how to leverage technology for a “smart Lagos”

How tech can be used to reduce inequalities

How crucial is development evaluation to the success of SDGs?

Access Bank on the role of business in achieving SDGs

Is Africa’s private sector doing enough to finance SDGs?

This clean tech company is developing solutions to water-related problems in Africa

World Economic Forum: President Akufo-Addo on Ghana’s response strategy for climate change

Oscar Onyema: Annual Essay Competition seeks to improve financial literacy and inclusion

Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: The context, quality and the use of debt matters, says UN’s Amina Mohammed

Seeds and Chips Founder Gaultieri on how technology can improve food security

Africa Investment Forum: Standard Bank: Its prime-time to drive intra-Africa trade through SDGs & AfCFTA

How agriculture is enhancing food security in a time of climate resilience

Improved Foods CEO Amar Ali on the next decade of Sustainable Development Goals

Liberia to host first sub-regional African SDGs Centre for Africa

Op-Ed: Harnessing tech innovation for the SDGs – Leaving no-one behind

Leaders deliberate on sustainable development at the Responsible Business Forum

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SDGs

African Alliance, Tshikululu joins forces to provide investment offering for Africa

Tubosun Alake on how to leverage technology for a “smart Lagos”

How tech can be used to reduce inequalities

How crucial is development evaluation to the success of SDGs?

Access Bank on the role of business in achieving SDGs

Is Africa’s private sector doing enough to finance SDGs?

This clean tech company is developing solutions to water-related problems in Africa

World Economic Forum: President Akufo-Addo on Ghana’s response strategy for climate change

Oscar Onyema: Annual Essay Competition seeks to improve financial literacy and inclusion

Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt: The context, quality and the use of debt matters, says UN’s Amina Mohammed

Seeds and Chips Founder Gaultieri on how technology can improve food security

Africa Investment Forum: Standard Bank: Its prime-time to drive intra-Africa trade through SDGs & AfCFTA

How agriculture is enhancing food security in a time of climate resilience

Improved Foods CEO Amar Ali on the next decade of Sustainable Development Goals

Liberia to host first sub-regional African SDGs Centre for Africa

Op-Ed: Harnessing tech innovation for the SDGs – Leaving no-one behind

Leaders deliberate on sustainable development at the Responsible Business Forum

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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