Time to close poverty gap in Africa with bold actions, says ECA’s Biha at ARFSD2019

Abstract

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Deputy Executive Secretary, Giovanie Biha, on Thursday said Africa was running out of time to ensure the successful implementation of the sustainable development goals and called for bold actions by the continent’s leaders to ensure no one is left behind by development processes. In closing remarks to the fifth Africa Regional Forum for Sustainable Development in Marrakesh, Ms. Biha said ‘time is not our side and the need to close to the poverty gap has never been stronger than now, especially given our growing youthful population’. The 17 SDGs and 169 targets are part of the 2030 Agenda which recognizes "that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development."