With the Ghana Smart Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Cities Programme, which aims to raise awareness of the SDGs, foster peace, and leave no one behind, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has strengthened its commitment to sustainable urban development by holding a stakeholder consultation meeting.
The meetings, which took place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in the Ashiedu Keteke, Okaikoi South, and Ablekuma South Sub-Metropolitan Districts, respectively, were all part of the Assembly’s mandate to use data-driven planning, inclusive governance, efficient service delivery, climate resilience, community engagement, and smart infrastructure development to localize and implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Ghana’s Smart SDG targets and indicators, as well as the necessity of stakeholder involvement to guarantee widespread support and successful program execution, were the main topics of discussion throughout the engagement.
Speaking to the audience, Mr. Noble Atsu Ahadzie, the AMA’s Director of Budget, stated that UN-Habitat, the Government of Ghana, and the Government of Norway had chosen Accra as one of ten locations across the country for the program.
According to him, the program aimed to use data-driven planning, inclusive governance, climate resilience, and localized indicators to hasten the UN 2030 Agenda.
The purpose of the consultation conference, Mr. Ahadzie emphasized, was to contextualize the global SDGs into local metrics that take into account the realities of Accra neighborhoods.
He listed priority areas, such as ensuring clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) with increased investment in waste management and drainage, promoting health and well-being (SDG 3) by promoting sports, physical activity, and better access to health services, and reducing urban poverty (SDG 1) through targeted social protection and livelihood programs.
He added that increasing access to affordable energy (SDG 7) through efficiency and renewable energy measures, fostering decent work (SDG 8) by encouraging youth employment and entrepreneurship, constructing sustainable cities (SDG 11) through resilient housing, infrastructure, and urban planning, and bolstering climate action (SDG 13) through waste reduction, flood control, and green projects were all examples.
“These local indicators are designed to make the SDGs relevant to the people of Accra, when we talk about reducing poverty, improving sanitation, or creating jobs, we are talking about practical interventions that can be measured and felt in our communities, ” he said.
Mr. Ahadzie emphasised that wide-ranging collaborations between the public and private sectors, academia, and civil society were necessary for the Smart SDG Cities Programme to succeed. He also said that the AMA would use evidence-based planning, participatory visioning, and ongoing stakeholder feedback to develop projects that are ready for investment.
He said that the program would give Accra access to a municipal investment facility to draw in impact investors, as well as a digital diagnostics toolbox, worldwide technical support, and city-to-city interactions.
Participants were given the assurance by Mr. Ahadzie that the city’s strategic planning and reporting systems will incorporate input from the engagements.
“Our goal is to ensure that every citizen sees themselves in the SDG process. The indicators we adopt must speak directly to the needs and aspirations of Accra’s people,” he said.
Source: newsthemegh.com