Africa has fallen far behind schedule in its efforts to attain sustainable development targets (SDGs) by 2030, said Claver, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
The continent is on track to achieve just 4 of the 169 measurable sustainable development targets by 2030, with 70 advancing too slowly, while 29 regressing, Gatete said in a statement on Tuesday.
Gatete said Africa today finds itself navigating a complex web of poly-crises from climate shocks and mounting debt distress to geopolitical instability and the disruptive consequences of global financial fragmentation.
These challenges are compounded by a decline in official development assistance and the erosion of long-standing multilateral frameworks, which together are creating a growing development vacuum affecting the continent.
He said Africa’s public debt surged to US$1.86 trillion in 2024, with the average debt-to-GDP ratio rising from 44.4% in 2015 to 66.7% today.As a result, resources are being diverted from other critical development priorities.
According to the executive secretary, over 600 million Africans remain without electricity and 476 million live in poverty, including 149 million newly pushed into deprivation by climate and economic disruptions and these challenges demand urgent corrective action.
Moreover, the financing gap to achieve the SDGs in Africa has increased by up to US$1.3 trillion annually, he added.
‘While Africa’s GDP is set to increase to 3.8% in 2025 and 4.1% in 2026, this remains below the 7 percent growth needed to achieve SDG 8 and combat poverty, though it does exceed the OECD’s global GDP estimate of 3.1 percent,” he said.
MG/as/APA