During the OSSAP-SDGs 2022 Management Retreat for Grade Level 14 Officers and above, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire called on the support of the SDGs team to ensure speedy progress on the SDGs implementation in Nigeria.
“As we prepare for the general elections early next year, this Retreat must help us to find ways to move more speedily for the – People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships. And progress on one ‘P’ must balance and support progress on another ‘P’. It is needless to state that this retreat is taking place against the background of a mixed peace and security landscape in our country. This poses a great challenge towards meaningful progress for the SDGs we all yearn for. Therefore, we have to work collectively because without peace there will be no development and without development there will be no peace”, said Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
The strategic retreat took place in Lagos between 9-11 May, 2022 with the theme – ‘Reflecting and Strategizing for Effective Coordination of the SDGs Implementation in Nigeria’. Chaired by the SSAP-SDGs, the 3-day retreat featured a variety of activities, including a high-level opening ceremony; technical sessions; team-bonding, brainstorming and strategy sessions; as well as leisure activities.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria (a.i.), Mr. Matthias Schmale lauded the Senior Special Assistant and her team for organising the retreat, which he noted would further strengthen the existing efforts towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He however, noted that there is a need to continue to intensify efforts and sustain progress in a bid to stay on track with the implementation in this Decade of Action. In his words, “the failure of Nigeria to attain the SDGs will negatively impact the overall effort of Africa.”
Also speaking at the retreat, the Co-Chair of the Private Sector Advisory Group on SDGs (PSAG), Mr. Bolaji Balogun, emphasized the need to continue to mobilise the Private Sector, which he described as key partners to ensure sustainable results. He advised the government to increase investments in infrastructure in line with SDG- 9 on ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’, as this remains the bedrock for sustainable development in any society.
The SSAP-SDGs affirmed that the Office had made significant achievements in certain aspects, while a lot of work was still required in others. She noted that through the institutional frameworks of the office, OSSAP-SDGs has been actively involved in key policy decisions at the global and national levels on the SDGs, and has in the last six years – together with other stakeholders, recorded significant progress in the implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria.
“As we recommit ourselves, I would like to reaffirm my personal commitment to the transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. As I will be chairing all the sessions in this retreat, I look forward to hearing more from you on how best to effectively organize ourselves for efficient service delivery,” Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire concluded.
The Retreat is part of the strategies aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Management and staff of OSSAP-SDGs towards the effective coordination of the SDGs in Nigeria. It intended to key in on strategies with the propensity to accelerate actions on SDGs implementation across the various sectors, including promoting multi-stakeholder and participatory approaches, knowledge-sharing and SDG best practices to better support the Line MDAs.
