Addis Ababa — African Ministers and leaders gathered in Addis Ababa at the annual joint AU-ECA Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development closed their activities Tuesday, with the adoption of 17 resolutions that support Africa's efforts towards implementing sustainable development goals.
The Conference reaffirmed the need to align the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 20 goals of the Africa's Agenda 2063 in their national plans. The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) African Union Commission (AUC) and African Development Bank (AfDB) were requested to develop an integrated monitoring and evaluation framework on the implementation of both agendas.
The leaders in Addis Ababa also recognized that Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 provide a framework for the continent to transition towards a new people-centered development trajectory that combines economic, social, and environmental considerations.
Speaking at the closing, ECA Executive Secretary Carlos Lopes said the resolutions adopted offer "great opportunities for the alignment of and implementation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs."
"We have had a week packed with meetings all focused on the central question of our time: how to achieve economic transformation in order to change the lives of African men, women, children, young and old, urban and rural for the better," said AUC Chairperson, Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma.
Democratic Republic of Congo Minister of Planning Georges Wembi Lwembo said "There is a lot that needs to be done; we have no choice but to continue working towards the set goals."
Among the key areas adopted include strategies for multiple sources of funding including external and domestic resource mobilization, the latter of which would be the main strategy for financing Africa's priorities.
Further, the conference emphasized the need for intensified measures to curb illicit financial flows through implementing the recommendations of the High-level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa and deepening engagement with receiving countries to tackle unfavorable practices of multinationals.
The Conference took place in the framework of the African Development week, which comprised an Expert's segment, 23 side events and a 2-day ministerial session.
ECA launched several publications. These included a blue economy handbook, an alternative macro-economic framework for Africa, assessing regional integration and the regional integration index; a governance report centred on corruption; 20 country profiles and reports on a transformative industrialization and greening industrialization.
Mr. Lopes said that the launched reports would create knowledge that "shifts our mindset towards transformative policies."
"We contribute to knowledge generation that is African-centered and do not apologize for it. Time has come to accelerate the speed of structural transformation," said Lopes.
Approximately 1000 participants attended the Conference, whose theme was: Towards an Integrated and Coherent Approach to Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs.
