The region presents a multitude of possibilities for impact, ranging from areas such as housing, finance and education to areas of climate capacity such as agribusiness and clean energy. In 2015, the member states of the United Nations adopted a blueprint to deliver peace, prosperity, sustainability and equality for people and the planet. Known as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there are a collection of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs” or “SDG”). Each SDG comes with a target to achieve by all member nations by 2030.
There is a significant financial burden on Government’s around the World to achieve the targets by 2030, with the UN itself estimating that the cost will be approximately USD$11trillion. This being said, various studies have shown that there is a spending gap of around USD$1trillion annually. This is where the investment industry can take part and finance some of these SDGs for a positive outcome.
The SDGs present a compelling opportunity for human advancement, to which we all have a collective responsibility to respond. But for business, addressing these challenges isn’t just the right thing to do; it can also be a source of incredibly exciting growth opportunities, which is why the capital markets are starting to embrace this framework in a way that simply hasn’t happened with previous development initiatives.
With the projected population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the requisite requirements to service this population growth, investment is needed to ensure growth and economic development. During the 20’s it is essential that the UN SDGs are backed, and investment is made to ensure a positive outcome for our planet and it’s inhabitants.