Strengthening Strategic Alignment for Africa’s Development Lessons from the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the African Union Agenda 2063 and the African Development Bank High Fives UNDP Africa Policy Brief, Volume 1, No. 1, January 2017 High 5s AfDB’s Sustainable UN Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda African Union 2063 People Prosperity Planet Peace Partnership 86.4% 88.0% 86.4% 89.2%
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Strengthening Strategic Alignment for Africa’s DevelopmentLessons from the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the African Union Agenda 2063and the African Development Bank High Fives
UNDP Africa Policy Brief, Volume 1, No. 1, January 2017
1. Context The50thAnniversarySolemnDeclarationoftheHeadsofStateandGovernmentoftheAfricanUnion(AU)ofMay2013setanewlandmarkbyadoptingalong-termdevelopmentvisionof‘TheAfricaWeWant’–TheAgenda2063.TheAgenda,whichestablishedsevenaspirationsand20goals,hasbeenadvancedwiththedevelopmentoftheFirstTen-YearImplementationPlan(2014-2023).Thisvisionwasdeveloped28months before the successor to f the MDGs was endorsed, providing an important opportunity toincorporateAfrica’svoicesinthe2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment(SDGs),whichwasadoptedbyworldleaderson25September2015.Thisvoiceisreflectedinparagraphs42and64oftheAgenda2030forSustainableDevelopment.TheSDGs,framedunderthe5Ps–People,Prosperity,Planet,PeaceandPartnership–accompaniedby17goalsand169targets,areconsideredtobethemostambitiousglobaldevelopmentagendaeverprepared. In response to these twoagendas,particularly in termsofleveragingandcrowding-infinancialresourcesforthecontinent’sdevelopment,theAfricanDevelopmentBankGroupadoptedtheHighFives (Hi5s) (LightupandPowerAfrica,FeedAfrica, IndustrializeAfrica,Integrate Africa, and Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa) with the overarching goal ofpromotinginclusivedevelopmentandgreengrowthinAfrica.1
The three agendas aim to promote social, economic, and environmental development and theirsustainability-withpeopleasthemeansandendofdevelopment.Aligningtheseagendasnotonlycreatespolitical consensus for a harmonized perspective onAfrica’s development aspirations, it also lays thefoundation for galvanizing partnerships towards joint implementation and greater prospects foracceleratingdevelopmentoutcomesinAfrica.
2. Overview of the three Agendas The2030Agenda for SustainableDevelopment (SDGs) offersmajor improvements on theMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs).TheSDGstakeaholisticandbalancedviewofdevelopmentbyaddressingthe three dimensions of sustainable development (Economic, Social and Environment), significantlyraising the level of ambition to achieve the goals and address key systemic barriers to sustainabledevelopment-suchasinequalitiesandexclusions,unsustainableproductionandconsumptionpatterns,weakinstitutionalcapacities,andclimatechangeandenvironmentaldegradation–thattheMDGagenda1Formoreinformationabouttheseagendas,seeUN(2015),AUC(2014a)andAfDB(2016).
The Agenda 2063, Africa’s own development Agenda, contains a compelling narrative for Africa’sdevelopment.ToAfrica’sadvantage,thearticulationoftheCommonAfricanPosition(CAP)onthepost-2015 development agenda coincided with the formulation of the Agenda 2063. This ensured closealignmentwithregionalpriorities,ononehand,andtheglobaldevelopmentframeworkontheother.2
The2063Agendaproposesaconsiderable transformationacrossall threedimensionsofsustainabilityincludingthegovernance,peaceandsecuritypillarasanimportantandenablingdimensionarticulatedinthecontinental framework’s sevenaspirations.3The firstaspiration, for “aprosperousAfricabasedoninclusive growth and sustainable development,” constitutes the overarching objective for structuraltransformation. Reviewing the goals and targets, Agenda 2063 captures both systemic and structuralbarriers to – and the drivers of – change, emphasizing inclusive growth, infrastructure development,technological advancement, environmental sustainability, peace and security, and a politically unitedAfrica.Itsfirst10-yearimplementationplanconsistsof20goalsandatleast171targets.4
Theonlygoals thatarenot reflected in theglobal agendaareGoals8and16ofAgenda2063,whichaddress priorities related to, first, a united Africa and cultural values and, second, establishing keycontinentalandfinancialinstitutions,respectively.Ontheotherhand,theAgenda2063environmentalsustainabilitypillarisnotasstrongthatfoundinthe2030Agenda.
Toensureeffectiveimplementationoftheglobalandcontinentalagendas,theAfricanUnionCommission,AfDB,UNDP, andECAare alreadyworking together closely to articulate continental programmes andmonitoringframeworksthatwillsupporttheimplementationoftheseagendas.
TheAfDB supports the implementationofbothAgendas through its Ten-Year Strategy (2013–2022),whichhastheoverarching,twinobjectivesofachievinginclusivegrowthandtransitioningtogreen
2SeeAUC(2014b)forAfrica’sdevelopmentprioritiesarticulatedinCAP.3 These aspirations are: 1. a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development; 2. anintegrated continent, politically united and based on the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the vision of Africa’srenaissance;3.anAfricacharacterizedbygoodgovernance,democracy,respectforhumanrights,justice,andtheruleoflaw;4.apeacefulandsecureAfrica;5.anAfricawithastrongculturalidentity,commonheritage,values,andethics;6.anAfricabasedonpeople-drivendevelopment,unleashingthepotentialofitswomenandyouth;and,7.Africaasastrong,united,andinfluentialglobalplayerandpartner(AUC,2014a).4Theimplementationstrategiesofthe2063Agendaandthecontinent’sdevelopmentprioritiesbetween2014and2023arefoundinAUC(2015).
3. Alignment among the Agenda 2030, Africa’s Agenda2063 and the AfDB’s High Fives Theyardstickusedtomeasurealignment is thecongruencebetweentwoagendas intermsofspecificdevelopmentpriorities.GiventhehighlevelofconsolidationintheHi5s,theinclusionofthecross-cuttingareasintheyardsticksfurtherstrengthenscongruencewiththeothertwodevelopmentagendas.Thesecrosscuttingissuesareclimatechange–withaparticularfocusonclimate-smartagricultureandenergy;fragilityandresilience,whichcutacrosseconomic,social,political,andenvironmentaldimensions;gender
equalityandwomen’sempowerment;andeconomicgovernance.6Inthisrespect,theHi5sare,therefore,examined holistically, based on the premise that the crosscutting issues will be mainstreamed (withquantifiabletargets)andmonitoredadequately.
The five Ps (People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace andPartnership), as articulated in theCommonAfricanPositiononthePost-2015DevelopmentAgendaandtheAgenda2030forSustainableDevelopment,areusedtocategorizethedevelopmentpriorities inclusters.Foreaseofunderstanding,peoplestandsfor‘socialdevelopment’suchashealth,educationandwellbeing;prosperitycaptureseconomicdevelopmentissues such as industrialization and infrastructure development; planet covers environmentalsustainabilityissuessuchasclimatechangeandbiodiversity;andpeacestandsforgovernance,inclusivesocieties,andpeaceandsecurity.Partnershipcoversthemethodsofimplementingthesethreeagendas.7
Figure2showstheoverlapsanddifferencesamongthesethreestrategicagendas.People:BuildingontheMDGs,thethreeagendasprioritizepeople-centreddevelopmentissues.ThefirstsixgoalsandGoal11oftheSDGs(multi-dimensionalpoverty,hunger,healthandeducation,gender,waterand sanitation, and inequalities and exclusion) place people at the centre of development ininterconnectedfashion. TwoofthesevenaspirationsinAgenda2063arebuiltonthepeople(aspirations1and6)andsevenofits20goalsfocusonthepeople(Goals1,2,3,5,16,17,and18)(Annex1).WhileStrategy 5 of the Hi5s focuses directly on people, the implementation frameworks of the other fourstrategiesdo,too.Indeed,thecross-cuttingaspectoftheHi5semphasizesthecentralityofthepeopleasthebuildingblockofthecontinent’sdevelopmentandthe2030AgendaandtheHi5Agendaemphasizecommunity-buildingandsocietalresilienceaslong-termobjectives.Inthisregard,thethreeagendasarecloselyaligned,withtheirfocusonthepeopleandparticularattentiontowomen,youth,andchildren.
6Thesefivestrategiesarebetterunderstoodwhenexaminedtogetherwiththefourcross-cuttingareas (climatechange, fragility, gender, and governance). Combining theHi5 Strategywith the cross-cutting issues provide animprovedbasisforcomparingthisagendawiththeothertwo.7ForadetailedcategorizationoftheSDGsintothesixprinciplesofdignity,prosperity,people,planet,partnership,andjustice,see(Odusola,2015);SDGsprioritization(FallandKamwendo,2016);comparisonamongongoingandemergingframeworkswithstrategicinteresttoAfrica(includingCAP,Agenda2063,theSDGsandTICADV)seeUNDP(2015a);andcomparisonbetweentheSDGsandAgenda2063see(UNDP,2015b).
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Prosperity:TheSDGsframefiveofthegoals(7-9,11,and12)throughtheprosperitylens–affordableenergy,growthandproductiveemployment, infrastructureandindustrialization,sustainablecitiesandhumansettlement,andsustainableconsumptionandproductionpatterns.IntermsofAgenda2063side,inadditiontotwoaspirations focusedonprosperity,sixgoals (4,5,6,9,10,and20)arededicatedtoprosperity – modernizing agriculture, transformed economies, world-class infrastructure, continentalfinancialsystem,financingAfrica’sdevelopment,andpromotingablueeconomy.AllfiveHi5sstrategieshavea significantbearingonprosperity,especiallyLightupandpowerAfrica, industrializeAfrica,andintegrate Africa. The central role that the strategies assign to science, technology, and innovation,particularly in the first and fifth, is very significant. The three agendas underline the importance ofprosperitytobridgethehumanandinfrastructuraldevelopmentdeficitsinAfrica.
Planet: The need to respect the planet Earth, in terms of environmental sustainability, is prominentamong the three agendas. The SDGs place considerable emphasis on the environment, with sixenvironmentally-focusedgoals(6,7and12-15)–waterandsanitation,energy,sustainableconsumption
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and production pattern, climate change, ocean and marine resources, terrestrial ecosystem, andbiodiversity.Goals6and7ofAgenda2063–focusingonblueeconomyandclimateresilienteconomiesand communities with particular focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation – underpin theimperativeofpromotingenvironmentalsustainability inAfrica.TheHi5snotonlydedicateH1(climatefinancing)andH2(climatesmartagriculture)toenvironmentalsustainability,butalsostipulateallformsofresilience,governanceofnaturalresources,andclimatechangeasamongthecross-cuttingissuesforAfDB’s strategic engagement in Africa. There is unanimity on the need to bridge the climate changeparadox inAfrica: the continent contributes the least to the carbon footprint, but bears the heaviestburdenoftheimpactofclimatechange.
Peace:TheSDGsandAgenda2063focusondemocraticgovernanceandpeaceful,safe,just,andinclusivesocieties,while theHi5s focusoneconomicgovernanceand institutionaldevelopmentand, indirectly,through the five strategies to promote peace and inclusive societies. SDG 16 emphasizes effectivegovernance, based on effective, inclusive and accountable institutions, the rule of law, protection ofhumanrights,andfreedomfromfearandviolence.ThethirdaspirationofAgenda2063- ‘anAfricaofgoodgovernance,democracy,respectforhumanrights,justiceandtheruleoflaw’-alignswithSDG16,adding specific language on democracy, which is absent in Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda. The fourthaspiration of the continental agenda, ‘A peaceful and secure Africa’, focuses on peace and security,covering issues of conflict prevention and resolution, human security, illegal human trafficking, andincludingapledge toendallwarsby2020.Overall,Goals11-15ofAgenda2063 focusonpeace.ThepremiseoftheHi5sstrategiesisthatimprovingaccesstoelectricity,eliminatinghunger,andprovidingdecentjobsthroughthefivestrategiesaddressesthefundamentalandstructuralcausesofconflicts inAfrica. Creating cross-cutting governance issues that focus on promoting fiscal decentralization,enhancingpublicfinancialmanagement,stoppingillicitfinancialflows,anddeepeningdomesticresourcemobilization also provides a basis for promoting good governance, peace, and stability in Africa.Consensus exists on the need to strengthen economic management capacities, promote economicgovernance,deependomesticresourcemobilization,andstopillicitfinancialflowsinAfrica.
Partnership:Thethreeagendasconsideraninnovativeandresults-orientedpartnershiptobethebuildingblockstoimplementtheothergoalsandstrategieseffectively.SDG17issuesacalltorenewtheglobalpartnershipfordevelopmentandmobilizethemeansnecessarytoimplementthenewagenda,includingin the areas of finance (domestic, international, private, and public), trade, science, technology andinnovation, capacity development, and a more inclusive system of global governance. The role ofpartnershipsunderAgenda2063 is raised to the levelofanaspiration: ‘Africaasastrong,unitedandinfluentialglobalplayerandpartner’.BoththeSDGsandAgenda2063underscoretheimportanceofself-relianceandeffectivedomestic resourcemobilization, reducingaiddependency,halting illicit financialflows,andgainingaccesstotechnologyandinnovation.TheHi5sstrategy,onotherhand,givesprimacyto public-private partnerships, co-financing facilities, and innovative partnershipswith non-traditionalactors. Unlike the other two agendas that focus on all-embracing partnerships, the Hi5s emphasizepartnershipsbasedoneachofthefivestrategies, includinggreengrowthpartnerships, transformativepartnerships on energy for Africa, agricultural transformation partnerships for Africa, and the AfricanInvestmentForum,amongothers.Thiscreatespartnershipsthataremorefocusedandresult-oriented.
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These agendas cannot be implemented and monitored at the national and regional levels withoutpartnerships.
Giventhe importancetheSDGsassigntoclimatechange, the ‘Hi5sholistic’approach ismorealignedtotheSDGsthanwhenonlytheHi5Strategyisconsidered.Thisvariesfrom80.0percentcongruence(whenonlythefivestrategiesareconsidered)to86.4percent(whentheHi5holistic
CongruencebetweentheHi5(holisticapproach)andthecombined2030AgendaandAgenda2063isashighas86.4percent.Thisshowsthatsynergyexistsinthecombinedimplementationof these agendas in Africa. When the two sub-common goals (ensuring Africa becomeseconomically integrated; and promoting good governance including ensuring rule of law andaccess to justice) aremainstreamed into the implementation andmonitoring strategies, theimpact could be substantial. Building coalitions and partnerships for the integratedimplementationandmonitoringofthethreeagendasinAfricaisthereforepivotal.
4. Towards a joint implementation of the three agendas
Africa has never lacked solid developmental ideas. Themissing link – translating visions anddevelopmentplans intoconcretedevelopmentoutcomes–hasalwaysbeen thechallenge toimplementation. Joel Barker’s conclusion - “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action
withoutvisionjustpassesthetime.Visionwithactioncanchangetheworld”9–isthusquiteaptintheAfricancontext.Aligning developmentaspirationswithintheAfricanregion,andbetweenAfrica and the globe, is a starting point to promote better implementation through aligningideas,strategies,processes,andpractices. It laysasolidfoundationforbuildingcoalitionsandpartnerships aroundAfrica’s development priorities. This alignment should take the form ofbothprogrammeinterventionsandimplementationbyenhancingthecapacitiesofnationalandregional institutions to increase sustainability, coordinate institutions and partners, anddevelopjointmonitoringandevaluationframeworksforthethreeagendasinAfrica.
5. Conclusions
TheHi5s have a high degree of operationality and their implementation strategy is strongerthantheAgenda2030andAgenda2063.CommittedimplementationoftheHi5scouldyieldaneffective implementation of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 to a level of about 90 percent.CombinedimplementationoftheseagendasinAfricacreatessynergy.Inthisrespect,buildingastrongpartnershipamongtheAfDB,theAfricanUnion,andUNDPoffersavaluableopportunitytopromotesynergyandmanagetrade-offsassociatedwiththesethreeagendas.
9 http://brooksinternational.com Joel Barker is an independent scholar and futurist. He was the first person to popularize the concept of paradigm shifts. He is known around the world as the "Paradigm Man. "Sep 29, 2011.
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