6 YEARS TO THE SDCS

CHASING THE WORLD THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, AFRICA'S PROGRESS AND RACE TO THE 2030 GOALS.

- Alastair Hagger

In 1980, 35 years after the formation of the United Nations (UN), the Ghanaian philosopher Kwasi Wiredu warned that "unrestricted industrial urbanization is contrary to any humane culture; it is certainly contrary to our own".

Personhood, he believed, could only be attained if an individual married economic success with a responsibility to community: humanity could only flourish through the enrichment gained from shared social capital.

The UN was established for the purpose of constructive cooperation in the aftermath of the trauma of World War II; an invitation to the people of every nation to heal and rebuild this personhood, in themselves and in others, after years of brutal, dehumanizing conflict. "You, members of this Conference, are to be the architects of a better world," counselled President Harry Truman to the General Assembly, weeks before witnessing the signing of the UN Charter in June 1945. "In your hands, rests our future." Eight decades later, 'development', defined by the UN as "a multidimensional undertaking to achieve a higher quality of life for all people", has become synonymous with this vision of a more equitable planet. In 2015, the 193 UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: 17 goals, or 'SDGs', extolled as "an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership". Six years out from the agenda's scheduled completion, the journey towards the fulfilment of these goals in Africa has been turbulent, buffeted by the vagaries of conflict, climate change and economic turmoil.