Addis Ababa, October 4, 2023- As the world reaches midway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a growing sense of urgency around the need to accelerate necessary transformations to deliver a healthy planet. In Africa, the United Nations Development System Agencies are contributing to accelerating transformations to the SDGs by, inter alia, providing access to relevant information to ensure Africans enjoy clean energy, air and water, walkable cities, flourishing landscapes, nutritious food, and a stable climate.
Dubbed the Africa Knowledge Management Hub (AKMH), the online ecosystem provides federated access to a variety of knowledge to help African governments in their quest to get the right transition for people, nature and climate, reduce inequalities, and spur economic growth to achieve the SDGs and Agenda 2063 that is Africa's blueprint and master plan for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse of the future.
“Access to information remains a key driver to achieve the SDGs and Agenda 2063. The Africa Knowledge Management Hub provides free and open access to knowledge resources that support African decision-makers and the United Nations development system in Africa in designing and delivering people and planet-compatible development”, Antonio Pedro, ECA Acting Executive Secretary and Africa – said Antonio Pedro, ECA Acting Executive Secretary and Africa – Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) Co-Vice Chair.
The hub will promote harmonization and improve the standards of knowledge management across agencies, supporting knowledge sharing, reducing duplication, and promoting effective collaboration in delivering development knowledge that translates into action for humanity and the planet.
Even though access to information is spelt out as a crosscutting issue that supports the SDGs, it’s not yet happening at the speed and scale necessary. The AKMH envisions a new era where this free online resource will help governments and other stakeholders in their fight to close the widening inequalities across communities on the continent to ensure no one is left behind.
“Knowledge is the bedrock of progress. With the Africa Knowledge Management Hub, the UN regional development system offers Africa’s leaders, policymakers, academia, and all stakeholders a treasure trove to anchor our continued quest for the SDGs,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, and Regional Collaborative Platform Co-Vice Chair.
The AKMH will be governed and managed by a secretariat that constantly feeds the online resource with advanced, informed, emerging and credible information from relevant publications, as well as timely data, that tracks Africa’s progress on the 17 Goals, 169 Targets and more than 200 Indicators that cover five dimensions namely People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org