ADDIS ABABA
African governments, experts and civil society have adopted the Addis Ababa Declaration on Turning the Tide, calling for urgent, coordinated action to accelerate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.
The declaration calls for scaled-up investment and political leadership across five priority areas, including clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, industry and infrastructure, sustainable cities, and climate finance partnerships.
The declaration was adopted April 30 at the close of the 12th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, held in Addis Ababa from April 28 to 30 under the theme “Turning the Tide: Transformative and Coordinated Actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.”
Africa is running out of time
With fewer than five years to the 2030 deadline, progress on 12 Sustainable Development Goals has stalled and five are moving in reverse.
An annual financing gap estimated between $670 billion and $848 billion sits at the center of the crisis, and around 600 million Africans remain without reliable access to electricity.
On energy, ministers called for faster investment in decentralized renewable power, clean cooking solutions and regional power pools.
On industry, they urged governments to adopt forward-looking industrial strategies aligned with artificial intelligence, the green transition and shifting global supply chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The declaration also urges cities to function as engines of inclusive growth, with targeted investment in affordable housing, urban infrastructure and digital public services.
Ministers called for reforms to the international financial architecture, local currency capital markets, blended finance solutions and the operationalization of the Africa credit rating agency to reduce borrowing costs.
The Addis Ababa Declaration will serve as Africa’s formal input to the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the 2026 UN Water Conference.
