Climate change is also occurring more rapidly than anticipated, with 2019 being the second warmest year in the decade.
Eradication of extreme poverty has slowed in pace, with projections showing that six percent of the global population will still live-in extreme poverty by 2030.
Kenya, just like many other developing countries, is lagging in the achievement of key SDGs.
During the 2019 UN General Assembly, UN Secretary General called on all sectors of the society to collaborate if we are to achieve implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Last year marked the beginning of the Decade of Action - a reaffirmation of the global commitment through accelerated efforts and sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges, ranging from eradicating poverty, reducing gender inequality to addressing climate change.
Before the onset of Covid-19, the world was already lagging in the achievement of critical milestones. This is evidenced by the rise in the number of people suffering from food insecurity. The number was at 690 million in 2019, which is an 8.7 percent increase compared to 2014.
Climate change is also occurring more rapidly than anticipated, with 2019 being the second warmest year in the decade.
Eradication of extreme poverty has slowed in pace, with projections showing that six percent of the global population will still live-in extreme poverty by 2030.
Kenya, just like many other developing countries, is lagging in the achievement of key SDGs.
According to the 2020 country SDGs index rankings, the country emerged position 123 out of 193 members of the UN with notable progress on only two out of the 17 SDGs; Climate Action and Decent Work and Economic Growth
At the current pace, Kenya risks missing out in achieving key aspirations by 2030 such as food security, universal health coverage and reducing unemployment levels.
To turn the table, we must harness the critical input of the private sector because in our aspiration to create a more sustainable society, we realise that we cannot succeed in isolation.
For business to support achievement of the SDGs, a shift in the leadership mindset and redefining of business models is also required.
We must create a mindset of leading from purpose that will enable us to accelerate the delivery of sustainable businesses. We must borrow and share the best practices on how we can pool and manage resources, be visionary and ethical.
To achieve SDGs, we must take collective action by engaging like-minded business partners and spurring actions geared towards achievement of the goals.
To help us in driving this, we launched the Safaricom Sustainable Future series, which aims to bring together business leaders to discuss how to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of this decade.
We recently held the second edition of the series and it was great listening to and participating in discussions with other local business leaders around how we can work together to achieve the SDGs.
VIRTUOUS CIRCLE
Each of us, whether as individuals or organisations, both small and large, can and should play a role in bringing sustainability to the forefront. We remain committed to collaborate with all stakeholders to help advance the SDGs
When we commit to sustainable business, we create a virtuous circle – good for customers, good for employees, good for business, good for the planet and good for the future.
As the private sector and as responsible corporate citizens, the best way to push the sustainability agenda forward is by incorporating the SDGs in how we run our businesses. After all, doing good is good for business.
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