Ho- Dr Eugene Owusu, the Presidential Advisor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has urged traditional leaders to continue availing their expertise and influence in the implementation of the SDGs.
He said traditional leaders had led the development drive in the communities and were at the forefront of national issues, including security, social cohesion and culture promotion and could be indispensable in the implementation of the SDGs.
Dr Owusu was addressing traditional leaders in the Volta Region during the Ho edition of the 2022 SDGs Day Out event.
“Whether in historic times or our contemporary context, the influence of our traditional leaders on our political and socio-economic endeavours has been unparalleled. You have played a significant role in supporting the government’s efforts and global agendas.
“As we seek to fully localise the SDGs and drive their implementation bottom-up, brick by brick and region by region, the key is going to be the extent to which we bring your voice, your influence, your expertise and great assets inherent in the traditional institution, which you lead to bear of the implementation of the SDGs.
He said the commitment of the president to the SDG’s attainment stood unshaken and that the dialogue with traditional leaders as part of the day out event was part of strategies to ensure their active participation.
He said traditional leaders, including the Asantehene and the Okyehene, had led commitments towards the implementation of the SDGs and that the traditional leadership institution, on the whole, was expected to join the quest.
Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, the President of the Volta Region House of Chiefs, commended the initiative but noted that the amendment of portions of the constitution to enable Chiefs to play their roles as expected must be considered.
Dr Kojo Abrampah-Mensah, the Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission, led a discussion on the role of chiefs in localising the SDGs.
The three-day SDG day out event is on the theme: “Our World at a Triple Tripping Point: the Urgency of SDG Action.”
It is organized by the SDGs Advisory Unit at the Office of the President, in collaboration with the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Bank of Africa and others, including the Ho Technical University and the House of Chiefs.
Activities that marked the event included a health walk to raise public awareness of the SDGs, and engagement with Municipal and District Chief executives.
A public forum on the SDGs came off at the Ho Technical University, which had Madam Frema Osei-Opare, Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, as Guest of Honour.
An innovation challenge around the SDGs and a business roundtable drew the curtains on the event.
A Ho Declaration on the SDGs would be produced at the end of the event, which President Nana Akufo-Addo would share globally.
Source: Ghana News Agency