Accra: We are standing at a critical crossroads. The year 2030 is no longer a distant future; it is a looming deadline. As students of UNIMAC-IJ and members of the advocacy group Build Up: The Future is Now, we have realised that the clock is ticking louder than ever. If we do not accelerate our efforts, the promises of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - specifically Goals 8, 9, and 10 - will remain just that: promises.
According to Ghana Web, this is why we launched our campaign, 'Build, Grow, Include.' It is a call to action, a plea for awareness, and a roadmap for how we - students, communities, and nations - can turn the tide before it is too late.
The data is stark. At the current rate of progress, the world will not achieve gender equality (SDG 5) until 2062, while eradicating extreme poverty (SDG 1) remains a moving target. For us, the focus is on the economic and social pillars of development: SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality). Youth unemployment is triple the adult rate, and the rise of automation threatens millions of jobs. The digital divide continues to widen, and the richest 1% of the global population owns nearly half of the world's wealth.
As a group of passionate students at UNIMAC-IJ, we decided that we could not just sit in lecture halls and study these problems; we had to act. We formed Build Up: The Future is Now with a simple motto: Build, Grow, Include. Here is how we translated our philosophy into action to advocate for SDGs 8, 9, and 10.
Our campaign involves catalysing sustainable industry by investing in R and D grants for SMEs in rural areas, redefining economic growth to prioritise well-being over output, and leveling the playing field by providing digital literacy classes to women in poor communities.
Through our campaign, we realised one profound truth: The SDGs are not just the responsibility of governments or large corporations. Everyone has a part to play. Governments must prioritise policy over politics, the private sector should commit to fair wages and green technologies, civil society and NGOs need to amplify the voices of the marginalised, and individuals must be conscious consumers and lifelong learners.
The path to 2030 is short, but the distance we must travel is enormous. Our campaign, Build Up: The Future is Now, is proof that students are not just the leaders of tomorrow; we are the changemakers of today. Let us build the future. Let us grow sustainably. Let us include everyone. The time to act is now. We are UNIMAC-IJ. We are Build Up. Are you?