Government in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is attracting innovative private sector financing towards fulfilling the SDGs in the public space.
This is expected to be fulfilled through government initiatives and social enterprise projects in the private sector, since the SDG targets cannot thrive on public finance alone as its only source of funding.
In a statement at the first Accra SDG Impact Investment Fair in Accra on Wednesday, the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta noted that in order to create a safe space for impact investments, the Ministry has set the pace by ensuring the efficient use of the country’s resources and by promoting accountability amongst all Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“We have done this by re-codifying the budget and our Chart of Accounts to enable officers of the MDAs track allocations and spending towards the SDGs. Our objective, at the Ministry of Finance, is to use the budget as an instrument to institutionalize the SDGs.”
SDG Impact Investment Fair
The Accra SDG Impact Investment Fair is a market place that brings together policymakers, businesses, innovators, and private investors with the aim of driving change at scale.
It aims at kick-starting the process of developing a systematic, green and inclusive economy by identifying the financial gaps that act as an impediment to the efficient realization of the SDGs. It is to provide a platform for:
- Connecting Ghanaian and African SDG related businesses with investors;
- Exploring opportunities for private sector collaboration in government pipeline projects;
- Identifying new innovative and smart solutions to solve developmental issues at all scales;
- Kick-starting entrepreneurial initiatives, especially among the youth and women; and
- Providing a platform for multi-stakeholder resource mobilisation.
By Joshua W. Amlanu