Abstract
It is almost five years since the adoption of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015. While each member state has the flexibility to design its own SDGs priorities, and is on the implementation process of the goals, here, we suggest how better planning, research, and innovation could help to achieve sustainable development in Sierra Leone. We draw attention to the necessity of developing a national sustainable development plan in Sierra Leone to guarantee concentrated national priorities so as to strengthen the efficiency of interventions and to effectively deliver sustainable development outcome. However, this will require the commitment of political parties, and other stakeholders so as to prevent a predisposition to create intergenerational and intragenerational imbalances. As enablers for the achievement of sustainable development, investment in and support for research and development is a crucial architecture that is required to implement, monitor and evaluate performance, and track progress on the SDGs, and also identify challenges so that they can be adequately addressed. While Sierra Leone has aspired to become an innovation hub in Africa, central to the success of such a dream and aspiration is the enactment of a resolution that can ensure the sustainability of the Directorate of Science Technology and Innovation (DSTI) which is the country’s innovation platform in future government administrations.
Highlights
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [1,2]
While Member states are applying the lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)’ framework weakness and implementation challenges, the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development, has been conducting thematic and regular reviews based on Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)
The adoption and implementation depend on national realities and circumstances of every UN Member States
Summary
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [1,2]. On the basis of the above-mentioned narratives, there is a International Journal of Sustainable Development Research 2020; 6(2): 30-36 urgent need for a standardized national sustainable development plan or vision which will need to include an extensive list of national priorities, detailed programs, and specific activities; which is periodically reviewed and updated, based on their progress, targets, and timelines for their achievement and with a clear thematic actors and responsibility at its core Once such a national plan or vision for the SDGs is operationalized, it may be a sure guarantee to transition Sierra Leone to a sustainable development pathway. Given the level of development and governance architecture in Sierra Leone, the SDGs have provided the opportunity to change dramatically, for the better or worse the country’s development trajectory
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