Abstract
This paper explores the pillars of sustainable development in the environmental, socio-economic, and political context of Ghana, with a basic focus on its Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs). Sustainable development has developed into a common mantra within the discourse of present-day development. However, given its universal and the enormous acceptance it has acquired over the years, the term still appears vague as several gaps still exist that questions the context, meaning and insinuations of sustainable development for practice. Extensive literature was reviewed to explore the pillars of sustainable development in Ghana, one of the emerging countries in Africa. The paper recognizes and maintains that the whole question linked to sustainable development cut across generations and are fundamentally grounded on three major pillars: social, economic and environment. The study recommends that key players in the interior of the United Nations, private sector, governments, civil society organizations need to be repetitively watchful of the relationships and compromises among these pillars of sustainable development. Keywords: SMEs, sustainable, environmental, development, political, economic, social, Ghana DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-14-04 Publication date: July 31 st 2020
Highlights
Sustainable development has become a universal development paradigm, the verbiage for growth planners, the slogan for universal aid activities and themes for academic studies and discussion and slogan of development and eco-friendly campaigners (Ukaga, Maser and Reichenbach, 2011)
Murmurings of dissatisfaction over the concept, possible questions of its implication on practice and theories has engulfed the literature without corresponding answers making sustainable development runs the danger of becoming a truism, a trendy and rhetorical phrase without accuracy and understanding by the users of the concepts (Montaldo, 2013; Mensah and Enu-Kwesi, 2018; Shahzalal and Hassan, 2019)
A clear explanation of the concept is necessary to promote sustainable development (Gray, 2010; Mensah and Enu-Kwesi, 2018). This concept as previously promoted by both academics and experts, decisionmakers need improved facts and evidence and greater thought on the relations between the ideologies and pillars of Sustainable development and its implications on human development to move beyond the rhetoric and loftiness of sustainable development (Gray, 2010; Giovannoni and Fabietti, 2014; Abubakar, 2017; Hylton, 2019)
Summary
Sustainable development has become a universal development paradigm, the verbiage for growth planners, the slogan for universal aid activities and themes for academic studies and discussion and slogan of development and eco-friendly campaigners (Ukaga, Maser and Reichenbach, 2011). This study intends to contribute to the erstwhile discourse on sustainable development by providing some descriptive facts on the context, evolution, and pillars regarding SMEs in Ghana which is recently thought to have a high effect on the economic advancement of the country compared to other forms of businesses within the country. This is important because it will provide more knowledge about the framework for policymaking, decision-making and more work to researchers, legislators and scholars, as well as technology practitioners.
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