Rescripting Sustainable Development Goals: Goal Emplotments in Sub-Saharan African Communities

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) has formulated seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty by 2030. Goal setting can be effective under certain boundary conditions (moderators) – at the individual level and organizational level. And yet, goal-setting theory is not well understood in the global development context, where: (1) goals are understood differently, (2) goal conditions are unmet, and (3) apparent disconnects exist between the grand, measurable goals from the West and everyday life on the ground in Africa – the Rest. We contend that the SDGs, and their interpretation and execution on the ground, does not appreciate the realities of Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper aims to conceptualize development goals within the diverse landscape and world-views of Sub-Saharan Africa. We develop a novel theory of goal emplotments that characterizes the interaction between the West and the Rest, where non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local community leaders, and beneficiaries react and respond to the SDG mandate. We explore the dominant UN-initiated policy-makers’ narratives, and contrast them with those of front-line NGO personnel mediating the West and the Rest. In so doing, we aim to extend goal-setting theory into the African development context, exposing a conflicted agenda of goal setting and implementation barriers and constraints. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.