Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 19 June, 2018: The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) launched the Africa SDG Index and Dashboards 2018 Report, in partnership with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). The launch was held at the Africa Union Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 2018 report was presented to Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of the African Union, UN agencies, government officials and other stakeholders.

H.E. Mrs. Hope Tumukunde Gasatura, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda addressed AU Member States and encouraged them to support this initiative.

Addressing the High Level Meeting, Dr. Belay Begashaw, Director General, The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) welcomed the participants to the launch and emphasized that Africa SDG Index will allow each country to understand its situation and compare itself within the region and with peers at similar levels of overall social and economic development. “The Africa SDG Index and Dashboards is a call to action for African Union Member States Governments & a tool for inclusiveness” added Dr. Belay Begashaw.

The Director General, SDGC/A expressed gratitude to the AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs H.E. Dr. Victor Harrison for honouring the launch of the Africa SDG Index and Dashboards 2018 Report as well as for the members of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) of the African Union who availed themselves to attend despite their busy schedule before the AU Summit next week.

Discussions took place after the presentation of the Africa Index and Dashboard by members of the PRC. They appreciated the initiative and emphasized the importance of giving the same efforts for the Agenda2063. Participants call for clear role of academic institutions in the achievement of the SDGs in Africa and the data collection for monitoring and evaluating the SDG progress

Worth noting that 51 African countries are included in the Africa SDG Index rank; country dashboards are available for 54 African countries.
The high level meeting convened participants including African Ambassadors to Ethiopia, Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to the African Union, heads of UN agencies, representatives from government and various stakeholders among other participants.

The SDGC/A aims to ensure that all African countries achieve their national targets for the SDGs by 2030 – shared by all African leaders and aligned to the United Nation’s Post-2015 Development Agenda as well as the African Union’s 2063 agenda.

For further information, kindly contact:
1. Ms. Andile Ngwenya Kalusokoma | Communications Advisor (SDGC/A) | Tel: +250781885502 | E-mail: angwenya@sdgcafrica.org
2. Mr. Gamal Ahmed A. Karrar| Communication Officer| Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org
3. Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou | Head, Information Division, Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | Tel: +251(0) 911361185 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

For further information: Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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