The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has emphasised the need for stakeholders to intensify efforts towards the achievement of the SDGs by 2030.

She was speaking during her keynote address, delivered on her behalf by Dr Bala Yunusa, Senior Technical Adviser, at the North-East Regional Consultation in Gombe.

The event was part of Nigeria’s VNR preparation for the High-Level Political Forum in New York in July 2025, where she noted that world leaders established the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development through the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as a follow up and review mechanism for the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

Speaking against the backdrop of the ongoing regional consultations on the 2025 Voluntary National Review (VNR), she said VNR serves as the cornerstone of the review process, adding that “Nigeria is currently undertaking its third VNR, engaging stakeholders across the six geopolitical zones to assess implementation progress, challenges and prospects.”

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In a statement by her Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communication, Desmond Utomwen, the SSAP-SDGs stressed the need to reverse the trend and fast-track progress on all the SDGs, noting that global progress on the SDGs is mixed, with Nigeria not exempted.

Citing the 2024 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report, she stated that “Lack of progress towards the SDGs is universal, but developing countries and the world’s poorest people bear the brunt, adding that currently only 17 per cent of SDG targets are on track, nearly half show minimal or moderate progress, while over a third have stalled or regressed.

“At the national level, dwindling financial resources, the COVID-19 pandemic, and persistent insecurity have combined to slow-down Nigeria’s progress towards achieving the SDGs.”

Princess Orelope-Adefulire emphasised that the SDGs cannot be achieved through isolated programmes but must be carefully integrated into national and sub-national policies and development plans. Robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (MER), such as the SDGs Progress reporting and the VNR, are essential.

She underscored the need for collaboration across the public and private sectors, the UN Development System, the donor community, academia and civil society to ensure that no one is left behind.

While referencing the “Pact for the Future,” adopted during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September, she noted that through “Pact”, world leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to take “bold, ambitious, accelerated, just, and transformative actions to fast-track the achievement of the SDGs.”

Quoting the UN Secretary-General António Guterres as calling for “Massive investment and more effective partnerships to drive critical transitions across food, energy, digital connectivity, and more, unlocking progress across the Goals.

“The 2024 Summit of the Future provides a vital opportunity, paving the way for further breakthroughs at the Financing for Development Conference and World Social Summit in 2025,” the princess said.