resource extraction (e.g. mining, fuelwood/charcoal production and use) drive land
use change and land degradation, resource overexploitation, pollution and biodiversity loss across SSA (IPBES 2018). Climate change has an increasingly serious
effect on many rural and urban areas, with recurring climatic hazards compromising
rural livelihoods and urban activity (Henderson et al. 2017; IPCC 2014). For
example, many studies have outlined how climate change is expected to affect
subsistence and commercial agriculture and food security across the continent
(Müller et al. 2011; Challinor et al. 2014). Furthermore, with most major cities
located along the coast, there are fears of increased flooding from storms, coastal
erosion, loss of coastal aquifers, as well as other threats associated with future
climate change such as sea level rise, extreme heat waves, population displacement,
loss of livelihoods and destruction of property (Parnell and Walawege 2011; Pauleit
et al. 2015).
The low level of development and rapid ongoing change combine with existing
constraints and failures, collectively put further barriers in meeting the major
sustainable development priorities (Table 1.1). For example, the efforts to sustain
economic growth and reduce poverty have been largely derailed due to low diversification from primary economic sectors, economic recessions in other parts of the
world, declining commodity prices, low value addition, poor infrastructure and
funding constraints, among others (Lange and Klasen 2017). Ensuring the fair
distribution of economic gains is far from reality in many countries mainly due to
institutional failures such as corruption and lack of good governance (Arndt et al.
2018), undermining the potential economic benefits from its rich natural resource
endowment (Lundgren et al. 2013). Furthermore, the constraints (and ineffective
use) of financial resources, and the lack of expertise and capacity have contributed to
the ineffective delivery of infrastructure and social services and the lack of adaptation to environmental change. This in turn adversely affects the realization of other
sustainable development priorities related to health, education and poverty reduction
(Ndikumana and Pickbourn 2017; Dreibelbis et al. 2013; Omisore 2018).
The recent adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides a
golden opportunity to tackle these interlinked challenges in SSA, and help achieve
sustainable development and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AfDB 2015a;
UNDP 2018a). The SDGs represent the global development agenda following the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (Omisore 2018). The SDGs aim at
addressing complex global developmental challenges and encompass a new vision
of sustainable development for the world as a whole, while building on the successes
and compensating for the shortcomings of the MDGs (Mainali et al. 2018; UNDP
and World Bank 2016). The SDGs contain 17 goals and 169 specific targets that
span different economic, social and environmental domains. The SDGs can be
broadly divided across five major categories, namely (a) unfinished business of the
MDGs: people (SDG 1–5); (b) new areas: prosperity (SDG 6–11); (c) green agenda:
planet (SDG 12–15); (d) governance: peace (SDG16); and (e) means of implementation: partnership (SDG17) (Fig. 1.1). However, the SDGs and underlying targets
are highly interconnected, as often the key to achieving one goal involves tackling
issues associated with another (ICSU 2017).
6
D. Juju et al.
use change and land degradation, resource overexploitation, pollution and biodiversity loss across SSA (IPBES 2018). Climate change has an increasingly serious
effect on many rural and urban areas, with recurring climatic hazards compromising
rural livelihoods and urban activity (Henderson et al. 2017; IPCC 2014). For
example, many studies have outlined how climate change is expected to affect
subsistence and commercial agriculture and food security across the continent
(Müller et al. 2011; Challinor et al. 2014). Furthermore, with most major cities
located along the coast, there are fears of increased flooding from storms, coastal
erosion, loss of coastal aquifers, as well as other threats associated with future
climate change such as sea level rise, extreme heat waves, population displacement,
loss of livelihoods and destruction of property (Parnell and Walawege 2011; Pauleit
et al. 2015).
The low level of development and rapid ongoing change combine with existing
constraints and failures, collectively put further barriers in meeting the major
sustainable development priorities (Table 1.1). For example, the efforts to sustain
economic growth and reduce poverty have been largely derailed due to low diversification from primary economic sectors, economic recessions in other parts of the
world, declining commodity prices, low value addition, poor infrastructure and
funding constraints, among others (Lange and Klasen 2017). Ensuring the fair
distribution of economic gains is far from reality in many countries mainly due to
institutional failures such as corruption and lack of good governance (Arndt et al.
2018), undermining the potential economic benefits from its rich natural resource
endowment (Lundgren et al. 2013). Furthermore, the constraints (and ineffective
use) of financial resources, and the lack of expertise and capacity have contributed to
the ineffective delivery of infrastructure and social services and the lack of adaptation to environmental change. This in turn adversely affects the realization of other
sustainable development priorities related to health, education and poverty reduction
(Ndikumana and Pickbourn 2017; Dreibelbis et al. 2013; Omisore 2018).
The recent adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides a
golden opportunity to tackle these interlinked challenges in SSA, and help achieve
sustainable development and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AfDB 2015a;
UNDP 2018a). The SDGs represent the global development agenda following the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (Omisore 2018). The SDGs aim at
addressing complex global developmental challenges and encompass a new vision
of sustainable development for the world as a whole, while building on the successes
and compensating for the shortcomings of the MDGs (Mainali et al. 2018; UNDP
and World Bank 2016). The SDGs contain 17 goals and 169 specific targets that
span different economic, social and environmental domains. The SDGs can be
broadly divided across five major categories, namely (a) unfinished business of the
MDGs: people (SDG 1–5); (b) new areas: prosperity (SDG 6–11); (c) green agenda:
planet (SDG 12–15); (d) governance: peace (SDG16); and (e) means of implementation: partnership (SDG17) (Fig. 1.1). However, the SDGs and underlying targets
are highly interconnected, as often the key to achieving one goal involves tackling
issues associated with another (ICSU 2017).
6
D. Juju et al.