Why ICT is core to National Development. — Achieving the SDGs Part 1
This December, I will be writing a series of thoughts gathered through research from different publications on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Why ICT is core to National Development — Achieving the SDGs Series. The series will focus on the current state of ICT in Africa, particularly, MALAWI.
Since the birth of The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, countries around the world have adopted the SDGs to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The adoption of the SDGs in 2015 by the United Nations Member States was as a call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
The SDGs are built on 17 Sustainable development goals which are an urgent call for action by all United Nations Member states including Malawi, in what they call a global partnership.
Malawi and other African countries have committed to implementing the African Union Agenda 2063, a 550-year vision and plan to build a more prosperous Africa and integrating the SDGs into their national development plans.
In Malawi, the government established the National Planning Commission (NPC) in 2017, a corporate body that is mandated to identify Malawi’s social-economic development goals and formulate a national vision and strategy, overseeing the long term national vision and strategy implementation and medium-term development plans in line with the SDGs.
Countries are now transitioning into the “Digital Era”, where digital technologies are rapidly transforming societies and economies and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs and 2030 Agenda for sustainable development have recognized the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) to accelerate human progress and bridge the digital divide. This is why the United Nations Member States have committed to the use of ICT to achieve the 17 SDGs and National Development Plans and calling for an integration of ICT into the approaches to implementing the Goals. In education (SDG 4), Gender and Equality (SDG 5), Infrastructure (SDG 9), and Partnerships (SDG 17), the use of ICTs appear in specific targets.
In most developed countries, ICTs are already empowering individuals by providing access to education, healthcare, and other e-services. On the other hand, developing countries and the least developed countries including Malawi, are yet to overcome some of the current barriers to ICT adoption.
Part two of the Achieving The SDGs Series will look at the role ICTs and Innovations can play to boost skills, improve education, healthcare, increase jobs and knowledge sharing in Africa and specifically Malawi.