SocialGood Lagos Amplifies the #2030Now Conversation in Nigeria

By SocialGood Lagos Co-Founder Abraham Ologundudu

While the world is preparing for the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and other side events, my team at SocialGood Lagos were equally working on localizing the #2030Now global conversation using the vehicle of the Social Good Summit meet-ups.

We are 12 years away from the year 2030. It is estimated that at the rate Nigeria is going, we might not achieve the SDGs until 2070. It’s quite alarming and a reminder that the onus lies on all stakeholders to identify the loop holes, as we create the right building blocks for development, while strengthening the areas of our progress. Social Good Lagos Summit 2018 was focused on exploring the actions needed to narrow our development gaps in Nigeria and constructively highlight the way forward.

On Friday 7th September 2018, SocialGood Lagos held the second edition of Social Good Summit Lagos with the the theme ‘Bridging the Gap — #2030NOW.’ The event engaged 200+ youths and brought together a combination of 20 experts, advocates, and entrepreneurs as speakers from the public and private sector to stimulate constructive conversations towards the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Our speakers in guest were: Edward Kallon, UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator, Nigeria, represented by Oluseyi Soremekun (National Information Offer, United Nations Information Center, Nigeria) and Her Excellency, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Adviser to the President on SDGs, represented by Rose Keffas (Special Assistant to the OSSAP-SDGs)

The Senior Special Adviser to the President on SDGs, Orelope Adefulire, represented by her Rose Keffas (special assistant to OSSAP SDGs), gave a keynote speech on the office of the SDG in Nigeria and its journey so far. She affirmed that “The Nigerian government has set up institutional mechanisms to engage critical state and non-state actors — both horizontally and vertically — in the implementation of the SDGs.”

Oluseyi Soremekun said: “The shared vision of SocialGood Lagos — getting today’s connected generation to leverage technology & new media to help create a better world aligns with the spirit of UNSG’s High Level Panel on digital cooperation.”

The Sustainable Development Goals are the people’s goal and at SocialGood Lagos we are dedicated to localizing the global agenda in Lagos because of the huge potential and position of the city in sub-Saharan Africa and the continent at large. The beauty of the Social Good Summit is not so much about the fancy nature of the events but about inspiring individuals to take action towards the SDGs.

Since 2017, when I volunteered to organize the first Social Good Summit meetup in Lagos, my vision has always been the same: To build a platform that brings together leaders from all industries to discuss about the sustainable development of our communities. To tell the Nigerian story, celebrate our wins and acknowledge our shortcomings, as well as restate our commitment to do what is necessary to see the change that we desire. In this way, we would inspire more people to take action towards the SDGs.

There were a wide range of ideas and thoughts shared during the summit, but here are some of the ideas that stood out consistently:

Future of Work

Technology covers mundane tasks and designs new ways of achieving a task for higher level thinking. Automation and artificial intelligence are inevitable. There is no need to fight it. Rather, we need to prepare ourselves for more engaging roles in the future. Technology must be seen as an enabler for scaling impact - what skills do you need for the future?

Partnership for the Goals

Strategic partnerships and meaningful collaborations are key as we strive to achieve the SDGs. We need more synergy between the government and private entities to make sustainable impact. When we fail to collaborate, we leave gaps on the table and we slow inclusive growth.

There must be an established standard and clarity for the execution of plans for the SDGs. Baseline data is the benchmark upon which we can track the process of the mainstreamed SDGs progress in Nigeria. The grassroots administration plays a crucial role in harnessing local data that can be used as a guide for implementation of local, national, and global projects. The operational baseline data for Nigeria was from 2016, with the support of the UN and the National Bureau of Statistics, the government has setup the baseline data process to measure Nigeria’s progress.

Social Inclusion

Inclusive opportunity, equal access, and citizen participation is fundamental for creating a better future now! Inclusion is important if we’re going to achieve our SDGs by 2030. We cannot phase out forms of livelihood without providing adequate alternatives. A people-centered design strategy in problem solving efforts always yields better results.

Environmental Sustainability

The impacts of agrowaste are more severe than we thought. What’s more alarming is the impact of some of these chemicals on rural health.

When people gets to understand the financial benefit tied to waste and the health implications if they decide to do nothing about the situation, it will inspire individuals to take proactive climate actions.

The impact of using innovative technology for clean energy is not just environmental also economical: Cost savings from using dirty fuels, improved health, and better education.

I believe what we did, bringing together some of the brightest minds in Nigeria and creating a space for analysis and exchange of ideas among these thought leaders, is one of the gaps we need to proactively bridge if we truly want to drive the SDGs to fruition. It’s not surprising that one of the key takeaways from every session of the summit emphasized the importance of collaboration and strategic partnership in driving the #2030Now Agenda.

Interestingly, this is the foundation on which SocialGood Lagos is being built: Building a community that will leverage technology and new media to enhance social good initiatives through partnerships, collaborations, and innovation. We have taken a step further towards this goal.

The next step for us is translating the conversations from the summit into actionable community projects. The journey to bridging the gap to #2030Now continues.

Social Good Summit Lagos was brought to you in partnership with NGYouthSDGs, Susty Vibes, Act4Accountability, One African Child, BusinessDay, Connect Nigeria and International Climate Change Development.

For more information on Social Good Lagos, visit socialgoodlagos.org, join the conversation online with us on Twitter and instagram @socialgoodlagos.

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