Africa Is Off Track on 2030 Development Goals – UN

The United Nations has warned that Africa’s development ambitions are under threat, urging governments and partners to urgently scale up people-centred investments with less than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking at the Africa Social Impact Summit 2026 on Saturday, UNFPA Representative in Nigeria Muriel Mafico, on behalf of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said the continent’s future depends on unlocking the potential of its citizens through bold and sustained investment.

“The wealth of a nation is not measured by what it extracts from the ground. It is measured by what it unlocks in its people,” Mafico said.

The summit comes at a critical juncture, with recent data showing that only 36 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress.

The financing gap for developing countries continues to widen, Mafico noted, while slowing economic growth, rising debt, shrinking aid, climate disasters and persistent conflicts threaten to derail Africa’s progress.

“With less than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, we must act with greater urgency, solidarity and ambition,” she said.

Mafico noted Nigeria’s youthful population as a major asset, saying strategic investments could transform the country into a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, but warned that failure to act would deepen inequality and shrink opportunities.

“No country can outsource its development. No nation can import resilience,” she said, urging African governments to lead the way with home-grown solutions and stronger national ownership of development agendas.

The UN official called for a fundamental shift in development financing, including unlocking private capital, strengthening domestic resource mobilisation, supporting innovation, and investing in women, youth and technology.

The UN is already partnering with Nigeria’s government, civil society and the private sector to advance progress in areas such as social protection, renewable energy, digital innovation and education.