Women activists have urged African leaders to prioritize gender equality, healthcare investment, and inclusive governance as the 11th African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gets underway in Kampala.
Speaking on behalf of the African Women’s Major Group, Buky Williams, a prominent advocate for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), called for urgent adoption of feminist financing models and enhanced social service funding.
She emphasised that with only five years left to achieve the SDGs by 2030, accelerated efforts are critical.
“This forum offers a vital opportunity to take stock of progress and address the systemic challenges that continue to slow down the implementation of SDGs in Africa,” Williams said.
The group highlighted key areas under review good health and well-being (SDG 3), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work (SDG 8), Life Below Water (SDG 14), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17) as central to Africa’s sustainable future.
Williams warned that existing crises, including climate change, conflict, debt, and restricted civic space, are undermining progress.
She expressed concern over rising maternal mortality rates, with Africa recording 454 deaths per 100,000 live births, far above the SDG target of 70.
She also decried persistent teenage pregnancies and insufficient investment in sexual and reproductive health services, noting that no African country has met the Abuja Declaration target on health financing.
Despite making up 50% of Africa’s population, women hold only 26% of political positions and remain marginalized in corporate leadership, Williams said.
She added that while African women constitute 62% of the continent’s workforce mostly in informal sector they lack social protections and legal safeguards.
Women’s contributions to marine resource management were also emphasized, with activists pointing out that although women make up 60% of fish handlers and play a vital role in food security, they remain excluded from related policy decisions.
Wambui Kimani, Executive Director of the Zamara Foundation, also addressed the forum, calling for recognition and valuation of unpaid care work, which she said sustains communities but remains invisible in economic planning.
“African countries need to recognize this labor and attach value to it,” Kimani said, stressing the need for a “socialized public sector response” to the unequal distribution of care work.
She called on governments to enact laws protecting informal sector workers most of whom are women by ensuring minimum wages, maternal leave, retirement benefits, and safeguards against sexual harassment.
The African Women’s Major Group has submitted a list of policy recommendations for inclusion in the forum’s final outcome document.
Organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Kampala forum brings together stakeholders from across the continent to evaluate progress and foster collaboration toward achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.