A two-day international conference on ‘Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: Management Strategies and Practices for Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Sustainability and Entrepreneurship,’ has ended in Enugu with a call for collaboration among stakeholders to address peculiar challenges facing Africa.
The conference was organised by the faculty of Management Sciences, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) and held at the Peter Mbah auditorium, ESUT, Agbani.
Declaring the conference open, ESUT Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aloysius Okolie, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Chike Nwoha, said the conference was the first of its kind in the history of the institution.
While describing the theme of the conference as apt, Professor Okolie said the conference would further add to the body of existing knowledge.
In an opening remark, the Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Professor Uche Ugwuanyi, said the conference offers a unique opportunity for university lecturers to stay updated on the latest trends and best practices in management sciences, enhance their research capability and network with their counterparts.
Professor Ugwuanyi expressed the hope that discussions and recommendations from the conference would provide valuable insights into how organisations could adopt sustainable practices, prioritise corporate social responsibility and promote environmental sustainability.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Professor Norbert Ile said the conference offers a veritable platform for cross fertilisation of knowledge, networking for policy makers and researchers.
He said the conference would build consensus on important issues, which would enhance skills, knowledge expansion, policy development, capacity building and encourage action on global challenges and opportunities.
In a paper presentation on the topic ‘Achieving sustainable development goals in Africa: Lessons learned from disruptive strategies and practices of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Anambra State,’ the acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Kate Omenugha, said the SDGs represent a global framework for tackling some of the most pressing challenges, such as poverty, inequality and climate change, among others. Omenugha noted that with five years to the target date of 2030, Africa was far from meeting the set goals.
The speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Uche Ugwu believes that Africa can look inwards and find solutions to its peculiar challenges.
Other speakers at the conference were Dr Rabiu Olowo, executive secretary and chief executive officer, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria; Dr Friday Akpan, director general, Nigeria College of Accountancy and Professor Ambrose Anoruo from Texas, A&M University USA, among others.
The conference, which attracted participants from the academia, government officials as well as industry experts, was designed to serve as a platform for exchange of ideas on management strategies and practices for sustainable development.