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Rita Okoye
Captains of industry has called for more collaboration between government agencies and private sector players in influencing enabling policies as well as implementation of laws that pertain to women, youth, population and poverty eradication to ensure attaining the SDGs.
The stakeholders, who gathered at the headquarters of Access Bank Plc, as parts of activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United Nation Population Fund, agreed that there was the need to strengthen capacities of research institutions through collaborative efforts.
This, they said, will help provide evidence-based policies that enhance the health of women and adolescent girls, especially in humanitarian settings and underserved groups.
Earlier in his remark, Country Representative of the UNFPA, Eugene Kongnyuy, said the theme of the summit, “Sustainable Population Growth, Demographic Dividend and the Future of Nigeria: The Role of the Private Sector,” was meant to address Nigeria’s Sustainable Population and the huge role private sector must play in achieving the SDGs.
He defined Sustainawble Population as the rate at which the number of inhabitants of a given area can increase without overburdening the area’s economic, social, and natural resources.
He said Nigeria’s growing population, which is not corresponding with the GDP, must be addressed to avoid a future disaster.
“Latest statistics shows that Nigeria has an annual population growth of 3.2 per cent, but a GDP growth of two per cent. With an estimated population of 198 million and a dependency ratio of 98 per cent, and 64 per cent of the population below poverty line, it is imperative that drastic steps must be taken, not just by government, but private sector players too,” he said.
According to him, for Nigeria to achieve the SDGs, especially the health SDGs, the private sector must play a key role in collaboration with government and development partners, to address the challenges of inadequate health infrastructure, inadequate equipment, inadequate human resources for health, weak supply chain management for medicines and many other factors.
In her own contribution, Head of Sustainability at Access Bank, which hosted the summit, Mrs. Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, expressed the confidence that the summit would serve as a veritable platform to bring the much-needed collaboration for Nigeria to achieve the SDGs.
According to her, Access Bank Plc was honoured to have hosted the summit, adding that it was part of the bank’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of which the UNFPA has been in the forefront in the last 50 years.
Also speaking at the summit, former Commissioner of Health in Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris, commended the UNFPA and Access Bank for their steadfast commitment in fighting the cause of women, youths and young girls.
Dr. Idris, however, urged participants to come out with strategies on how to best tackle the issue of gender-based violence and reproductive health, adding that government cannot do it alone without the support of the private sector in the country.
