Addis Ababa, 30 April 2026 – Africa’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals remains visible but uneven, and in some areas is reversing, the Economic Commission for Africa’s Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist, Hanan Morsy, said at the close of the Twelfth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.
Addressing ministers, senior officials and delegates in Addis Ababa, Ms. Morsy said the Forum had convened 1,535 participants from 48 countries at a defining moment marked by economic shocks, climate stress and geopolitical fragmentation.
“The message from this Forum is clear: Africa’s trajectory will be determined not by constraints alone, but by how decisively we act,” she said.
The Forum reviewed progress on key Sustainable Development Goals, including water and sanitation, energy, industry and innovation, sustainable cities, and partnerships. Ms. Morsy noted that while access to water and energy is improving, safely managed services remain below global levels, millions still lack electricity, and structural transformation remains incomplete.
She also warned that rapid urbanization is outpacing planning and service delivery, while financing constraints are tightening as domestic resources lag and external flows come under pressure.
“The conclusion is straightforward: incremental progress will not deliver the SDGs,” Ms. Morsy said.
She highlighted four priorities emerging from the Forum’s deliberations: scaling up and coordinating action, advancing digital transformation, reforming domestic and global financing, and accelerating structural transformation through industrialization and regional integration.
Ms. Morsy emphasized that Africa’s young population remains the continent’s greatest asset, but only if matched by sustained investment in skills, institutions and jobs.
“The challenge is not diagnosis, it is delivery,” she said. “Let us move from dialogue to action, from commitments to results, and from fragmentation to scale.”
She thanked the Government and people of Ethiopia, the Bureau, partners and the ECA team for their role in ensuring the success of the Forum.
“Let us accelerate, together, toward the SDGs and Agenda 2063,” Ms. Morsy said.
For his part, Nassim Oulmane, senior economist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, advised the closing session of the focus of the forthcoming High-Level Political Forum later in the year, on behalf of the Secretariat, where the key messages will be presented and discussed at the global level.
In his closing remarks, the Chair of the Bureau, Fabrice David, Mauritius Junior Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, said while progress is uneven and time is short, our resolve must be unwavering.
The First Vice Chair, Pacome Kossy, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development – Government of Gabon emphasised country ownership of transformation, the need for the private sector, integration and impact at scale for the twin Agendas – 2030 and 2063 to be meaningful.
About the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN’s five regional commissions, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)’s mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its Member States, foster intraregional integration and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development. ECA is made up of 54 Member States and plays a dual role as a regional arm of the UN and as a key component of the African institutional landscape.
*ECA
