Accra, Nov. 20, GNA - Good jobs and economic growth top the priorities of African citizens, but government performance on these issues lags, Afrobarometer findings from across the continent has revealed.
In the first of its Pan-Africa Profiles based on recent public-opinion surveys in 34 countries, Afrobarometer reports that descent work and economic growth is Africa's highest priority among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
However, the report noted that descent work and economic growth was also an area where governments were performing particularly poorly.
According to the findings, other highly prioritised SDGs include those focusing on hunger, health and peace, justice and strong institutions.
Dr Edem Selormey, Afrobarometer Fieldwork Operations Manager for West, North and East Africa, presented the findings of the survey on Monday in Accra, dubbed "Taking stock: Survey findings track citizens' priorities, SDGs, and government performance in Africa".
The programme was under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme.
The new report links "most important problems" identified by more than 45,800 Africans, as well as their assessments of their governments' performance on these issues, to the goals of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
The analysis was designed to help governments and advocates design more effective interventions through a better understanding of how their intended beneficiaries, the ordinary citizens, perceived these goals.
Key findings of the report indicated that across 34 surveyed countries, unemployment tops the most important problems that Africans want their governments to address, followed by health, infrastructure, roads, water/sanitation, education, management of the economy and poverty.
Based on mapping the "most important problem" identified by Afrobarometer respondents onto SDGs, SDG8, "descent work and economic growth," was the highest-priority SDG (57 per cent), by a wide margin.
Each of seven other SDGs captures the attention of between 20 per cent and 31 per cent of respondents, including SDG2 (“zero hunger") 31 per cent, SDG3 (“good health and well-being") 27 per cent, SDG16 ("peace, justice and strong institutions") 26 per cent, SDG9 ("industry, innovation and infrastructure") 24 per cent, SDG6 ("clean water and sanitation”) 24 per cent, SDG1 (“no poverty") 22 per cent and SDG4 (“quality education") 21 per cent.
It indicated that the remaining SDGs draw only very modest levels of attention from respondents as “most important priorities”. However, other Afrobarometer data reveal that African publics typically also value these goals (e.g. gender equality, climate change) even if they were not the first things on their minds in the struggle for daily survival.
Poverty and low socioeconomic development, both at the individual level and the country level strongly shape priorities, whiles Jobs/economic growth and good governance were higher priorities for wealthier individuals and for more economically developed countries.
Among poorer people and countries, jobs and growth were still important, people place higher priority on fighting hunger and having adequate supplies of clean water and energy.
Dr Selormey said the survey indicated that the highest priority sectors such as jobs and economic management were often the worst government performance area.
She said there was an alignment between what the survey viewed as citizen priorities and the SDGs.
She said public opinion data could indeed help track progress towards the SDGs and offer useful guard post for boosting performance and achieving the SDGs targets.
Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, the Executive Director, CDD Ghana, urged Ghanaians to look at the annual national budget with an SDG frame, to try and identify the way we go through it with advocacy.
He also appealed to civil society organisations to monitor governments’ commitment in the implementation of the SDGs.
Dr Franklin Oduro, Deputy Executive Director, CDD Ghana, said one of the obvious challenges presented by the SDG framework was where to begin and how to translate the agenda into a plan of action.
"As a Pan-African research network, committed to giving a voice to ordinary Africans in policy making, Afrobarometer believes that one critical place to start was by asking the people," he said.
Dr Oduro said this first report in the Network's Pan-African Profiles series on Round Seven results provides an initial broad-based assessment of how governments were performing in the key sectors defined by the SDGs.
Professor Dzodzi Tsikata, Director, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, said a survey of this nature was very critical for accountability; declaring that its findings provides an opportunity for governments to get to know what their people wanted.
She lauded the Afrobarometer Network for continuing to do a great service to Africa.
GNA
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