As part of efforts by H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, co-chair of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Eminent Group of Advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to popularise and educate the general public on the SDGs, the SDGs Advisory Unit at the Office of the President is organising a nationwide raffle dubbed ‘Yes to the SDGs.’
The raffle is an opportunity for learning and will
provide a platform for introducing on a grand scale the SDGs as well as
educating the general population, students, youth and change-makers in Ghana.
The
raffle will be in the form of texting correct responses to SDGs related questions to a specified
short code with weekly prizes and an ultimate prize being a Mahindra KUV Car which has been generously
donated by Svani Group Limited.
Central to the raffle will be activation and outreach
initiatives to the central and business districts of Accra and selected regions
which will further encourage education on the SDGs, promote the values of the
Global Goals to the masses, galvanise communities in support of the goals and
foster community cooperation for sustainable impact.
The launch, which happened at the premises of TV3 Network, had in attendance representatives of Svani Group Limited, management of Media General, Gaming Commission, University of Ghana, students, pupils and the general public.
Speaking at the launch, the Head of the SDGs Advisory Unit
and Special Advisor to the President on the SDGs, Dr Eugene Owusu explained
that the “National SDGs raffle is a collective effort to popularise the Global
Goals and that they are central to our country’s efforts to achieve
transformational development and the vision of Ghana Beyond Aid.”
He reiterated that as a country we are privileged to have our President as co-chair of the Eminent Group of Advocates, a group put together at the highest level by the United Nations Secretary General to champion the SDGs. Dr Owusu commended the presence of the Youth at the launch and asked that they take interest in the SDGs because according to him “the youth have the greatest stake in the SDGs.”
On his part, Mr Winfred Afful of Media General added
that we must use the opportunity the raffle presents to educate ourselves by
learning even as we are earning prizes. He explained that “learning makes us
know and knowledge empowers us to act and have control over our lives and
choices.”
Other speakers
from Svani Group, the Unit, Mobile Content, University of Ghana and DJ Switch
all added their voices to the call for action for to see the SDGs as a common
course which need collective actions. They admonished that it is time to act
towards the implementation of the SDGs.
About the SDGs
Advisory Unit
Following
his appointment, President Akufo-Addo established the SDGs Advisory Unit in the
Office of the President in 2017 to provide technical, policy and strategic
support to his advocacy efforts on the SDGs. Anchoring the Unit in the Office
of the President shows the President’s commitment to the SDGs Agenda and the
importance he attaches to his role as co-chair of the Eminent Group of
Advocates.
The
Unit’s core functions include exploring innovative ways of promoting advocacy
and implementation of the SDGs, exploring ways of leveraging the President’s
global role to support the domestic agenda and mainstreaming national actions
to enhance the prospects of the SDGs.