African stakeholders, including ministers, senior government officials, experts and civil society across the continent have adopted the Addis Ababa Declaration on “Turning the Tide”, calling for urgent, coordinated and transformative action to accelerate implementation of the 2030 target for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.
The Declaration was adopted at the close of the 12th session of the Africa regional forum on Sustainable Development, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the theme: “Turning the Tide: Transformative and Coordinated Actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union.”
The forum brought together ministers, senior government officials, parliamentarians, experts, United Nations entities, the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank (AfDB), regional organizations, civil society, academia, the private sector, young people, cultural institutions and faith communities.
Participants noted with deep concern that Africa remains far off track in achieving the SDGs, with progress slow on 12 Goals and regressing on five. The Declaration highlights major gaps, including limited access to safe drinking water and sanitation, energy poverty affecting about 600 million Africans, weak industrialization, rapid urbanization, rising debt burdens and an annual SDG financing gap estimated at between $670 billion and $848 billion.
Through the Declaration, African countries urged scaled-up action in five SDG areas under review in 2026: clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; industry, innovation and infrastructure; sustainable cities and communities; and partnerships for the Goals.
On water and sanitation, ministers called for stronger political leadership, sustainable financing, better water governance, protection of ecosystems, reduced pollution, expanded wastewater treatment and greater recognition of water as a strategic driver of jobs, growth, resilience and peacebuilding.
On energy, the Declaration calls for accelerated investment in decentralized renewable energy, clean cooking, regional power pools, energy efficiency, digitalisation and financing models that can expand access to affordable and reliable power for households, industry and essential social services.
On industry, innovation and infrastructure, ministers urged countries to adopt forward-looking industrial strategies that respond to megatrends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the green transition, digital connectivity, shifting supply chains and demographic change. They also called for greater investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, digital skills, science and technology, and regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Declaration also calls for cities to be treated as engines of inclusive growth and structural transformation. It urges increased investment in affordable housing, slum upgrading, resilient urban infrastructure, land-use planning, own-source revenue generation, digital public infrastructure and safer urban environments for vulnerable communities, including children.
On financing and partnerships, ministers called for reforms to the international financial architecture, stronger domestic resource mobilization, local currency capital markets, blended finance, debt solutions, investment-ready project pipelines and the operationalization of the Africa credit rating agency to help reduce borrowing costs and improve investor confidence.
The Addis Ababa Declaration will serve as Africa’s regional input to the 2026 high-level political forum on sustainable development, the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, the World Water Forum and other major global processes. It also sets out Africa’s priorities for follow-up to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the Second World Summit for Social Development and the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Declaration further welcomes Ethiopia’s forthcoming hosting of COP32, describing it as an opportunity for Africa to drive the shift from commitments to implementation, advance Africa-led solutions on adaptation and resilience, and secure climate outcomes that respond to the continent’s development priorities.
Looking beyond 2030, ministers urged African countries to engage actively and collectively in shaping the next global sustainable development framework, ensuring that Africa’s priorities, experiences and lessons are fully reflected. They called for any post-2030 framework to align with Agenda 2063, strengthen accountability, go beyond gross domestic product as a measure of progress and prioritize financing, technology transfer, trade, capacity-building and inclusion.
The Declaration places particular emphasis on young people, women and vulnerable communities, recognizing them not only as beneficiaries but also as co-creators, leaders and drivers of sustainable development. It calls for stronger participation, targeted investment, access to finance and technology, and future-oriented skills for young women and men.
The Forum was organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the AU Commission, the African Development Bank and United Nations system entities.
