16 January 2018: The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) signed a host country agreement with the Government of Liberia to establish the West African SDGC/A Sub-regional Center in Monrovia, Liberia. The Center, expected to open during the first half of 2018, will work to accelerate implementation of the SDGs in Côte D’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – also known as the Mano River Union countries – which requested the establishment of the West African SDGC/A.

African leaders established the SDGC/A in July 2016 to support SDG implementation in line with the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063. The SDGC/A is based in Kigali, Rwanda, and works to create partnerships across the SDGs to ensure their effective implementation across Africa. The West African SDGC/A Sub-regional Center will contribute to the Center’s overall goal of accelerating SDG implementation across Africa, with a focus on members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The West African SDGC/A Sub-regional Center will focus on strengthening the capacity of the Mano River Union countries to achieve the SDGs, including by providing support for coordinating SDG activities. For example, the Center plans to establish a program to map agricultural policies and interventions in support of SDG 2 (zero hunger).

In remarks before the signing ceremony, Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marjon V. Kamara welcomed the Center’s establishment, emphasizing that the “SDGs embody the aspirations and wishes of the African people and of the developing world.” He said the Center will help to maintain momentum to achieve the SDGs in Liberia and in the region.

The SDGC/A plans to open sub-regional centers throughout Africa to support regional partnerships and integration as well as to focus on regional priorities and challenges. [SDGC/A Website] [SDG Knowledge Hub Sources]