The ex-teacher now turned politician shadow mayor opined: “It used to be 8 and now its 17, we have more assignments to do.” The SDG, he proclaimed, was about “starting, developing and maintaining,” from which he inspired the school children and teachers to “learn, go teach other students and community members.” The SDGS, he stated, would only be achievable “if we Sierra Leoneans get back to our root.”
Re-echoing words of Gabriel Rugalema, the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, UN Communications Specialist, Tikue Girmay, said “The SDGs should be tailored to country level and informed by context-based evidence.” The 17 goals of the SDG he opined “represent the shared global goals and targets…”
A teacher from Tony Blair Academy, Alpha Bockarie in fact declared “I am very pessimistic about the SDGs.” He doubted the realization of the 17 goals as he put it: “I was a boy when the MDG of 8 goals was launched. We could not achieve them and now we have another 17 to achieve in the same 15 years…I doubt it.”
The exhibition ended with a tour of the 17 goals by the UN Team and the rest of the people invited for the exhibition on Saturday.
The 17 SDGs require achieving “No Poverty, Zero Hunger and Good Health and wellbeing” as goals 1, 2 and 3 respectively and “Partnership for the goals, Peace, Justice and strong institutions and Life on Land as the last three goals of 17, 16 and 15 correspondingly. The 17 goals and 169 targets are expected to be achieved by 2030.