Ministry of Finance to hold a Virtual 2020 Accra SDGs Investment Fair

The Ministry of Finance with other partners is set to hold a three-day virtual conference on Zoom dubbed “Virtual 2020 Accra SDGs Investment Fair” from Tuesday September 15, to Thursday September 17, 2020.

The partnering institutions include the Ministry of Finance, SDG Advisory Unit-Office of the President, Ministry of Planning, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and Social Enterprise Ghana.

The theme of the fair is “Regaining Momentum in SDGs Implementation during and post COVID-19”.

According to a notice released by the organizers, the 2020 Virtual Accra SDGs Investment Fair intends to “provide a platform to explore new opportunities within the new normal, identify innovative ways to access financial resources during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, and to share experiences relating to individual and corporate adaptability in the wake of Covid-19 and rebuilding momentum for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

“The Accra SDGs investment Fair will bring together high-level government officials, community facilitators, investors, civil society, entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions and other stakeholders to help develop a sustainable network for post-COVID-19 strategies that will support the government’s vision of Ghana Beyond Aid”, the statement added.

Among the speakers are Ken Ofori-Atta-Minister of Finance, Hon. Prof. Gyan Baffour-Minister for Planning and H.E. Martha Pobee -the United Nations.

Topics to be discussed in the first day include but not limited to; “The path from response to recovery and resilience, Regaining momentum in SDGs implementation during and post COVID-19, Socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on SDGs, Post COVID-19 vision of sustainable enterprises and Financing for development and the new normal”.

The notice stated that in July 2019, Ghana, together with other countries, presented its Voluntary National Review to showcase the state of implementation of the SDGs to the world at the High-Level Political Forum.

The reports presented by the countries, the ministry said, “showed that progress had been made in implementing the SDGs. Ghana’s case was heralded as among the best. In less than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and has gravely impacted the socio-economic development of most countries.

“From reversing progress on good health (SDG 3), its negative impact on 1.25 billion students (SDG 4) and the global impact on 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy (SDG 8), the pandemic is affecting vulnerable societies the most.

“Businesses and Enterprises have been brought to a halt as a result of logistical challenges, reduced opportunities to engage with investors and customers, a drop in demand for products and services, all culminating in a contraction of 5.2% and resulting in projected negative growth of 4.9%”.