March 27, 2017
Inspired by SDG Fund, Nigeria launches the first country level private sector advisory group

A renewed drive for public-private sector collaboration has commenced in Nigeria after Acting  President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo inaugurated the Nigerian Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the 28^th of February, 2017. The PSAG aims at mirroring the Global Private Sector Advisory Group which was established by United Nations Sustainable Development Fund to effectively achieve effective public-partnerships for the SDGs as a result of the numerous challenges faced during the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

The PSAG in Nigeria will provide the guidance and strategic support to achieve more streamlined implementation of SDGs in Nigeria. By design, the group will work to share ideas across industry sectors and regions with the aim to ultimately create a connective platform for more impactful and local-driven models and solutions to achieve the SDGs.

Osinbajo described the inauguration as the beginning of the unique partnership between the public and private sector, offering that the Nigerian business community has a responsibility to ensure that they work collectively to do something for the society and their communities.

Speaking on the initiative, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, said the PSAG would also help the nation address and solve development issues sustainably and more optimistically suggesting, “The Public Private Partnership (PPP) for Sustainable Development marks a new dawn in the implementation of pro-poor projects and programmes in Nigeria,” she said.

Tonye Cole, Executive Director and Co-Founder Sahara Group, who has been a keen advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals said the group would galvanize ideas and initiatives from various stakeholders to achieve accelerated and inclusive development across the nation. “We strongly believe that the achievement of the PSAG objectives will not only improve the global SDG ranking of Nigeria, it will also improve the standard of living across the nation through the provision of sustainable solutions to basic problems,” said Cole, who also represents Sahara Group on the Global United Nations Private Sector Advisory Group.

The Nigerian Private Sector Advisory Group includes key 13 key partners who share a commitment in achieving the 17 SDGs and an interest in corporate social responsibility. They include: Growing Businesses foundation (GBF), Lagos Business School (LBS), Sahara Group Limited, British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN), Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd. (PwC), Google, Unilever Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, GT Bank, General Electric (GE), Dangote Group, Coco-Cola, Channels Television, Chamber of Commerce- Lagos/Kano, National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) and NASME. As the work progresses, the number of organizations that make up this group is also expected to grow. A few companies have now stepped up and continue to build ownership and viable projects around the SDGs