By: Ismael Kasooha
New York
The Prime Minister of Uganda presided over the Africa Day 2025 and called on African countries to take this opportunity to reflect, engage, and recommit to the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
Africa Day at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2025 is an opportunity to reflect, engage, and recommit to the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. While Africa has made notable progress such as a 17% increase in intra-African trade since 2018 and increased VNR presentations from 20 countries in 2018 to 43 in 2025, significant implementation gaps remain.
The commemorations took place at the African Union Permanent Mission to the United Nations offices in New York and Nabbanja was the Chief Guest at the event.
The Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah (centre) talks to the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Ms Aminah as the Minister for General Duties Rt. Hon. Kasule Lumumba (left) looks on.
Nabbanja, who is the Chair of the Bureau of the Eleventh Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development called on African countries to use such opportunities to reflect, engage and recommit to the African Agenda of 2063.
The Premier said that this Africa Day convened in New York builds on the outcomes of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable development which Uganda hosted in Kampala from 9-11 April 2025 under the theme: “Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”
Nabbanja said that African countries must unite and act now if they are to achieve the intended objectives in transforming the highly natural resources endowed continent.
“Therefore, our meeting today must focus on solutions, not just challenges. We must leverage SDG 17 to forge partnerships at all levels that strengthen health (SDG 3), advance gender equality (SDG 5), stimulate decent work and inclusive growth (SDG 8), and protect our marine ecosystems (SDG 14),” she noted.
The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission based in Addis Ababa, Her Excellency Ambassador Malika Hadddi, said that there was advancement in African countries towards the attainment of the development agenda but action was still needed.
The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Amina J. Muhammed said that the United Nations was ready to support Africa in its development agenda.
This year’s Africa Day was marked under the theme “Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 through inclusive growth and partnerships, social protection, and decent jobs”.
Uganda’s delegation was comprised of Minister for General Duties Kasule Lumumba, the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Godfrey Kwoba, the Head of the SDG Secretariat in Uganda Dr. Albert Byamugisha among others,
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