Lusaka, Thursday, March 28, 2019: The COMESA Secretariat has offered to host the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) offices in Zambia.

This was disclosed during a courtesy call on COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, by the Director General of the SDGs regional office for Southern Africa, Dr. Belay Begashaw.

The SDGC for Africa is an international organization that supports governments, civil society, businesses and academic institutions to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.

The center will temporarily be located at the COMESA Secretariat in Lusaka, Zambia, as the organization awaits completion of their regional headquarters building in Lusaka. The Government of Zambia will provide other facilities and services.

In September 2018, the SDGC/Africa secured an opportunity to add a sub-regional center of excellence to support countries in the Southern African region in achieving the SDGs and the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063.

The purpose of the Center is to provide technical support, neutral advice and expertise as input to national governments, private sector, civil society, academic institutions to accelerate the implementation of the SDG agenda across Africa.

Ms Kapwepwe pledged to support the regional office given that the objectives of the two organizations are similar. Like the SDGC/A, COMESA relys more on research to advise member states on various trade related decisions.