The Sustainable Development Goals: Contextualizing Africa's Economic and Health Landscape

Abstract

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) encompass 17 goals with targets and indicators, collectively striving to improve national, regional, continental, and global development. SDG 8 strives for improved and sustainable economic growth. Africa's population is estimated to increase markedly and rapidly over the next few decades. The African demographic dividend presents opportunities to be harnessed, but several socioeconomic challenges exist that may constrain progress for achieving the SDGs. Poverty and inequality are pervasive in Africa and constrain economic and health gains. SDG 3 aims for good health and well‐being for all ages and has 13 targets linked to 26 indicators. Collectively, SDG 3 targets aim to improve health outcomes by reducing mortality, ending epidemics, and preventing diseases to ensure affordable and quality healthcare access for all. The dynamic African health landscape and scarcity of healthcare human capital also present challenges for advancing SDG 3. The implementation of the SDGs presents major and complex challenges but ultimately yields rewards. Advancement across all SDG 3 targets is necessary for the benefit of healthier global citizens.

Sustainable Development Goal Integration, Interdependence, and Implementation: the Environment–Economic–Health Nexus and Universal Health Coverage

“…[3] For example, a severe drought (environment) may latently prompt famine and exacerbate poverty ((socio)economic) that is attributed to rising food inflation (economic) while also increasing the incidence of infections (health) due to water scarcity and impurity. Environmental disasters and events disrupt the health and economic landscapes.…”

“…[3] In addition, supporting SDGs to enable the realization of SDG 3 goals are maintaining a sustainable environment with responsible production and consumption (SDGs 11 and 12). Basic needs are to be met for effective health coverage such as alleviating poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2), family planning (aligned to SDG 5 on gender equality), providing decent jobs and growing the economy (SDG 8), and developing adequate infrastructure (SDG 9).…”

“…Environmental disasters and events disrupt the health and economic landscapes. [3] For example, a severe drought (environment) may latently prompt famine and exacerbate poverty ((socio)economic) that is attributed to rising food inflation (economic) while also increasing the incidence of infections (health) due to water scarcity and impurity. Further, cyclones (environment) and flash flooding (environment) drive the prioritization and reallocation of public funds (economic) for aiding displaced individuals and for restoring infrastructure possibly at the expense of healthcare (health) and welfare.…”

“…Further, cyclones (environment) and flash flooding (environment) drive the prioritization and reallocation of public funds (economic) for aiding displaced individuals and for restoring infrastructure possibly at the expense of healthcare (health) and welfare. [3] Expanding on this environment-economic-health nexus, the available infrastructure (environment) should be enabling and needs to be sustained by a stable growing economy (economy) to ensure the timely and reliable delivery of quality healthcare for all (health). The alignment of the environment-economichealth nexus enables global advancement of the integrated and interdependent SDGs.…”

“…Basic needs are to be met for effective health coverage such as alleviating poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2), family planning (aligned to SDG 5 on gender equality), providing decent jobs and growing the economy (SDG 8), and developing adequate infrastructure (SDG 9). [3] In addition, supporting SDGs to enable the realization of SDG 3 goals are maintaining a sustainable environment with responsible production and consumption (SDGs 11 and 12). [3] Hence, achieving SDG 3's health targets is dependent on the other influencing SDGs that regulate implementation, i.e., advance or constrain progress.…”