Health and Sustainable Development: can Nigeria meet the 2030 target?
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Date
2024-06
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University of Port Harcourt Business School
Abstract
At the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, the UN and all stakeholders were swift to develop seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the year 2030 as target date. Since 2015, countries globally, have focused on policies and programmes required to achieve these goals before 2030. A critical examination of the progress recorded in achieving the goals showed evidently that some countries across developed and developing economies will no doubt meet the date. However, available facts suggest that Nigeria is lagging behind in several of the goals. The objective of this paper is to access Nigeria’s progress with respect to the attainment of goal 3 (good health and well-being) of the SDGs, using stylized facts and review of related literature. Findings of the study revealed that the state of health outcomes in Nigeria is not inspiring, given the slow progress in reducing infant, under-five and maternal mortality rates. Moreover, the degree of risk of major infectious diseases is still high while life expectancy is just a little above 50 years. These all reflect in the nation’s SDG 3 performance over the years. For instance, Nigeria’s SDG3 index, which rose from 27.6% in 2017 to 34.6% in 2018 dropped sharply to 28.04% in 2019 and further to 28.0% in 2020. By 2021 it increased marginally to 28.9% before surging to 31.5% in 2022, and thereafter to 36.2% in 2023. These suggested that Nigeria’s ability to achieve SDG3 by the target date may remain a mirage. Therefore, concrete and detailed policy initiatives should focus on improving health outcomes in the country. Specifically, budgetary allocation to the health sector should be raised substantially, health infrastructure and facility development should be accorded priority, attempt should be made to invest in activities that will improve health related SDGs while health personnel should be trained, retrained and retained in the country. In addition, more health sector research and development programmes should be encouraged, there should be strong commitment and political will on the part of the government towards implementation of health sector development policies and programmes, primary health centres across the country should be revamped, policies should encourage quality and timely data for effective planning, follow-up and review of SDG 3 implementation at national and sub- national levels while the remaining 16 SDGs should not be neglected because SDG 3 cannot be achieved in isolation of them since they are also related either directly or indirectly to health.
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Dauda, R.S. (2024). Health and sustainable development: can Nigeria meet the 2030 target? African Journal of Accounting, Finance & Marketing, 8(2), 14-29.