LASG hosts regional stakeholders forum on SDGs
The Lagos State Government, through the Office of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), hosted a high-level Regional Stakeholders Consultation on Nigeria’s 2025 Voluntary National Review (VNR) on Sustainable Development to evaluate progress, address implementation challenges, and enhance multi-stakeholders collaboration towards advancing SDG attainment at both national and subnational levels.
The crucial engagement, convened under the auspices of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs (OSSAP-SDGs), brought together key stakeholders from across the South-West geopolitical zone, including government officials, development partners, civil society organizations, and academia.
In her keynote address, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, highlighted the importance of the VNR process as a mechanism for measuring national and subnational progress, identifying gaps, and enhancing accountability in SDGs implementation.
Orelope, who was represented by her Technical Assistant, Dr. Bala Yinusa, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda, emphasising the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to accelerate sustainable development efforts across the country.
Orelope noted that the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, which serves as the global review platform for the SDGs, will convene in July 2025, where Nigeria will present its third VNR report alongside 38 other countries.
Welcoming delegates to the forum, the Special Adviser to the Governor on SDGs, Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih, commended OSSAP-SDGs for convening the dialogue, stressing the pivotal role of subnational governments in translating the SDGs into practical, local implementation.
She stressed that as Nigeria moves closer to the 2030 deadline, the 2025 VNR consultation provides an excellent platform to re-evaluate progress, identify bottlenecks, and co-create scalable solutions for accelerating SDG implementation at both national and subnational levels.
Dr. Finnih encouraged government institutions, private sector leaders, development partners, and civil society actors to contribute their insights and expertise to shape a more inclusive and results-driven VNR, noting that the national review is not just a formality, but a true reflection of the progress, challenges, and solutions needed to fast-track the SDGs.
