23 September 2016 – Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Guinea’s President today stressed that Africa needs deep structural transformations and a vibrant private sector to reduce vulnerability and build up the continent’s resilience.
President Alpha Condé welcomed the theme of the current Assembly session, ‘The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform our World,’ expressing hope that this annual debate by world leaders who gathered at UN Headquarters would “lead to the creation of necessary foundations” for such transformation.
He said that Africa – the continent with the world’s youngest population and some of its most vulnerable countries – requires particular attention in the implementation of the2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Public policies must integrate the needs of the most vulnerable, youth and women in particular, in order to enable them to realize their full potential, he said. Partnerships and financing are equally needed to accelerate growth.
Sustainable access to energy is another challenge to Africa, he continued, pointing out that 700 million Africans lack access to electricity. A robust plan for the continent’s electrification is needed within the framework of the Paris Agreement on climate change. With that in mind, he called upon the international community, global financial institutions in particular, to work with the continent to help build a strong Africa.
At the same time, he said, Guinea is proud of its contribution to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), notably its deployment of a battalion of 850 men to Kidal. Guinea has paid a heavy price with the loss of nine soldiers in less than one year, he said, emphasizing that much must be done to ensure Mali’s sovereignty and improve its capability to prevent future attacks.
Turning to the Ebola outbreak, he cautioned that, while the victory in ending the outbreak was something for all to celebrate, the road ahead is long. The disease has undermined all economic activities in Guinea and made women and young people especially vulnerable. He expressed gratitude to all partners that have allowed Guinea, as well as Liberia and Sierra Leone, to re-engage quickly on the road to sustainable development.
