Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has advised business leaders to prioritise sustainability in their operations by adopting eco-friendly practices.

He advised them to collaborate with government and other stakeholders as well as adopt innovative business modules to foster social and environmental well-being. This, he noted, will add to efforts being made to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Dr. Bawumia said this in a keynote address at the 2023 Ghana Chief Executive Officers Awards, which acknowledges and rewards the contributions of corporate executives and entrepreneurs who are making outstanding efforts to attain sustainable development in the country.

The Veep’s call came at a point when the 2021 SDG index ranked the country 107 out of 193 countries considered – pointing out the need for active private-sector involvement to change the narrative, given their role in the business environment.

“According to the United Nations Global Compact, the private sector accounts for 60 percent of the world’s GDP, 90 percent of employment and 80 percent of capital flows globally; thus, the private sector’s role in promoting sustainable development and achieving the SDGs cannot be underestimated,” he said.

He also acknowledged the public sector’s critical role in providing an enabling environment for the private sector to drive the agenda. “We cannot just leave it to the private sector in terms of achieving the SDGs; the public sector has an important role to play in areas such as macro-stability, address systems, financial inclusion through mobile money interoperability, digital payments, digital address systems and domestic revenue mobilisation, and this is what government is very much engaged in.

“Business leadership plays a pivotal role in achieving the SDGs, given the private sector’s role in fostering innovation, job creation and driving economic growth,” he added.

He further called on businesses to invest in clean energy, enhance working conditions, support education and healthcare access, and contribute to community development through skills-education.

Awards

The Ghana CEO Awards second edition was on the theme ‘The role of business leadership toward achieving the SDGs in Ghana’. The award scheme seeks to identify, honour and celebrate a cross-section of the nation’s most influential and accomplished CEOs.

The CEO of Globe Productions – the organiser, Latif Abubakar, said the awards are the ultimate platform for celebrating visionaries who have thrived against the odds and brought ideas into existence.

“To each CEO and organisation that has contributed and made an effort, we wish you well now and always. We urge you to take your efforts a notch further and support Africa’s biggest theatrical venture, The Second Coming of Nkrumah – which will come on from the (AICC) 12th to 17th December 2023. This is one of the spectacular activities brought to you by The African Festival,” he added.