Ghana is expanding its tracking of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) progress, with over 15 districts now preparing Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), according to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
The announcement came during a stakeholder awareness engagement in Atebubu-Amantin Municipality in the Bono East Region on accelerating SDGs implementation through localisation to ensure that no one and no place is left behind, where the Director General of the NDPC Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, outlined efforts to accelerate SDG implementation through localisation strategies.
"Currently, more than 15 districts including Atebubu-Amantin Municipal are at various levels of reviewing to report on their performance," stated Dr. Smock Amoah during the meeting.
This represents growth since Ghana's first VLR was produced by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in 2020. In July 2024, two additional districts - Ga West Municipal and Sekondi, and Takoradi Metropolitan Assemblies completed their reviews and presented them at the High-Level Political Forum in New York.
At the same event, UNICEF Ghana pledged support for the VLR process, with their representative Rebecca Ama Koramah Kumi, Child Rights Monitoring Specialist calling it "an exciting and strategic platform" for municipalities to assess SDG progress that reflects local realities and priorities.
The UNICEF representative noted Atebubu-Amantin's performance in the 2023 District League Table, pointing out areas needing improvement. The municipality ranked 228 out of 261 districts in education and scored 52.8 out of 100 in sanitation, with an overall ranking of 193.
"The VLR is a chance to identify the existing gaps and build a shared vision with community stakeholders to ensure a better performance in the next DLT," the UNICEF representative stated.
UNICEF is supporting the VLR process in five participating Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, helping to build capacity, improve local data systems, and promote inclusive development planning.
"We expect the VLR process to provide a clearer understanding of the situation of children in the district, and to generate solid evidence on which areas of child rights require greater focus in local planning and budgeting," the UNICEF representative added.
As part of this nationwide initiative, the NDPC has provided technical assistance to all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies across Ghana. More than 20 MMDAs and 50 district officers have received specialized training to review and report on SDG implementation.
The NDPC explained that these local reviews complement national reporting efforts and help ensure the global goals address specific community needs. By integrating SDGs into local development plans and budgets, the needs of marginalized and vulnerable communities can be better addressed.
The meeting on the theme, ‘from goals to action – turning global commitments into local realities’ highlighted the progress Ghana has made since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, at the national and sub-national levels, alongside the 17 SDGs that aim to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and promote peace and prosperity
Ghana will present its third Voluntary National Review on SDG progress at the High-Level Political Forum in July 2025, building on previous reports submitted since 2019.