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KENYA’S PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE UN 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SGDs A BOON TOTHE UNITED
On 17th June, 2020, the 193 United Nations member States will elect 5 states to take up the Non-Permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2021-22.Kenyawill be on the ballot vying for the single seat available for Africa having been endorsed by the African Union in August, 2019 as the AU Candidate for the position.
Kenya is persuaded that global challenges are only surmountable if the world’s rules based multilateral system is deployed in a manner that attracts consensus not only in the appreciation of the challenges, but also in the evolution of practical response strategies. The 10-point Agenda that Kenya promises to champion in the Security Council is largely premised on the SDGs. The process leading to the adoption of the SDG’s was multilateral diplomacy at its best demonstrated by building of bridges between diametrically opposing opinions resulting in some of the most profound commitments ever by Member States in the history of the United Nations. Kenya was at the very centre of this process.
In 2013-2014, the world entrusted Kenya and Hungary withco-facilitation of the international negotiation process that created the global sustainable development goals (SDGs). The mandate was clear but the task was not easy. Collecting and collating ideas from all stakeholders and refining them into simple consumable thoughts was just one part. Moderating the concepts and diverse schools of thought and building consensus around them was another critical part. Most importantlywas to provide sound leadershipto guide the parties navigate the complex terrain of positions held by different countries and groupings.
The end of the SDGs formation ushered in deliberations on the Post 2015 development Agenda in September, 2014. Because of its impressive leadership in the SDGs process, Kenya was again appointed by the President of the 71st session of UN General Assembly to co- facilitate the 2030 UN Agenda design process together with Ireland. The process successfully culminated in the adoption of the 2030 UN Agenda for sustainable development at a summit in New York in September, 2015.
Subsequently, and as a follow up, Kenya has, and continues to work on global multilateral projects, such as the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference with Japan and Canada, and many others on various issues of interest and concern, ranging from climate change, among others, to the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD), co-hosted in November 2019 with UNFPA and Denmark. These milestones are a seminal legacy of Kenya’s great multilateralism spirit.
Kenya’s skills in multilateral diplomacy, as demonstrated in the SDG process, SBEC and others, will be exemplified in the Security Council in at least three ways:First, Kenya will bring on board consensus building capabilities, more so within the context of unprecedented challenges occasioned by the global COVID-19 pandemic and other existential threats. Second, the Council will benefit from Kenya’s objectivity and trustworthiness which is necessary particularly in helping countries in conflict to arrive at common understanding of variousissues.Third,Kenya’s consistencywill bring in an element of certaintyparticularly on any Kenya-led agenda. These three qualities are crucial for building peace and security in our world.
Kenya’s leadership in multilateral diplomacy has stood out even during these extraordinary times of global COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the current chair of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and a member of the Bureau of African Union Heads of State and Government, has been engaging world leaders and institutions in proffering solutions for concerted response measures to the COVID-19 pandemic. He hosted the First Extra Ordinary Summit of the OACPS on 3rd June 2020 under the theme “Transcending the COVID-19 Pandemic: Building Resilience through Global Solidarity”whose focus was addressing current and post COVID-19 challenges. Additionally, Kenya has initiated many webinars and virtual meetings at technical and ministerial levels.
The SDGs/2030 Agenda process is only one of many instances that show casesKenya’s leadership in multilateral diplomacy. The country has demonstrated thought and practical leadership in many other areas which will be useful in the pursuit of the 10 point agenda once in the Council.
As a proven team player and stickler of a rules based multilateralism as well as its rich experience, Kenya is a safe pair of hands and stands ready to deliver on its promise as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.Kenya is ready to serve.
Amb. Macharia Kamau CBS
Principal Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On Sunday, October 11, 2026, it was the turn of Ghanaian Catholics in Finland to lead the singing in the church service of the African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland (ACCF).
It was indeed a spirit-filled feeling for worshippers present. And for the Ghanaian migrants, the occasion also brought back to them memories of church services in their home country, Ghana.
The ACCF has a roster for each country/community to sing from time to time. Next Sunday will be the turn of the Nigerian community. Other communities that usually sing are the Kenyan/Tanzanian community, the Cameroonian, the Ugandan, group, etc.
A powerful religious experience
The mass services of the Chaplaincy usually give a powerful religious experience and a display of cultural diversity, especially in occasions such as when the Bishop of Helsinki, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola, celebrated mass with the Chaplaincy on Pentecost Day, May 24, 2026.
There was a similar time of spiritual joy last month (September 27, 2026) when Emeritus Bishop Teemu Sippo, former Bishop of Helsinki, visited the Chaplaincy. Bishop Teemu was the main celebrant, assisted by the Chaplain, Reverend Father Thomas Otieno.
Last Sunday, Reverend Father Bernard Sor, a Ghanaian Catholic priest based in Austria, was the main celebrant in the mass service where he performed a rite of baptism. Fr Bernard had celebrated mass a few months ago when he visited his sister and her husband in Helsinki. 
All these well-attended religious occasions indeed leave lasting memories. The homilies (peaching) by the priests usually emphasize religious tenets such as the importance of loving and serving God in truth, existing in peace with our fellow humans to promote unity in diversity, etc.
Unity in diversity and a colourful display of cultures
The African Chaplaincy church services usually produce impressive displays of diverse cultures from different parts of Africa and elsewhere. The events are often spiced by rich cultural displays of dances and colourful attires which are a delight to watch.
On special occasions, members of the Ghanaian Catholic community, in their gay and colourful kente attire and with adowa dance and music, usually lead the procession into the church. Other communities such as the Cameroonian, Nigerian, Kenyan and Tanzanian as well as Sudanese/South Sudanese groups also put up well-choreographed performances from their cultures.
The African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland
The African Chaplaincy was founded on June 4, 2017, which was a Pentecost Sunday, in a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Monsignor Emeritus Sippo S.C.I., the then Bishop of Helsinki, at the St. Mary’s Catholic Parish Church in Helsinki.
The Chaplaincy was created by Bishop Teemu in collaboration with the Diocesan body when they detected a great flocking of African immigrants to Finland, the majority of whom were Catholics. This was to give the immigrants a possibility to integrate into the Finnish society by worshiping as Catholics and in their African cultural identity.
The responsibility of the Chaplaincy was given by Bishop Teemu to Father Dr Leonard Wobilla Shwei, who is thus the first Chaplain and ably led the Chaplaincy. He was succeeded a few years ago by Father Thomas Otieno, who continues to move the Chaplaincy forward. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
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She did not find out he was cheating. She found out he was drowning.
It was two weeks after their beautiful wedding. The jollof was still in the fridge. A loan officer called her number-not his-and politely asked, “Madam, please tell your husband to pay his overdue loan. We have been calling him.”
That was how she discovered her new husband had entered their marriage with a hidden debt of over GH¢ 40,000. No cheating. No other woman. Just a financial secret.
And that is how many Ghanaian marriages begin to die. Not with a shout, but with a secret alert on a phone.
We prepare for the wedding. We do not prepare for the wallet.
What is money honesty?
Let me define it simply. Money honesty is not that you both earn the same. It is that you both know the same. It is the ability to sit down and say without fear:
“This is how much I earn.”
“This is how much I owe.”
“This is how I was raised to see money.”
“This is what scares me about money.”
Financial transparency is not about control. It is about clarity. You cannot build trust on top of secrets.
Many couples tell me, “Counsellor, we love each other, love will handle money.” I always answer, “Love is the car, but money honesty is the fuel. Love without honesty cannot move.”
How To Buy Your Marriage Insurance Today – My 5-Step Protocol
If you are engaged, newly married, or even 20 years in marriage, you can still fix this. At Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult—CPAC, this is what I give couples:
Step 1: The 90-Minute Money Naked Session.
No phones, no blame. Each partner writes down on paper: Monthly income, monthly debts, monthly family obligations, savings, and your biggest money fear. Then you exchange papers. Read it. Don’t react for 24 hours. Just absorb.
Step 2: Create OUR Money, YOUR Money, My Money.
You need three pots. OUR money for rent, food, school fees, utilities, properties, and the like— joint contribution. YOUR money and MY money—a small agreed allowance no one questions. This stops the feeling of being controlled.
Step 3: The No-Secret Debt Rule.
Agree from today: No new loan, no new hire purchase, no new family financial commitment above GHS 500 without telling each other first. Not permission, but information.
Step 4: Talk About Your Money Personality.
Are you a Spender or a Saver? Are you Risky or Safe? Most Ghanaian marriages are a Spender married to a Saver. Neither is wrong. But if you don’t understand your partner’s personality, you will call his saving “stinginess” and her spending “wastefulness.”
Step 5: Do a Monthly 30-Minute Money Date
Not an argument date. Light, with tea. “How did we do this month? What worried you? What should we plan for next month?” Couples who do this divorce far less.
My Final Word
Before you say “I Do” at the altar, have pre-marital counselling and also have the money talk on the sofa.
Ask your partner:
“If I lost my job today, how long can we survive?”
“What debt are you bringing into this marriage?”
“How much do you send to your family monthly and will that continue?”
If he or she gets angry that you asked, don’t get married yet. A person who is angry about accountability will be abusive about money.
Marriage insurance is not bought at Star Assurance or Enterprise. It is bought in honest conversations when no one is watching.
The wedding costs one day. The marriage costs a lifetime. Don’t enter a lifetime contract and covenant with hidden costs.
You can still insure your marriage today.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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