Transiting from Plan to Implementation: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria

Global efforts over the next 15 years will focus on successfully implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed to under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Most developing countries will face enormous challenges because they lack the necessary means of implementation (MoI). This study examines the adequacy of various MoI for the SDGs in Nigeria, focusing on five key areas: the ease of mainstreaming international goals into national plans; the efficacy of management, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; the ability of financing options to meet financing needs; the robustness of stakeholders and partnerships; and the level of statistical capacity. The study finds that the existing MoI in Nigeria are inadequate, and will require significant improvement to implement the SDGs successfully. However, there is potential to mitigate the challenges with proactive government and complementary roles by key stakeholders, such as development partners, the private sector and civil society.