The East African Legislative Assembly is gearing up to take a more central role in the implementation of the Post 2015 Agenda through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This happens at the backdrop of an impending UN global Summit in New York later this month to adopt the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

Earlier, many African governments used the MDGs to set development targets, mobilize stakeholders, allocate funds, and hold their ministries accountable. Despite significant progress on all the MDGs, about 80 per cent of the people living on less than USD 1.25 a day are located in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and 60 per cent in just five countries, India, Nigeria, China, Bangladesh and Congo.

The MDGs taught Africa how to set goals and drum up support for the goals. Over-reliance on donor-centric goals will deny Africa the opportunity to engage in internal transformation and create a generation of Africans that does not take responsibility in steering the destiny of their continent. It is time Africa took responsibility and worked towards improving living standards on the continent.