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Africa’s Decade of Delivery is now - Amina Mohammed on SABII launch

09 January 2026

Caption: UNDP South Africa launched Digital Innovation for Modernising the Independent Economy (DIME) to modernise South Africa’s independent economy to unlock township growth through digital innovation, inclusion, and industrialization

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed calls for pledges to become capital, partnerships to deliver results, and Africa to drive global growth.

With just five years left to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed delivered a stark message at the launch of the South Africa Business Initiative for Impact (SABII) emphasizing that Africa’s opportunity was enormous — but time was running out.

“The clock isn’t just ticking, it’s deafening,” Mohammed said. “But Africa holds the answers.”

Those answers are already visible. Africa’s consumer market is projected to reach $2.5 trillion (R40 trillion), the continent holds 300 gigawatts of renewable energy potential, and transforming food systems could create millions of jobs. Closing the digital divide alone could unlock $700 billion (11.2 trillion) in gross domestic product.

SABII, anchored in the UN’s Global Africa Business Initiative, is designed to convert this potential into measurable impact by mobilizing business leadership across digital innovation, energy transition, food systems transformation, and human capital development, supported by blended finance and scalable partnerships.

The Deputy Secretary-General was clear on what must change to turn ambition into action: financing must match scale, partnerships must deliver results, and solutions must position Africa as a driver of global growth.

“Pledges must become capital, and capital must flow to where transformation happens,” she stressed, calling on businesses to lead with innovation while governments enable bold reforms.

For South African and global businesses alike, the message is unmistakable: this is not a future opportunity, it is a present-day investment case. The decisions taken now will determine whether Africa’s final stretch towards 2030 becomes a missed deadline or a defining decade of delivery.

Business must act with urgency: invest boldly, set up strategic partnerships, and scale-up solutions that turn Africa’s vast potential into shared prosperity for all.

Summary write-up from remarks by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.