Sustainable development has been at the centre of discourse in African countries and the African Union (AU) in contemporary times. This is especially relevant with recent international initiatives developed in the global sphere (Sustainable Development Goals) and under the auspices of the AU (Agenda 2063). This presentation will critically analyse the aforementioned initiatives and their possible implications in the sustainable development paradigm in Africa.
This presentation is divided into five sections. The first section focuses on the evolution and definition of the concept of sustainable development. The second section highlights the sustainable development paradigm from developing and developed countries perspectives. The third part focuses on the AU initiatives directly and implicitly promoting sustainable development on the continent. The fourth section of the paper focuses on recent global initiatives on sustainable development not limited to the Earth Summit 2012 and the recent Sustainable Development Goals. In conclusion, this paper contends that AU and its agencies (including Civil Society) have contributed positively to the recent international initiatives on sustainable development.