SDGs: ACCA launches sustainability hour for Nigerian schools

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has introduced My ACCA Sustainability Hour, a six-month educational initiative aimed at teaching Nigerian schoolchildren about sustainable development and global citizenship.

Targeted at students aged 10 to 16, the programme will feature monthly modules on selected United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each module focuses on themes such as climate action, poverty, hunger, water, energy, and waste management.

Speaking during the launch, ACCA’s Director for Africa, Jamil Ampomah, said the initiative demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to building a generation that can lead on sustainability and drive the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He warned that global progress towards the SDGs had slowed, with conflicts, climate change, and economic downturns threatening development gains.

“Education is a transformative entry point that bridges the gap between goals, policy, and investment, helping societies confront complex realities such as cultural dynamics and inequality,” Ampomah stated.

The 2025 Sustainable Development Goals Report revealed that only 35 per cent of SDG targets are on track, with 18 per cent in reverse.

Rukaiya El-Rufai, Special Adviser to the President on National Economic Council and Climate Change, commended ACCA for targeting schools, describing education as critical to achieving sustainable development.

She lamented that over 272 million children and youth remained out of school globally in 2023, stressing that integrating SDG learning into classrooms would empower future generations with the skills to tackle global challenges such as poverty and climate change.

Similarly, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on SDGs, Dr Oreoluwa Finnih, hailed the initiative for aligning with Lagos’ THEMES Agenda and the state’s efforts to embed sustainability in governance.

Finnih urged students to take sustainability seriously, describing it as the foundation for shared prosperity and environmental stewardship.

A member of the ACCA curriculum team, Mr Wonderful Olulano, said the initiative encourages project-based learning, where students design practical solutions to real-world problems like hunger and inequality.

He added that the goal is to inspire critical thinking among students and foster collaboration among teachers, parents, and guardians.

At the launch, students shared their experiences. Jennifer Obiorah from Queen’s College said she learnt the value of recycling waste materials such as paper and plastics, while Okon Mitchell of King’s College remarked that the programme taught him that “nothing is a waste until you waste it.”