In September 2015, world leaders gathered at the United Nations to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a 17-goal blueprint intended to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and build peaceful and inclusive societies by 2030.

The SDGs were not created in a vacuum; they built on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which ran from 2000 to 2015.

The MDGs brought some progress, reducing extreme poverty globally and improving primary school enrollment, but they were criticized for being narrow, donor-driven, and failing to address inequality and governance.

The SDGs were thus envisioned as a more holistic, ambitious, and inclusive roadmap for the world.

Now, with barely five years to the 2030 deadline, the question is pressing: Is Ghana truly on track to fulfill this global blueprint, or are we betraying the very aspirations we pledged to uphold?

The Environment: Gold or Poison?

One of the boldest commitments of the SDGs is to safeguard the planet (Goals 13, 14, and 15). Ghana, once praised for its lush forests and mighty rivers, now battles the devastating consequences of illegal mining, galamsey.

Forest reserves are depleted at alarming rates, rivers such as Pra, Offin, and Ankobra have turned brown with mercury and cyanide, and entire farming communities are left with infertile land.

Yet the tragedy is not only environmental; it is political. Heavy chemicals used in mining have seeped into food crops, raising concerns of chronic diseases such as kidney failure and cancers.

And the most damning question must be asked: Do our politicians drink the same polluted water we are forced to drink, or do they import theirs from abroad? Do they eat the same contaminated food that ordinary Ghanaians consume, or do they reserve safe meals for their families while the poor are left to suffer?

If the SDGs demand climate action and environmental stewardship, then Ghana’s failure to curb galamsey is not just a local disaster, it is a betrayal of a global pact.

Health: Hospitals Without Healing

The SDGs envision universal health coverage by 2030 (Goal 3). Ghana has made progress with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), but let us confront the uncomfortable truth: how many of our hospitals are truly ready to treat serious illnesses?

Across the country, patients still queue in overcrowded wards, basic equipment such as MRI machines and ventilators are lacking, and nurses struggle with overwhelming numbers due to staff shortages.

The most painful irony lies in the hypocrisy of leadership. When our leaders fall sick, they board the next flight to London, Germany, or South Africa.

If Ghana’s hospitals are “good enough” for the ordinary citizen, why are they never good enough for our politicians? This is not simply a health crisis; it is a moral question about justice, equality, and leadership accountability.

Education: Promise or Privilege?

The SDGs pledge inclusive and equitable quality education for all (Goal 4). Ghana’s Free SHS policy has opened the doors of secondary education to many, yet deep cracks remain.

Classrooms are overcrowded, quality is uneven, and many children with disabilities are still excluded from mainstream learning.

Worse still, schemes designed to support the poor have been hijacked. The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and GNPC scholarships, intended for brilliant but needy students, have too often been diverted to the privileged children of politicians and elites.

How long will a poor child from a rural village be denied opportunity because scholarships now depend on “who you know” rather than what you deserve?

Inclusive education cannot exist in a system where the wealthy benefit from schemes designed for the poor. If Ghana is serious about achieving the SDGs, then fairness, not favoritism, must govern educational opportunity.

Peace and Strong Institutions: Between Ballots and Bullets

The SDGs commit nations to peace, justice, and strong institutions (Goal 16). But in Ghana, peace is increasingly fragile.

Electoral violence, from the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election in 2019 to skirmishes in other constituencies, has left scars on our democracy.

The use of vigilante groups, intimidation, and bloodshed in elections raise troubling questions: Are our ballots still sacred, or have they become stained with blood?

Meanwhile, corruption continues to hollow out institutions. State resources meant for development are siphoned into private pockets by leaders entrusted to protect them.

The Auditor-General’s reports tell a consistent story of billions lost to financial irregularities.

Yet how often do we see real accountability? Why should leaders who have stolen from the people walk freely, even celebrated, while the poor thief of a goat is jailed? If strong institutions are the backbone of development, then Ghana risks paralysis from the cancer of corruption.

The Sustainable Development Goals are not abstract ideals; they are promises to humanity.

They are commitments that by 2030, every Ghanaian child will drink clean water, breathe clean air, attend quality schools, and live in peace under accountable leadership. But time is running out.

So, we must ask ourselves: Are we building a Ghana where development is sustainable, or are we mortgaging the future for short-term gains? Do we truly honor the SDGs, or do we use them as slogans while everyday reality betrays them?

History will not forgive excuses. With five years left, Ghana stands at a crossroads. The choice is stark: rise to the challenge of the SDGs or fail a generation yet unborn.

Joseph Odoom

A student at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), University of Ghana.