Madrid: Nigeria has secured a seat at the Total Official Support for Sustainable Development Goals (TOSSD) as a major player, according to Dr. Yusuf Yakub, the Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC). Yakub made this announcement during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while attending the TOSSD General Assembly Meeting in Madrid, Spain.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, TOSSD is a multilateral development cooperation agency based in Paris, France. It serves as a statistical metric that monitors a broad spectrum of global resource flows dedicated to supporting sustainable development. This encompasses official development finance, private finance mobilized by official support, and domestic contributions to global public goods, such as pandemic preparedness. TOSSD's primary objective is to offer a comprehensive overview of international support for the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Yakub emphasized Nigeria's longstanding commitment to the sustainable development goals of TOSSD, having been an observer since 2017. He highlighted Nigeria's efforts in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme, which has been addressing educational and professional gaps in countries requiring assistance for 38 years.
He further stated that Nigeria was granted membership in TOSSD following an extensive presentation of TAC's engagements over the years to the 28 EU Member States. "Nigeria was then given a membership seat and was also adopted into the Steering Committee of TOSSD. Nigeria is now accepted as a full-time member of TOSSD," he said.
Yakub underscored the significance of Nigeria's full membership in the organization, emphasizing its role in providing sustainable development goals worldwide. The TOSSD General Assembly Meeting was attended by the 28-member State of the EU body, which includes countries such as France, Greece, Norway, and Qatar, as well as representatives from the Organisation of American States.