Goal Number 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure

Infrastructure, industrialization, and innovation are three key facets of sustainable development. First, infrastructure provides the fundamental physical infrastructure needed by industry and society. Industrialization promotes economic growth and job creation, which helps to reduce income inequality. Finally, innovation boosts the technological prowess of industrial sectors and results in the acquisition of new skills. (SDG Compass, 2015)¹.

Why is infrastructure essential?

Aging, degraded or non-existent infrastructure makes conducting suitable business challenging. The capacity to conveniently access these resources is essential for opening up new markets because the business relies on labor, materials, and other available resources everywhere in the world. Nowadays, most companies place a high value on computing and technology-based abilities, and consumers of everyday goods and services are accessible on every continent. However, the lack of a fundamental infrastructure that supports technologies such as communications, transportation, and sanitation that businesses rely on impedes economic growth and societal advancement. (SDG Compass, 2015)¹. 

 

 Infrastructure provides a commercial opportunity. Businesses can help through development initiatives in areas in which they operate by proposing to innovate sustainably, increasing flexibility throughout all firm operations, investing in resilient energy and communications technology, and updating local infrastructure. By doing this, they can guarantee that everyone has access to this technology, including impoverished and disadvantaged populations who may not have it. Providing critical financial services and job opportunities to smaller and minority-owned enterprises is another way multinational corporations can support inclusive infrastructure development.

Infrastructure is critical because it is one of the main drivers of economic growth, and we all pay for it and use it. For example, every citizen has a right to expect a comfortable and secure lifestyle. Every community needs access to sanitary waste disposal and clean water at the most fundamental level. Infrastructure not keeping up well can cause a terrible loss of lives and property. American examples of infrastructure failure include

- In 2017, we saw the evacuation of thousands of Californians after the spillway of the Oroville Dam deteriorated.

- Children's health in Flint, Michigan, in 2014 was impacted by unsafe drinking water from lead supply pipes.

- A public health concern was caused by sewer leaks amid heavy rains in Houston, Texas, in 2009.

- In 2007, the Interstate 35W Bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing several drivers.

- Communities in New Orleans, Louisiana, were inundated due to Hurricane Katrina's levee failure and pumping stations. (ThoughtCo. 2019)².

 

One of the main forces driving economic expansion is manufacturing. However, disparities in the value added in the manufacturing sector highlight the formidable obstacles that the most underdeveloped nations must overcome and their potential for development. For instance, in 2015, the least developed countries (LDCs') manufacturing value added (MVA) per capita was less than 100 US dollars annually, compared to 4,926 US dollars in developed regions. Significant investment is required to advance economic and technological development in the LDCs and double the industry's contribution to their gross domestic product. Nevertheless, the trends in MVA are comparable to those in manufacturing jobs, with consistent gains in developing nations and a minor fall in developed regions. Given that substantial portions of the population continue to work in agriculture and other traditional industries, the LDCs have an exceptionally high potential for growth in manufacturing employment. (United Nations, 2015)ᶟ.

 

Resources:

(1). GRI, UN Global Compact, and WBCSD. (2015) SDG 9: Build resilient

infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster

innovation. Available at: SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and

sustainable industrialization and foster innovation – SDG Compass [Accessed 07, October 2022]

 

(2). Craven, J. (2019) The Importance of Infrastructure. Available at: The

Importance of Infrastructure (thoughtco.com) [Accessed 07, October 2022]

 

(3). United Nations. (2015) Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote

inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. Available at:

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and

 ]foster innovation — SDG Indicators (un.org) [Accessed 07, October 2022]