On Thursday September 25, 2025, the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) witnessed a strong display of African leadership and global collaboration as celebrated Ghanaian media personality Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong moderated two high-level panel discussions and delivered remarks on another panel at the Goals Lounge – a special initiative convened by the UN Deputy Secretary-General and hosted by the UN Office for Partnerships.
Nana Yaa, a passionate SDG Advocate who currently celebrates 26 years of impact in media, made Ghana proud at this year’s UNGA in New York.
The Goals Lounge brought together world leaders, UN officials, private sector executives, and media practitioners to address urgent global issues.
Nana Yaa Sarpong shared the stage with distinguished figures including Jessica Alupo, Vice President of Uganda; Annemarie Hou, Executive Director of UN Partnerships; Gerd Müller, Director-General of UNIDO; Edmondo Cirielli, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy; Federica Diamanti, Associate Vice President for External Relations at IFAD; and Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communication.
The first session she moderated was dubbed “Brewing Sustainability: The Global Coffee Dialogue,” which examined sustainable sourcing and the future of global coffee trade as a means of sustaining livelihood.
The programme generated insightful sessions where people, ideas, and actions were shared on.
The event spotlighted a multi-stakeholder partnership, strengthening the global coffee value chain as a catalyst for sustainable development. Globally, over 12.5 million farmers depend on coffee production, with 80% grown by smallholder farmers.
The dialogue also brought to the fore coffee’s role linking agriculture, industry, and climate policy, while showcasing the Advancing Climate Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee (ACT) Programme as a platform for investment and collaboration.
Subsequently, she again moderated the insighful panel on ‘Reframing the SDGs: Africa’s Voice, Media’s Power and Impactful Narratives.’
The session explored how Africa can reset the SDG narrative by centering its own voices, experiences, and innovations. Through storytelling for impact, panellists discussed how media can amplify African-led solutions and drive public engagement.
The conversation highlighted the role of journalists, creatives, and communicators in shaping a development narrative that reflects Africa’s complexity, resilience, and promise.
She addressed a session on “Beyond the Headlines: How Women Media Leaders Are Expanding the Story.”
Women media leaders are transforming the industry, breaking barriers, challenging bias, and the evolving role of women in media on reshaping narratives.
This session spotlighted the contribution of women media leaders, with insights from the UN Global Women in Media Report 2025, and the power of inclusive storytelling in shaping public understanding of peace, security, and progress in today’s complex global landscape.
Reflecting on her participation, Nana Yaa Sarpong described the opportunity as both an honour and a responsibility, underscoring the importance of amplifying African voices and centering women in global conversations.
“It is a privilege to use my platform to highlight issues of sustainability, gender equity, and Africa’s leadership in shaping global narratives,” she noted.
The sessions, now available for public viewing, form part of the broader activities of the 80th UNGA in New York, which continues to convene world leaders, policymakers, civil society, and private sector partners in pursuit of accelerated progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Also present were Arthur Karuletwa – VP Sustainable Sourcing and Impact, Chobani, Vanusia Nogueira – International Coffee Organization, Executive Director, Solomon Sabiti Rutega – Secretary General, Inter-African Coffee Organisation, Andrea Illy – President of illycaffè, Ambassador John Ulanga – Ambassador and Director of International Trade and Economic Diplomacy at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief of Ending Violence against Women at UN Women; Olusola Momoh, Co-founder and Vice Chairman of Channels Television in Nigeria; Jennifer Zabasajja, Chief Africa Anchor at Bloomberg; and Ginger Zee, Chief Meteorologist and Climate Correspondent for ABC News, among other global voices from international organizations and industry.
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong is also an Entrepreneur, International Trade Consultant, Pastor, Women & Youth and SDG Advocate.
She is the General Manager of Ghana’s media group – EIB Network, and the Founder and President of Women In Sustainability Africa (WiSA), which was recently launched to mark a new beginning to accelerate growth towards the closure of the SDG gaps, including gender inequality.
