The Role of Social Studies in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria: An Overview

Abstract

This paper highlights the transformative role of social studies education in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals adopted in 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly which sets out a framework to achieve the goals in a span of 15 years, by 2030. This paper shows that social studies, as an interdisciplinary discipline, plays a pivotal role in creating awareness and fostering civic engagement among Nigerian citizens to achieve these development goals. Also, this paper explores the crucial role of the social studies curriculum particularly in higher education institutions in advancing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by fostering a deep understanding of societal challenges and encouraging active engagement in addressing them. This paper underscores the need for integrating principles of sustainable development into the social studies curriculum and provides recommendations for effective implementation strategies.