Chaired by Koffi Annan, this year's Africa Progress Report among other things, it will focus on Creating jobs, sustaining growth and eradicating poverty in a
carbon-constrained world demands a restructuring of energy systems and a
deeper appreciation of the boundaries of our ecological systems.
In preparation the Africa Progress Panel organised three expert consultations,
co-hosted a fourth with Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of
Governance and attended meetings in Ghana and Kenya to brainstorm on the
report’s themes.
The six meetings, held
in Geneva, London, Oxford, Ghana and Kenya, brought together experts
and representatives from the private sector, government, multilateral
agencies, non-governmental organisations, think tanks and academia to
discuss ways in which to transform Africa’s energy, agriculture and
finance sectors.
With the world aiming for a major climate
change deal this year, the Africa Progress Report 2015 will show
how Africa can turn climate challenges into opportunities by
transforming its energy, agriculture and finance sectors.
Africa
needs more energy now – and everyone must have access. Energy is vital
for economic growth, job creation and reducing poverty.
Africa is likely to
need fossil fuels for some time; no industrialized country has
developed using clean energy alone. But if African countries seriously
commit themselves now to renewable energy sources, such as hydro,
geothermal and solar power, they could leapfrog to cleaner energy as
they have to mobile telephony – bypassing dependence on high-carbon
fuels.
This energy transition must be
matched by an agricultural transformation that unlocks the potential
of Africa’s smallholder farmers to drive the continent’s development –
while enabling them to cope with the multiple threats from climate
change.
These transformations in energy,
agriculture and climate change adaptation will only happen if Africa
receives more international financial support, mobilizes more domestic
finance and strengthens its financial architecture. The Africa Progress
Report 2015 will look at how African policymakers
can maximize all sources of finance, including domestic savings and
private capital.
There is plenty of
evidence that the right climate change response could also build
Africa’s prosperity. The Africa Progress Report 2015 will gather that
evidence to make a powerful case for transforming Africa’s energy,
agriculture and finance.
