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GOVERNING INCLUSIVE GREEN GROWTH IN AFRICA

 Project Duration: 2016-2018

Grantor: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), UK

Principal Investigator: Dr. Chukwumerije Okereke, University of Reading, UK

Email: c.okere@reading.ac.uk

ATPS Co-Investigator: Dr. Nicholas Ozor, Executive Director, ATPS, Kenya

Emails: nozor@atpsnet.org; executivedirector@atpsnet.org

Project Value: GBP 144,360

Project Description/Background

In order to have an inclusive economic development in Africa, it is important to note

the significant role green economy has to play. Unfortunately, the dynamics of this potentially paradigm-shifting phenomenon are poorly understood by various stakeholders. Some African countries have already started to embrace the concept of green growth and have sketched ambitious plans to decouple economic growth from environmental pressures and ‘leapfrog’ to green, sustainable economies; these countries include: Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa. Unfortunately, there has been very little study on green growth in Africa, information is still scantly on the current green activities in Africa, the impact of national green growth strategies on inequality and poverty in Africa, the environmental, technology, innovation, and ethical implications of greening and the capacity needed to achieve the required scale amongst others.

This project will work with researchers from different disciplines (UK, Africa and India), African think tanks, civil society organizations and government departments to lay a foundation for a robust assessment and understanding of the dynamics of green growth governance in Africa and the implications for sustainable economic transformation in the continent. The project will look into the challenges for leveraging green growth leveraging green growth as a means to tackle inequality and poverty plus interventions that can be honed to transcend existing barriers to deliver results at scale to enhance sustainability.

Key Objectives and Activities 

  • To build an interdisciplinary and international collaborative network that will develop a better understanding of green economic growth in Africa.
  • To develop a substantive and innovative research agenda on the governance of green growth in Africa.
  • To develop a solid interdisciplinary relationship between UK and international academics, particularly African academics in order to understand complex challenges and opportunities related to addressing poverty and inequality in Africa through the lens of the green economy.
  • To develop significant and relevant collaboration between UK, international academics and nonacademic stakeholders in identifying and responding to the challenges and opportunities for accelerated sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation in Africa through inclusive green growth.
  • To build and develop the capacity of early-career researchers, policy makers and the private sector in Africa with regards to research, policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of green growth initiatives.

Activities

  • Mapping of existing green growth initiatives in Africa, the identified six cluster areas include: green foreign investment trade, National green growth strategies, greening of Official Development Assistance, Green Corporate strategies by MNCs, green entrepreneurship and innovation and national legalizations and budgeting
  • Review of literature on green growth in order to identify that can be tackled through innovative interdisciplinary research.
  • An initial capacity gap assessment to identify capacity gaps needed to effectively design, implement, monitoring and research green growth in Africa.
  • Four workshops will be held to facilitate networking, knowledge exchange as well as the co-design, co-delivery and co-communication of outputs.
  • A synthesis report will set out key research and policy challenges for understanding and advancing action on green growth in Africa
  • Capacity building of various stakeholders on green growth initiatives in Africa

Expected Outcomes

  • To achieve a high rate of economic growth without increasing the country’s GHG emissions.
  • Network partners will collaboratively tackle some of the identified challenges through cutting-edge research and impact activities.
  • The interactions among various stakeholders lead to improved knowledge of the complex factors shaping green economy initiatives in Africa
  • The proposed reviews, gap assessments and compilation of data base of current green initiatives in Africa will provide valuable knowledge that can inform future research.
  • The network will inspire and facilitate the development of African-led research in this area, which is grossly in short supply currently.
  • Increased awareness of the on-going green growth activities in Africa.
  • Facilitate Indio-Africa engagement in ways that could enhance the quality of greening growth in Africa;
  • Capacity build researchers, policy makers and civil society in Africa on green growth initiatives.

Project Outputs