Key Findings and Policy Messages Overall picture
S
purred by its Agenda 2063, Africa aims to establish a prosperous region characterized by sustainable inclusive growth, peace and good governance. The
region’s growth path shall be led by increased agricultural productivity, industrialization, investment in infrastructure development and renewable energy, conservation of biodiversity, sustainable and fair and equitable use of its genetic resources, clean air and water, and better adaptive capacity to climate change.
Africa faces a great challenge of sustaining rapid economic growth as its population is expected to double to approximately 2.5 billion by 2050, while safeguarding the life-support system provided by its rich natural capital, which underpins the realization of its long term vision. It is therefore imperative that such growth must consider the region’s relatively weak environmental governance and a paucity of accurate and up-to-date environmental and socio- economic data for evidence-based decision-making.
Key findings
The GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa affirms the importance of both Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 as defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both contain common elements for a development trajectory that will provide Africa with a healthy living environment while ensuring good health and quality of life for her people. The two are also critical to preserving and valuing Africa’s natural capital for the benefit of its citizens and their livelihoods. In order to realize these visions, Africa’s public institutions are called upon to build flexible and adaptive governance structures.
Indoor air pollution is a major problem across Africa, responsible for an estimated 600 000 deaths per annum. Due to their reliance on the use of biomass sources of energy for cooking, lighting and heating, 90 per cent of the region’s population is exposed to this harm. Africa is called upon to invest in quick win solutions such as better ventilated housing and clean cook stoves, while also adopting medium to long-term measures to provide clean forms of energy such as electricity.
Growth in urbanization, industrialization, motorization and the emission of mineral dust from deserts have increased outdoor pollution in Africa. The transboundary transport, dispersion and eventual deposition of pollutants also contribute to raise outdoor pollution levels in the region. Especially for urban areas, the observed trend in levels of outdoor pollution requires the implementation of transport solutions that include setting standards for the condition of road vehicles and investing in sustainable mass transport systems
Off-grid electricity supply in remote rural areas and greater uptake of renewable forms of energy such as solar, hydropower and wind provide a promising and realistic basket of possibilities for meeting Africa’s energy needs. With only 10 per cent of the region’s hydropower potential exploited, there is considerable scope to use this source of energy in Africa for the generation of electricity, subject to careful consideration of the environmental consequences of proposed schemes.
Despite recent improvement, about 40 per cent of Africa’s population still does not have access to potable water, and 70 per cent lack adequate sanitation facilities. As a result, water-borne diarrheal infections are responsible for almost 8 per cent of annual deaths in the region. This calls for an urgent need to invest in low-cost technologies for the management of wastewater, as well as the delivery of safe drinking water.
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