GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa


1.3.1 Data revolution Africa has made significant progress in the frequency and quality of censuses and household surveys, but challenges remain due to institutional weaknesses, low funding, limited usability of the collected data, and poor coverage of other sectors, including the environment (Centre for Global Development 2014). The region is keen to improve access to data, including building open data systems through the facilitation of the African Charter on Statistics (UNECA 2015) and new technologies, including the internet of things.


Some countries in the region are taking advantage of internet of things technologies, including mobile money payments, tracking usage and pre-empting surges in demand or faults in electricity supply, and tracking the health of outpatients by doctors. However, Africa’s low mobile internet penetration rate of 17 per cent, and with 8 out of the world’s 10 countries with the lowest levels of internet availability located on the continent (GSMA 2014), the use and application of new technologies for data and information sharing remains a challenge.


1.3.2 Changing demography Africa’s population reached 1 billion in 2009, with estimates that it will double by 2050 (AfDB 2011). Between 2000 and 2100, Africa’s share of the world’s population is expected to rise from 13.1 to 24.9 per cent (UN 2004). Africa’s population is not only the fastest growing in the world, but also the most youthful (AfDB et al 2015). A rapidly growing population stresses ecosystems by increasing demand for food, energy, medicines and water, while bringing distortions to land tenure arrangements, as well as accelerating environmental degradation


through soil erosion, deforestation and


biodiversity loss (World Bank 2008). In extreme cases, competition over scarce resources leads to conflict. In addition, a rapidly growing population presents financial and logistical challenges in service provision, especially in the areas of education, health, safe drinking water and sanitation.


1.3.3


Industrialization


Africa is committed to industrialization as a way to diversify the region’s economies, build resilience to shocks, and develop productive capacity for high and sustained economic growth. This commitment saw the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in 2001, which identifies economic transformation through industrialization as a critical vehicle for growth and poverty reduction. In 2008, the Plan of Action for the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA) was adopted. In this plan primary industry, focused on agriculture and the extractive sector dominates industrial activity in the region, which is likely to cause localized environmental damage such as pollution of water bodies and land degradation.


Africa’s industrialization takes advantage of the region’s abundant and diverse resources, including agricultural and mineral assets. However, the process should benefit from green economy approaches for better resource efficiency and clean production, including benefits from reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As Figure 1.1.5 shows, the region’s domestic extraction of materials


has barely


increased since 1970, with estimates showing a decline of the region’s global share from 7.9 per cent in 1970 to 7 per cent in 2010 (UNEP 2015). As Africa’s industry is largely concentrated around the extractives sector, the data on regional domestic extraction could reflect large-scale under- reporting (More...1).


1.3.4 Climate change Low adaptive capacity makes Africa highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (Engelbrecht et al. 2015; UNECA 2014; Niang et al. 2014; Boko et al. 2007). The region is warming faster than the global average, with projections of a rise of 3–4˚C this century. This makes climate change a considerable health and economic challenge for the continent.


Climate-sensitive diseases such as cholera,


meningitis, malaria and Rift Valley fever are likely to spread faster (Niang et al. 2014; Guernier et al. 2004; Hay et al. 2002).


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