The continent of Africa’s right to development has been reinforced by recent geopolitical events such as Covid-19 that have placed issues including poverty alleviation and energy sovereignty at the forefront of development debates. Through this, the need for green growth has emerged, with many countries on the continent implementing whole-of-economy or sectoral green growth strategies or initiatives. The need for the continent to transition to net zero, despite its limited contribution to historical emissions, has also emerged, with some African countries such as Nigeria and corporates from across the continent setting and implementing net zero targets.
This report critically reviews the convergences between net zero and green growth in Africa. It uses case studies from three African countries—Kenya, Malawi and South Africa—to demonstrate how actions to achieve global net zero and African green growth targets can reinforce each other.
The report was written by Jessica Omukuti, Javier Lezaun, Hope Njoroge, Yusuf Olalere and Jose Maria Valenzuela.
