World Bank sets targets for economic growth in Africa

A blueprint to help sub-Saharan African economies achieve low-carbon and climate-resilient outcomes has been released by the World Bank.

The plan, called the “Next Generation Africa Climate Business Plan (NG-ACBP)”, calls for countries to seize the opportunity to scale up climate resilience to grow their economies and reduce poverty, redouble efforts to increase energy access across the region, and take advantage of sustainable and innovative approaches to leapfrog into greener development pathways.

Climate-smart agriculture

Without rapid deployment of inclusive, climate-informed development, 43 million additional people could be pushed below the poverty line by 2030 in sub-Saharan Africa.

As the largest financier of climate action in Africa, the World Bank will use this new climate plan to build on a strong track record with the original plan, under which the Bank supported 346 projects with more than US$33 billion in World Bank financing over the past six years.

“The climate challenge cuts across every priority – poverty reduction, agriculture, job creation, women’s empowerment, fragility and more,” Ousmane Diagana, the Bank’s vice-president for West and Central Africa, said.

“Countries, therefore, have to tackle it in multiple ways, including by helping cities develop in clean ways, making climate-smart agricultural practices the norm, improving clean, green and affordable energy, and putting people and communities at the forefront in order to improve lives and protect the future,” Diagana said.

Ambitious goals

Over the next six years, the World Bank will focus on five key areas in Africa – food security, clean energy, green and resilient cities, environmental stability, and climate shocks – which emphasise the interrelatedness of climate risks and opportunities.

The plan sets ambitious goals that push the boundaries of sustainable development in Africa, including training ten million farmers in climate-smart agricultural approaches, expanding integrated landscape management over 60 million hectares in 20 countries.

The plan will also increase renewable energy generation capacity from 28GW to 38GW to increase access to clean electricity, and equip at least 30 cities with low-carbon and compact urban planning approaches.

“Africa’s main challenge is to adapt to climate change by investing in more resilient agriculture and food systems, building infrastructure that resists extreme weather events, protecting its coastal cities, and enhancing disaster preparedness systems,” says Hafez Ghanem, World Bank vice-president for East and Southern Africa.

“At the same time, green technologies provide an opportunity for growth and job creation.  This is especially true in the energy sector, where renewables have become a source of clean and inexpensive energy, bringing the goal of universal access to electricity within reach,” Ghanem said.

Climate action

The World Bank recommends that sub-Saharan African countries enact policy reforms that recognise the reality of climate change, in order to strengthen recovery and promote long-term growth.

This includes addressing the sizable infrastructure gap in a green and resilient manner, using less carbon-intensive materials and technologies while creating more competitive job opportunities.

The new plan will be rolled out amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates recognise that climate action and green recovery will be important priorities as countries work to build back better from one of the biggest setbacks in the region’s development in the past 25 years.

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