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"THE GREEN ECONOMY IS NOT A LUXURY, BUT A 21ST CENTURY IMPERATIVE ON A PLANET OF SIX BILLION, RISING TO NINE BILLION IN JUST FORTY YEARS." United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 2010

OBJECTIVES OF THIS BLOG

This blog was started in May 2012, one month before the United Nations Rio+20 ‘Earth Summit’ where the green economy was the main theme. The blog so far has had three specific objectives.

In the run-up to the Rio+20 Summit the initial objective was to raise awareness of Africa’s huge green growth potential and role in rebalancing the global economy. Eight posts were published before the Summit and were sent to as many African environment ministries as possible. One post was published in August 2012 appraising the summit and Africa’s position: Africa, Rio+20 and the Green Road Ahead.

The second objective was to examine the case of Ethiopia, following the death of prime minister Meles Zenawi on 21 August 2012. At the time of his death Mr Meles was recognised as 'the voice of Africa' at international summits and conferences and a leader in Africa's green thinking. Four posts on Ethiopia were published between late August and early November 2012 exploring the paradoxical nature of his leadership with a focus on raising awareness of his green legacy and 21st century vision for Ethiopia and Africa.

The third and current objective is to raise awareness of the importance of the green economy in Africa's growth story. 2013 started with unprecedented optimism for Africa’s growth prospects. Summits, conferences, articles, books, blogs, films and other media now proclaim that 'Africa’s Moment' has arrived. But very few even mention the green economy as an essential tool in the process to achieve sustainability and resilience. For this reason the current focus of this blog is a call to action to 'put the green economy into Africa’s growth story'.

Part of this call to action is writing letters to the Financial Times. Not only does the FT have excellent coverage of Africa but it is also seen by many as the 'world's most influential newspaper'.


Tuesday, 3 February 2015

"I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE GREEN ECONOMY"

After several years of upbeat "Africa Rising" narrative, in the past month the Financial Times has been painting a very different picture. In "Africa's falling commodity prices curb bullishness of recent years" (Jan 20) FT West Africa editor William Wallis has confirmed that a new chapter in Africa's growth story has begun.

In addition to falling commodity prices, Mr Wallis highlights a wider range of additional challenges that will make 2015 a “testing year” for Africa, including the rising cost of debt, dwindling aid donations, Ebola, Islamist extremism and turbulent politics in a “heavily charged election timetable”.

Quoting Charlie Robertson of Renaissance Capital could not have been more appropriate as Mr Robertson was one of the most bullish economists on Africa whose 2012 book "The Fastest Billion" played a big part in generating the Afro-euphoria of 2013. It has been easy, he says, to be bullish about Africa with commodity prices going up. Falling prices, he adds, are now “the biggest challenge to the Africa-rising thesis”.

I had the good fortune to hear Mr Robertson speak at The Economist’s groundbreaking Africa Summit in February 2013. Talking with him afterwards I thanked him for his presentation and congratulated him on his book. I also asked him why he does not mention the green economy, as the consensus among Africa’s leaders is that this is the only viable route to economic, social and environmental sustainability. His honest reply was “I don’t know enough about it”. I got the same sort of honest response from other speakers and delegates at The Economist’s and other Africa meetings I have attended since then - "I don't now enough about the green economy".

In this “testing year” for Africa two critical international negotiations are taking place and knowledge of how the green economy might work there is needed more than ever: the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by the UN General Assembly expected in September and the UN’s Climate Change Summit in Paris in November.

2015 also promises to be another record year for Africa summits and conferences (more than one a week by my count), yet hardly any have the green economy in their otherwise excellent programs.

I propose that the easiest and most effective way to raise awareness of the green economy in this "testing" year for Africa in 2015 is to put the subject into this year’s Africa summits. As Mr Wallis points out: “There is a wall of money” out there looking for commercial opportunities. Why wait another year to start exploring opportunities that are green?

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