The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has issued a report that highlights opportunities for just and sustainable transitions (JSTs) in Africa. The 2024 Economic Report on Africa argues that “youthful population, arable land, renewable resource endowments, huge deposits of strategic minerals, and latecomer advantages from emerging technologies position Africa to shape the sustainability transition at the global level while closing its own gaps in energy availability.”

Themed, ‘Investing in a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa,’ the report makes the case for investing in a just and sustainable transition while achieving energy access for all. It contextualizes the imperative of JSTs for Africa, highlights opportunities for JSTs along the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, including financing for JSTs, and offers policy recommendations for Africa to successfully pursue such transitions.

Recognizing the role the region’s abundant renewable energy resources can play in enabling African countries to achieve their development objectives, the report acknowledges that, guided by African-informed narratives and needs, “the transition away from fossils needs to be gradual.” Africa’s current investment in its “sustainability transition” and in renewables remains negligible, according to the report.

The report identifies the need for fundamental shifts in the economic, governance, and technology systems in Africa to achieve JSTs. It recommends relying on “forward-looking visions and strategies [to] maximize the continent’s benefits from emerging economic and technological opportunities,” noting “[f]inancing JSTs in Africa is crucial to ensure inclusive development of low-carbon resilient economies without compromising prosperity.”

The report recommends strengthening strategies and policies for JSTs in Africa by integrating national priorities with the SDGs and Agenda 2063, facilitating the key role of the private sector, and balancing growth and strategic public investment while maintaining fiscal sustainability. It also calls for mobilizing new financing while making smarter use of available financial resources and for establishing a dedicated national mechanism for financing JSTs. Other recommendations include:

• Developing strategies for sustainably managing natural capital to foster investment in JSTs;
• Supporting multilevel collaborative governance, human capital, and leapfrogging technologies to guide JSTs; and
• Building effective multistakeholder partnerships and coalitions at national, regional, and global levels.

“A just and sustainable transition… promoting accelerated, inclusive, and sustainable growth, as well as diversification and green industrialization will help Africa reach its potential,” noted Under-Secretary General and UNECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete in a foreword. “For this to materialize, however, African countries need holistic development plans and strategies that fundamentally redirect their production, consumption, governance, technology, human capital, and financial systems,” he underscored.

“The report’s recommendations will go a long way in contributing to improving human well-being and the welfare of future generations by fulfilling basic needs, creating productive jobs and sustainable livelihoods, and establishing a healthy ecosystem,” said UNECA Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist Hanan Morsy at the report’s launch.

The Economic Report on Africa was launched on 24 April, on the opening day of the 2024 Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD). [Publication: Economic Report on Africa 2024: Investing in a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa] [Executive Summary] [Publication Landing Page] [UNECA Press Release]