Climate change significantly threatens Africa’s economic growth – Prof. Nnadozie
An economic expert of the Africa Economic Commission says climate change is a major threat to Africa’s economic growth.
Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, who is the Director of Economic Development and NEPAD Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa told journalists at a Sensitization Workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Monday October 24, 2011 that , climate change is considered by most experts as the most important threat to the continent.
“The impact of climate change is huge on the economy and the people,” he said as can be seen in the shrinking of natural resources such as the Lake Chad, and sea erosion at Keta in Ghana.
He said the devastating impact of climate change is already costing Africa a lot already.
The requirements in terms of financial requirement for climate change adaptation programmes in Africa he said is said to be around $20 billion to $30 billion per year.
“Mobilizing this resources is a great challenge and even if the resources are available, accessing is a problem,” he said.
He called on African countries to do two things by instituting policies to adapt to climate change and adopting an economic transformation strategy that does not worsen the problem, ” because it pays nobody for Africa to contribute to climate change which is already affecting Africa worse than anyone else,” he said.
According to Prof. Nnadozie, Africa must adopt a green economy strategy which promotes sustainable development, uses less carbon and more renewable energy.
He said African countries must transform from agrarian to post industrial economies if they must create jobs for the youth and have consistent economic growth.
He was of the view that for African countries to address the high levels of poverty, they must adopt programmes that address the high unsustainable ecological damage to the continent.
He warned that the situation where crops and non-food crops are being grown for biofuels as against food production can worsen the continent’s environmental consequences.
He called for an adoption of green and organic produces, green buildings and cars and so on.
He urged African leaders to “act in the interest of their people instead of in the interest of others.”
The workshop was held to prepare journalists from across the continent covering the 6th African Economic Conference to start Tuesday October 25, 2011.
The four-day conference, will bring together economists and climate change experts from around the world to explore the vital theme of how Africa can achieve ‘green growth’ – that is how to help all African people to achieve prosperity through economic growth but at the same time avoid harming the climate with greenhouse gases, overuse of carbon, and other traditional side-effects of growth, according to organisers.
The theme for the conference is “Green Economy and Structural transformation in Africa.”
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia