The AfDB Annual Meetings: To look at energy and climate change in Africa

AfDBEvery one of the African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings over the years has been a major market place for trading in ideas with the potential to stimulate development in Africa. At some of the Meetings, some aspirations have been concretized and eventually actualized to move the continent a step forward in the quest to attack poverty headlong.

Come May 23 to 27, 2016, the 51st edition would be held in Lusaka, Zambia under the theme: “Energy and Climate Change”, two major issues critical to Africa – either as potential dangers or factors that could trigger a paradigm shift in development discourse for the best.

The meeting brings together about 5,000 delegates from around the world, including CSOs, scientists, economists, agriculturalists, bankers, gender activists and journalists to discuss and debate the issues, while some journalists do the extra of telling the stories as they unfold.

Energy

The importance of energy to economic development can’t be underestimated, but in Africa, the continent that produces more than 60 metal and mineral products and is a major producer of several of the world’s most important minerals and metals including gold, PGE’s, diamonds, uranium, manganese, chromium, nickel, bauxite and cobalt, there is a huge energy deficit.

Although Africa hosts about 30 per cent of the planet’s mineral reserves, including 40 per cent of gold, 60 per cent of cobalt and 90 per cent of the world’s PGM reserves – making it a truly strategic producer of these precious metals – more than 100 years after the light bulb was invented, most of the continent is still in the dark! Inadvertently, the continent is fueling development and creating wealth in the West!

The World Bank states that some 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are facing a crisis evidenced by rolling blackouts.

At the beginning of 2016, over 645 million Africans – some two-thirds of the people on the continent – had no access to energy, and unless something is done about the situation, this would continue till 2030.

The availability of energy would not only light up homes and communities, it would power industries, spur technological growth and generate more jobs.

Climate Change

A real threat to the environment and human life, climate change is staring the continent in the face – both a danger and opportunity.

The World Bank warned that there could be at least 100 million more people in poverty by 2030 due to climate change and its impact on agriculture, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the most vulnerable region.

However, Africa is the least contributor of any continent to climate change. According to the US Department of Energy’s International Energy Annual 2002, each year Africa produces an average of just over one metric ton of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide per person.

South Africa which is one of the most industrialized countries in Africa, generates 8.44 metric tons per person, and the least developed countries such as Mali, generate less than a tenth of a metric ton per person. It is estimated that by comparison, each American generates almost 16 metric tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide per year. That reportedly adds up to the United States alone generating 5.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year – which is about 23 per cent of the world total, making it the leading producer.

Meanwhile, Africa as a whole contributes only 918.49 million metric tons (less than 4 per cent).

Yet the crude facts of climate change shows that Africa would bear the harshest burden when things do not get better.

However, climate change also offers the continent some opportunities such as in renewable energy and smart grids, energy efficiency, cutting pollution and climate-proofing infrastructure – these have some benefits for homes and industry, government, business and citizens: leading to cutting down costs, improving health, protecting livelihoods and investments and generating new green jobs.

For instance it is projected that the demand for power in Africa is expected to grow, driving the projected worth of the continent’s renewable energy sector to $57 billion by the year 2020.

Lusaka

As the Zambian capital Lusaka gets abuzz with delegates in the coming weeks, hopefully the way forward for Africa in concretizing the ideas for effective actions in responding appropriately to the challenges of energy and climate change would be clear.

By Emmanuel K Dogbevi

Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2016 by Creative Imaginations Publicity
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