- The countries in West and North Africa will implement the recommendations to solve perennial energy and food crises.
- Inclusive planning and consensus building would be vital for a successful clean energy transition for the future of Africa.
West and North Africa have adopted recommendations to solve value chain challenges in energy transition and food systems to spur intra-regional development. The regions adopted the recommendations at the end of a three-day United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) intergovernmental committee of senior officers and experts conference hosted by Ghana.
During the conference, the stakeholders discussed sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. They also deliberated on deepened intra-regional trade, mainly through the African Continental Free Trade Area. The recommendations, birthed from a cross-fertilisation of ideas, were meant for countries in the two regions to implement in response to the structural causes of perennial energy and food crises.
In an interview with the media, the Director of ECA West Africa, Mrs Ngone Diop, said, “The mutual learning will help strengthen and make progress with intra-regional solutions for energy transition and food security for sustainable development.” She also reiterated confidence in implementing the solutions offered by “capitalising on what we have in the two sub-regions and the extent to which we can use them to unlock our potential”. According to the World Economic Forum, inclusive planning and consensus building would be vital for a successful clean energy transition for the future of Africa, projected to be home to some two billion people by 2050.