New development partnerships present opportunities for African governments to harness investment flows and establish trade relationships for adaptation and mitigation activities. China and the EU are obvious partners in this endeavour. China is now considered to be the continent’s largest trading partner and is investing widely in infrastructure. It has established the China-Africa Development Fund, to invest in a range of areas including new energy, agriculture, resources and manufacturing. Africa’s trade with Europe is comparable, and the European Union (EU) is Africa’s biggest donor.
This project builds on previous work by Chatham House and E3G with partners from China and the EU to design and pilot low carbon zones (LCZs) in China. Specifically, it extends the focus to Africa, and fosters trilateral cooperation among China, Africa and the EU on climate compatible development through the co-development in Ethiopia and Zambia of LCZs: particular areas with distinct policy and institutional frameworks designed to enable climate compatible development.