Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have experienced dramatic economic growth in the past decade, with six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world found in SSA between 2000 and 2010. Economic growth is critical to continued development and poverty reduction, but can have, as has already become visible in the region, significant environmental costs and can even hinder further long term economic growth and development, if environmentally unsustainable growth paths are continued. However greener growth is needed to allow SSA countries to continue to develop, while avoiding or reducing negative environmental impacts.
Current climate variability and extreme events have already lead to major impacts in Rwanda. These include floods and landslides, but also the effects of rainfall variability on agriculture, e.g. soil erosion and droughts. Future climate change has the potential to exacerbate these impacts and to introduce new risks. These impacts have been recognised and are being integrated into national policy. In 2011, Rwanda launched a National Strategy for Climate Change and Low Carbon Development, and the country now has an operational climate and environment fund (FONERWA, named after its French acronym). It is also mainstreaming climate change into national and sector development plans. The focus of early adaptation in these policies has been on addressing current climate variability and the existing adaptation deficit. However, there is an increasing interest in future climate challenges over the medium to long term. This will require improved information and its effective use in decision-making, and this aligns with the objectives of FCFA. Against this background, the FCFA pilot study investigated the current and potential future use of climate information for adaptation in Rwanda.
This paper reviews the current state of behavioural economics and its applications to energy efficiency in developing countries. Taking energy efficient lighting in Ghana, Uganda and Rwanda as empirical examples, this paper develops hypotheses on how behavioural factors can improve energy efficiency policies directed towards poor populations. The key argument is that different types of affordability exist that are influenced by behavioural factors to varying degrees. Using a qualitative approach, this paper finds that social preferences, framing and innovative financing solutions that acknowledge people’s mental accounts can provide useful starting points. Behavioural levers are only likely to work in a policy package that addresses wider technical, market and institutional barriers to energy efficiency. More research, carefully designed pre-tests and stakeholder debates are required before introducing policies based on behavioural insights. This is imperative to avoid the dangers of nudging.
This report summarises the outcomes of the joint AfDB-OECD workshop, titled Enabling Green Growth in Africa, hosted by the Government of Zambia in Lusaka on January 15-16, 2013 and another two-day workshop on Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) and Green Economy that follows, organised by the OECD DAC SEA Task Team. The objective of the workshops was to facilitate an exchange of perspectives between regional member countries (RMCs) and development partners; and to explore the rationale and enabling environment for green growth in Africa through, notably, the sharing of country experiences. The report highlights how the outcomes of the two workshops will inform current and future green growth work in both organisations.