Africa’s structural challenges include food insecurity, according to ECA
Food insecurity, which affects 20% of the continent’s population as opposed to the global figure of 9.8%, is a structural issue, according to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
During a meeting of the expert group of the ECA Offices for North and West Africa in Accra, Ngone Diop, the director of the ECA office for West Africa, spoke about this.
The conference, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was held in relation to the second joint Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts (ICSOE) for North and West Africa.
Diop asserts that there are three clear imperatives to address this: boosting domestic resource mobilisation, accelerating the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)’s implementation, and raising agricultural and cereal productivity.
In order to reduce poverty and accelerate structural development, she stated, “these serve as our cornerstone.”
Africa, she claimed, was severely impacted by global warming despite its tiny contribution to the phenomena.
Africa was home to 17 of the 20 nations that she stated were now the most vulnerable to climate change.
In addition, the director stated that between two and nine percent of national budgets throughout the continent had already been damaged by climate change.
With temperature increases of 1.5°C to 3°C predicted, North Africa and West Africa are especially vulnerable, according to the most recent study from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The population’s productivity, health, and food security are seriously threatened by this.
African nations are forced to allocate an increasing percentage of their public budgets to population protection and mitigation measures as a result of this circumstance.”
In the process, they “deprive themselves of resources needed to finance development, safeguard development gains, and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” according to her.
According to Diop, these limitations highlight the critical need for Africa to create creative growth models that can stabilise and improve human well-being while assisting in the slowing of climate change.
As part of a framework for sustainable agriculture, she noted, these models should incorporate proper land and water management.
The director noted that in order to meet the country’s energy needs in a number of areas, such as transportation, industry, heating and cooling, etc., renewable energy should be used.
Additionally, she states that consideration should be given to the development of finance methods that could meet these needs.
Water scarcity could impact up to 71 percent of North Africa’s GDP and 61 percent of its population, according to estimates made by Zuzana Schwidrowski, the director of the ECA office for North Africa, who also spoke during the event.
“For the rest of the world, this is compared to 22% and 36%.”Nonetheless, there are still ways to overcome these obstacles by depending on renewable energy sources.
Along with decreasing poverty, creating jobs, and promoting social justice, we may also quicken the region’s sustainable economic and social development, according to Schwidrowski.
Some attendees reportedly looked into how climate change was affecting both sub-regions, according to NAN.
A number of significant recommendations were made, and they talked about doable strategies that nations may use to protect their food and energy security and continue to develop.
There were delegates from 22 North and West African countries, experts, researchers, and development practitioners at the summit, and they talked about three important themes.
climate change’s effects and how they affect social and economic development plans.
“The problems associated with energy security and climate change, particularly the critical role that renewable energy plays in supplying the demands of the populace.
Furthermore, how commerce inside Africa may promote food security, the development of sub-regional value chains in the agriculture sector, and help to expedite and ease the transition to cleaner energy and agriculture.
Relative to the global rate of 9.8%, food insecurity affects 20% of the population of Africa, making it a structural concern, according to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
At an expert group meeting of the ECA Offices for North and West Africa in Accra, Ngone Diop, the director of the ECA office for West Africa, made this comment.
The conference was held in the framework of the second joint Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts (ICSOE) for North and West Africa, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Increasing agricultural and cereal productivity, mobilising more domestic resources, and accelerating the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are the three obvious imperatives, according to Diop, to address this.
She said, “These serve as our cornerstone for the acceleration of structural transformation and the reduction of poverty.”
She claimed that although Africa made a small contribution to global warming, the continent was nonetheless greatly impacted by the phenomena.
According to her, Africa is home to 17 of the 20 nations most at risk from climate change.
The director went on to say that between two and nine percent of national budgets throughout the continent had already been impacted by climate change.
“With 1.5°C to 3°C of predicted temperature increases, North Africa and West Africa are especially vulnerable, according to the most recent study from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The population’s productivity, food security, and health are seriously threatened by this.
African nations are forced to respond to this scenario by allocating an increasing percentage of their public budgets to population protection and mitigation measures.
Depriving themselves of resources required to finance development, protect development gains, and carry out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she added as a result.
According to Diop, these limitations highlight the critical need for Africa to create creative growth models that can both slow down and adapt to climate change while maintaining and improving human well-being.
According to her, these models ought to incorporate suitable land and water management in the context of sustainable agriculture.
In order to meet the country’s energy needs in a number of areas, including as transportation, industry, heating and cooling, etc., the director stated that it should incorporate the use of renewable energy.
She goes on to say that creating finance methods that could meet these needs has to be considered as well.
Zuzana Schwidrowski, the director of the ECA office for North Africa, also spoke during the event. She stated that estimates suggested that water scarcity may have an impact of up to 71% on the region’s GDP and 61% of its population.
“This is in contrast to 22% and 36% for the global population.”There are still ways, nevertheless, that humanity can overcome these obstacles by depending on renewable resources.
In addition, Schwidrowski stated, “we can accelerate social and economic development that is sustainable in the region, as well as job creation, poverty alleviation, and social equity.”
According to NAN, other attendees looked at how climate change was affecting both sub-regions.
They presented some crucial recommendations and talked about doable steps that nations may take to adapt and protect their food and energy security while still progressing their growth.
At the summit, which was attended by experts, researchers, development practitioners, and officials of 22 North and West African nations, three important problems were considered.
“The effects of climate change and how they affect social and economic development plans.
“Climate change and energy security issues, particularly the critical role that renewable energy plays in supplying the demands of the populace.
Additionally, intra-African commerce can help to speed up and ease the transition to cleaner energy and agriculture, particularly by promoting food security and the development of sub-regional value chains in the agricultural industry.
