Office of the Special Adviser on Africa - Africa

African women in STEM: using drone technology to boost development in Africa.

KDISWAI1 — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:46:00 +0000

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Ruth Mtuwa, STEM, Drone Technology

[Ruth Mtuwa teaching secondary school students at Providence Secondary School, Malawi, the basics of electronics under the FemEng collaboration.© Photo: Ruth Mtuwa]

Ruth Mtuwa (23 years old) is an engineer and entrepreneur from Malawi with experience in the technology industry. She is a biomedical engineering graduate from Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and is a licensed drone pilot with a Trusted Operator Program (TOP) certificate levels 1 and 2 in drone and data technology.

In 2021, Ruth co-founded and became the Managing Director of DroneX Technologies, a company leveraging drone technology to develop solutions to sustainable development challenges affecting her community. Through innovation, Ruth’s company aims to produce actionable intelligence and collaborate with innovators to move beyond data and build localized solutions to socio-economic challenges affecting people’s lives.

DroneX Technologies focuses on three main work areas: data, agriculture, health and environment/climate change and waste management. In agriculture, the company developed a hybrid drone for precision agriculture to optimize output; in health, a cholera geo-database that could be utilized for contact tracing; in waste management, a partnership with EcoAges Waste Solutions, which is a startup company that deals with waste management to provide insight on landfill management.

In addition to her work with DroneX, Ruth also served as a biomedical engineering consultant for the California Polytechnic State University Oxygen Generator Project, an initiative to develop an easy-to-use oxygen generation system powered by clean, renewable energy. Ruth’s passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has inspired her to take on leadership roles within the industry, where she is an avid advocate for STEM education for young people, including female engineers in Africa.

There is a growing interest in STEM education among young girls and women in Africa. This is evident in the celebration of women scientists and young women scientists across the continent. However, women remain underrepresented in STEM, both globally and across the continent.

To reduce the gender gap in STEM education on the continent, African countries must take initiatives early to demystify STEM and get girls interested in the field. Programmes encouraging girls and women to pursue STEM education with various academic options, including online education courses, should be introduced to increase accessibility for young women.

Reflecting on her start, Ruth says her passion for STEM was ignited as a secondary school student in Malawi. She visited the Polytechnic University (now the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences) and its mechanical engineering workshops. “I saw how the engineers were making machines [produced locally] that were ‘low cost,’ and that served the same purpose as the imported ones. When I learned that we had many non-functioning machines in hospitals, I saw an opportunity. I thought there must be a way to have the machines in the hospitals made in Malawi.”

She is immensely proud of her work as a trainer with FemEng, a programme that aims to encourage more girls in high school to take up engineering through simple STEM projects. “The response from the girls we worked with was truly phenomenal. It sparked my own interest in becoming a passionate advocate for STEM education. I now run social projects and teach STEM to children, especially through drone technology, and this experience has also shaped my approach to business,” she said.

Ruth takes pride in mentoring young talent in STEM fields in the hopes of helping to shape the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers. “Through all these efforts, I hope to inspire more young people, especially girls, to explore the world of STEM and to make a positive impact on their communities and the world. I believe in the power of mentorship and how small actions can make a significant impact.”

Her biggest challenge has been limited access to financial resources. When starting her company, she teamed up with local business partners to increase access to capital, and together, they leveraged their existing partnerships to achieve their goals. Ruth said her company also faced a challenge when the innovative technologies they produced initially received a slow reception. “This has required a lot of patience and perseverance in educating and convincing others about the benefits of the technology. Despite the challenges, I remain optimistic about the future and the potential for growth in the STEM field in Africa.”

Ruth believes STEM has immense potential and could be leveraged in tackling systemic challenges, such as the impact of climate change and overpopulation. “There are tremendous opportunities in STEM across the continent. These initiatives are incredibly important as they provide access to resources and technologies that were previously unavailable in many communities.” She believes that by encouraging young people to pursue STEM education, Africa can ensure it has the talent and skills it needs to compete in the global economy.

As women comprise half of the world’s population, getting girls and women into STEM is a matter of human rights and smart economics. Adopting gender inclusion in STEM increases creativity and provides gender-sensitive perspectives during product development. Ruth says, “With the rapid pace of technological advancements and the growing need for innovative solutions, there has never been a better time for young Africans to pursue STEM fields and make a meaningful impact on their communities.”

Ruth’s work in Malawi highlights how STEM education contributes to accelerating progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa. Her actions make it clear that there are enormous opportunities in leveraging innovation to tackle pressing issues impacting the continent, harnessing skills and resources already available locally. 

Front Page Article:

One Year Later: The impact of the Russian conflict with Ukraine on Africa

Rado Ratovonarivo — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 18:04:00 +0000

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Secretary-General António Guterres watches grain being loaded on the Kubrosliy ship in Odesa, Ukraine.

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Secretary-General António Guterres watches grain being loaded on the Kubrosliy ship in Odesa, Ukraine. © UN Photo/Mark Garten

By Bitsat Yohannes-Kassahun

While much can be said about the political and policy intricacies surrounding the conflict, the real and palpable impact on the lives of many ordinary Africans is equally unsettling.

Against a backdrop of soaring food and energy prices and the shrinking basket of global economic cooperation financing, African countries are also contending with how to position themselves within the significant shifts in international energy policies, even as they are approached by various partners who are also grappling with the energy access implications for their own citizens.

The global energy crisis

The 2022 World Economic Outlook paints a stark picture of the state of global energy, stating that it is “delivering a shock of unprecedented breadth and complexity.”

This strain comes as African economies are still trying to emerge from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which they did not have enough resources to cushion themselves.

By mid- 2022, global energy prices soared to a three-decade high, and natural gas price costs edged over 300 Euros per megawatt-hour. These high costs for natural gas have come down significantly by February 2023, to less than $100 per megawatt-hour, owing to relatively warm winter temperatures in the northern hemisphere.

European governments largely shielded their citizens from these price shocks by spending over $640 billion on energy subsidies, regulating retail prices, and supporting businesses. African governments, on the other hand, did not have the fiscal space to protect consumers with such wide-scale, much-needed measures to counter rising energy prices.

In addition to pressures from fluctuations in exchange rates, and high commodities prices, inflation reached double digits in 40 per cent of African countries. Moreover, seven African countries are in debt distress as of January 2023, and 14 more are at high risk of debt distress, which makes them unable to implement meaningful countermeasures.

As a result, African households, who, according to the IMF, already spend over 50 per cent of their overall consumption on food and energy, felt the significant impact of the high conflict-induced global energy prices, along with their indirect effects on the cost of transportation and consumer goods.

The global energy crisis also created policy reversals, with many countries now pursuing natural gas and other fossil fuel projects to meet their energy needs.

Natural gas is also getting more traction as a “green investment”, a pivot from the pledges made at the COP26 global climate talks in Glasgow in November 2021 to curtail development financing for natural gas projects.

For African countries, this has meant a renewed interest in and fast-tracking of natural gas and liquified natural gas (LNG) projects, but mainly for export to Europe and others outside the continent.

While this may spell more investments in the energy sector on the continent, the benefit may not necessarily result in energy access for Africans themselves. Instead, this risks further perpetuating commodities-based economies, stunting the continent’s own industrialization ambitions.

Shocks to Africa’s food systems

While Africa has over 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated land, it is a net food importer, and as such, has been severely impacted by the rise of global food prices, resulting in increased food insecurity.

According to the IMF, staple food prices in Africa “surged by an average 23.9 per cent in 2020-22—the most since the 2008 global financial crisis.”

This has devastating implications for many Africans, where food items occupy the largest share in many household consumption baskets. Food items take up about 42 per cent of African household consumption, reaching as high as 60 per cent in countries affected by conflict and insecurity. In France and the United States, food items represent 13 per cent and 6 per cent of household consumption, respectively, notes the United Nations.

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), African countries spend over $75 billion to import over 100 million metric tons of cereals annually. In 2020, 15 African countries imported over 50 per cent of their wheat products from the Russian Federation or Ukraine. Six of these countries (Eritrea, Egypt, Benin, Sudan, Djibouti, and Tanzania) imported over 70 per cent of their wheat from the region.

The AfDB notes that the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a shortage of about 30 million tons of grains on the continent, along with a sharp increase in cost.

The UN's 2023 World Economic Situations and Prospects Report shows that Africa already had the highest prevalence of food insecurity globally in 2020 with 26 per cent facing severe food insecurity and 60 percent of the population affected by moderate or severe food insecurity according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

During the ‘Dakar 2 Summit on Feeding Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience’ held during 25-27 January 2023, the AfDB reported that this number rose sharply in 2022, with Africans now representing one-third (about 300 million people) of the global population that is currently facing hunger and food insecurity.

Fertilizer costs

Supply chain disruptions of primary farm inputs, including fertilizer imports from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, further threatened Africa's food security. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that global fertilizer prices have risen by 199 per cent since May 2020, with prices for fertilizers more than doubling in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania in 2022.

The WFP notes that "while this is partly a consequence of the war in Ukraine, prices of food, fuel, and fertilizers had already reached record highs by the end of 2021.” The “Black Sea Grain Initiative,” brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye and signed in July 2022, has eased some of the “fertilizer crunch” by allowing the movement of fertilizer exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world.

Looking ahead to the 2023-2024 growing season, the price and availability of fertilizers for farmers in Africa will determine how the continent will counter widespread food insecurity.

According to the World Bank, Africa's food production is already hampered due to low fertilizer usage, with "an average fertilizer application rate of 22 kilograms per hectare, compared to a world average that is seven times higher (146 kilograms per hectare)".

The Bank estimates that fertilizer exports from major African suppliers, namely Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, which remain disrupted, will impact Africa’s food production and exacerbate food security throughout 2023.

Moreover, the World Bank notes that other fertilizer producers are banning exports of these critical inputs to protect their own farmers, leaving African farmers without many options.

Conclusion

As the world reflects on the various shocks created by the year-long conflict, Africans must grapple with the short-term inadvertent threats to their economies, food systems, and well-being. Indeed, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, speaking at the Global Food Security Call to Action in May 2022, warned, "If we do not feed people, we feed conflict.”

With some decisive leadership, there are some strategies that can ease the burden on struggling economies:

For example, re-allocating the $100 billion IMF Special Drawing Rights to support African countries and restructuring both private and public debt would give these countries the fiscal space to weather the crisis.
There is also a ray of hope in countering the long-term impacts of the conflict. The most strategic one is the political will of African governments to refocus on agriculture. At the Dakar 2 Summit, many African Heads of State and Government were keen to bolster public spending on agriculture to build a self-sufficient and resilient African food system. In his opening remarks at the summit, President Macky Sall of Senegal remarked, “From the farm to the plate, we need full food sovereignty, and we must increase land under cultivation and market access to enhance cross-border trade.”
Indeed, implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which promises efficient cross-border trade, would allow the seamless movement of the approximately 30 million metric tonsof fertilizer that Africa produces each year. This production is twice the amount of fertilizer that the continent currently consumes.
Similarly, the AfDB plans to invest $ 10 billion "to make Africa the world's breadbasket." Such an investment can go a long way in replicating technological solutions, such as Ethiopia's use of heat-resistant crops to boost its wheat surpluses. The country plans to be a wheat exporter to other African countries in 2023.
On the energy side, accelerating sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy access, be it for industrial development, employment for the continent’s youth, or ensuring its food security, everything invariably lies in Africa having a balanced energy mix.

The series of interlocking challenges these past few years have made one issue very clear. Africans must have a unified stance to avoid yet another cycle of commodities-based exploitation of the continent’s energy resources, and work to ensure Africa's universal energy access.

The author is a programme management officer and cluster lead on energy and climate with the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa at the United Nations

Front Page Article:

Stopping the haemorrhage: The case for a global framework to stem illicit financial flows from Africa

Rado Ratovonarivo — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 22:56:00 +0000

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Opening of Debate of 77 Session of General Assembly

UN Photo/Cia Pak

A wide view of the General Assembly Hall as Secretary-General António Guterres (at the podium and on screens) addresses the opening of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly Debate. © UN Photo/Cia Pak

By Rui Xu

As the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted structural inequalities in the global economy, it also exposed vulnerabilities on the African continent, including pervasive illicit financial flows (IFFs) depriving African countries of resources that could go toward financing their development. To end this financial haemorrhage, a global framework against IFFs must be established, as the UN General Assembly (GA) called for in its resolution A/RES/73/222 for renewed “international cooperation to combat illicit financial flows and strengthen good practices on assets return to foster sustainable development.”

IFFs shrink financial resources for Africa’s sustainable development

Curbing IFFs across Africa could close the financing gap for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 33 per cent, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The continent is estimated to lose more than US $85 billion per year from IFFs, more than 3.5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Capital flight, which serves as a proxy for IFFs, is also significant, reaching US $2 trillion per year between 1970 and 2018, not to mention the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19, which reduced real GDP growth by more than 2 per cent in 2020.

These losses far outstrip Africa’s inflows, including the US $48 billion the continent receives from Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the US $54 billion from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) per year. Therefore, tackling IFFs is crucial for Africa’s sustainable development. It should be an integral part of the continent’s domestic resource mobilization, underpinning initiatives toward achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063.

Transforming regional initiatives into a global agenda

The African Union established a High-level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, the Mbeki Panel, in 2015. This panel identified that commercial practices related to trade and tax abuse contributed to more than half of IFFs.

Then, a High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda, the FACTI Panel, was established by the UN in March 2020. In a report published in February 2021, the panel advocates for a “Global Pact for Financial Integrity for Sustainable Development,” underscoring the importance of tackling IFFs at the source, including financial institutions and professional services firms in developed countries.

Understanding this global nature of IFFs is key, as these illicit flows often originate from “enablers” in multiple sectors and countries. For example, Africa has been plagued by IFFs caused by multinational enterprises (MNEs) in other countries, as they are shifting profits away from the continent to affiliates in tax havens, exploiting loopholes in tax rules to reduce income tax liabilities.

A global initiative tailored to African realities

A new global framework for tackling IFFs in Africa should also look at the realities in developing and developed countries. While African countries are trying to enact policies to tackle IFFs, including those outlined in the 2022 policy brief of the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), we must recognize that many international instruments and regulations to stop, track, and trace IFFs were established based on economic and financial frameworks from the Global North that do not consider the African context and perspective.

For example, this is the case for a global tax deal achieved through an OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). Although significant in establishing a minimum 15 per cent tax rate for MNEs, the agreement was implemented without considering reservations from the Global South. In several African countries, the average corporate tax rate is notably higher. The deal would do little to prevent MNEs from shifting profits away from African countries to low-tax havens.

A blueprint for building a coordinated international framework

The UN could support the implementation of an international framework for tackling IFFs, where UNCTAD, the UN Tax Committee and the Financing for Sustainable Development Office (FSDO) could play key roles given their expertise. The Organization could also ensure that the process of establishing this framework is transparent and inclusive, with adequate participation from developing countries, including those in Africa.

This global framework must lay out a blueprint for priority policy actions, establish a strong global governance system, facilitate the exchange of knowledge across jurisdictions, and provide capacity-building support to less advanced economies.

When it comes to IFFs, the FACTI Panel said it best: “Track it. Stop it. Get it. And use it to finance the SDGs.” The implementation of an effective global framework to tackle IFFs from Africa with support from the UN and a robust engagement of the international community is an important step toward achieving this goal.

The author is an Associate Economic Affairs Officer in the policy analysis and coordination team of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa at the United Nations.

Front Page Article:

Fighting inefficiencies in public spending: Africa’s next battle?

Rado Ratovonarivo — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 18:00:00 +0000

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Newly installed solar panels at a health clinic in Sierra Leone

UNOPS

Aerial view of newly installed solar panels at a health clinic in Sierra Leone. © UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

By Liwaaddine Fliss

A number of African countries continue to face challenges while working toward the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A lack of financial resources is contributing to their struggles, compounded by inadequate spending patterns depriving the continent of the resources it needs for its development. Now more than ever, African countries need to urgently rein in wasteful public spending and focus on boosting activities to tackle a tepid COVID-19 recovery and to put the SDGs back on track.

A powerful enemy carrying out a multi-pronged assault on the continent

In addition to illicit financial flows that deprive Africa of more than 3.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year and inefficient tax incentives that take away 2.5 per cent of GDP, Africa is registering an average loss of more than 2.5 per cent of its GDP per year to inefficiency in public spending. This inefficiency took hold because of multiple factors.

First is the government procurement system, which has been facing challenges ranging from lack of transparency and accountability to corruption. In the health sector alone, corruption is causing an annual loss of nearly US $9.5 billion in Africa, reducing people’s ability to access basic health services.

Rigidities in wages and entitlements in countries where these financial commitments make up a significant portion of government expenditures, as well as deficiencies in public institution processes, are also playing a role. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the quality of public institutions significantly influences the efficiency of public spending and resource mobilization.

As a result, public spending inefficiency in Africa is high compared to other regions and is present across multiple sectors. In education and infrastructure, data between 2000 and 2017 show that this inefficiency contributed to a loss of more than US $40 billion per year. In health, an annual loss of US $28 billion was registered, which lowered life expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa by more than ten years.

Combating inefficient spending is as important as generating revenues

Overall, regarding the efficiency of public spending, African countries have a lower average score [From 0 (least efficient) to 1 (most efficient). The methodology of calculating the score is detailed in the publication "In Search of Fiscal Space in Africa: The Role of the Quality of Government Spending"] of 0.585 compared to 0.825 for other developing countries. This suggests that if public spending is more efficient, African countries could achieve the same output with 41 to 48 per cent fewer resources and double their performance.

To turn the tide, African countries have been trying to boost domestic resources, focusing their efforts on revenue collection, including through tax increase measures. This approach has been leveraging initiatives to increase tax rates and widen the tax base, shifting to Value Added Tax (VAT) and strengthening the capacity of tax revenue authorities.

This domestic resource mobilization strategy is, so far, falling short, contributing only to a modest increase in tax revenues of a little over 16.5 per cent of the GDP in 2019. African countries must explore other alternatives, including improving public expenditure management.

Since it goes beyond the process of allocating funds, tackling inefficiencies in public spending requires a well-drawn-out battle plan that looks at the multi-dimensional aspect of the challenge.

Marshalling the impetus to fight and developing the strategies to win

African countries should look at strengthening governance across public institutions. With IMF research suggesting such initiatives could reduce inefficiency in public spending, African countries could mitigate losses, potentially recovering the equivalent of more than 50 per cent of their returns on investments for infrastructure.

Strengthening the governance of public expenditure management while aligning it with other frameworks and systems, such as those for debt management and investment promotion, is also vital. This is particularly important to avoid a vicious debt cycle when borrowed funds invested in infrastructure projects are not properly managed.

Africa should also leverage e-Procurement services to increase transparency and accountability, curb corruption, promote competition, lower costs and reduce transaction time for public procurement activities.

Addressing rigidities in wages and entitlements should be part of the solution as well. These initiatives could identify potential savings to be re-purposed for development activities, such as increasing social protection for vulnerable groups, while reducing budget-hungry spending, like cross-cutting energy subsidies.

Africa is at a crossroads where it needs to be decisive to stop a haemorrhage of resources from depleting its capacity. A sensible approach African countries could take is to adopt strategies that prioritize efficiency by trimming superfluous public expenditures. This will increase the countries’ budget portfolio, boosting their capacity to invest resources toward improving the quality of life of their people.

This next battle is one that Africa should fight. It is a battle Africa can win.

The author is a Programme Management Officer in the policy analysis and coordination team of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa at the United Nations.

Front Page Article:

Tackling spending and inequalities to promote STEM education in Africa

Rado Ratovonarivo — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 20:00:00 +0000

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Prof. Amivi Kafui Tete-Benissan teaches cell biology and biochemistry at the University of Lomé

Stephan Gladieu/World Bank

Professor Amivi Kafui Tete-Benissan (left) teaches cell biology and biochemistry at the University of Lomé, in the capital of Togo. She encourages girls to pursue science as a career path, and as head of the association for Togolese women in science, she has started a mentoring programme for female students to help them thrive in STEM fields. © Stephan Gladieu/World Bank

By Rumbidzai Adebayo

Africa needs to boost education in Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics (STEM) to develop its human capital and accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. African countries have subsequently been taking measures to strengthen access to STEM education, establishing initiatives such as the Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016-2025 (CESA 16-25) and the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategies for Africa (STISA-2024).

African countries also decided to invest at least 1 per cent of GDP towards the development of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) while creating the political impetus for the implementation of policies on STEM education at the highest level of decision-making. This resulted in the creation of a committee of ten heads of state and government to champion education, science and technology on the continent. African countries subsequently developed policies and mechanisms to mainstream STEM education in the national development framework.

However, challenges remain, undermining these African initiatives to promote STEM education.

Public spending inefficiencies

The inefficiency of public spending for education is a key challenge, as highlighted in the 2022 Report of the UN Secretary-General on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). This inefficiency costs Africa US $12 billion. This is a particularly considerable number, considering it is not always clear how much of the resources African governments are investing in education get allocated to STEM education.

There is also the issue of governance and accountability mechanisms – such as policy development, support structures for budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, etc. – which often are not adequate to allow for the reliable implementation of STEM education initiatives. Therefore, investments, including those required to establish STEM-friendly schools, increase the number of STEM-trained teachers, and close the STEM gender gap, do not consistently deliver the expected results.

Inequalities in education

Another challenge is the inequalities between urban and rural areas, which limit the promotion of STEM education. Schools in wealthier urban areas attract the lion’s share of investment at the expense of schools in underprivileged, rural areas. The result is a disparity in access to infrastructure and qualified teachers, a “teacher gap” that is creating a vicious cycle that further accentuates the urban-rural divide.

To tackle the issue, several African countries have been boosting access to universal primary education, particularly in underprivileged communities, leveraging social protection programmes, such as school feeding initiatives organized with the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and other partners to increase student enrollment. While the number of underprivileged children who have access to STEM education has subsequently increased, the result has not been enough. Urban-rural inequalities continue to persist and are compounded by other factors such as gender equality, disability, etc.

The way forward

What can African governments and their partners do to address these challenges?

Investment in education should go hand in hand with capacity-building initiatives to boost governance and accountability. Governments could leverage resources such as the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Guidelines for Public Expenditure Management to develop their capacity for budget preparation, budget execution, and cash planning or the World Bank’s Public Expenditure Management Handbook to acquire more knowledge about public expenditure management and its impact on budgetary outcomes.

Collaboration with development partners supporting investment in STEM infrastructure should be strengthened. This could contribute to bridging the urban-rural divide by making resources critical for the delivery of quality STEM education more accessible, such as classrooms, laboratories, pedagogical supplies, Internet connectivity, etc. This collaboration could also be essential for the maintenance of social protection programmes, such as school feeding initiatives, where needed.

The “teacher gap” should be reduced by prioritizing training for current and future teachers, especially in STEM education. Specialized institutions providing these training services should be supported, such as the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA), the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), and the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

A significant, sustained investment in infrastructure should be made to provide students and teachers in Africa with a modern learning environment where they can thrive and engage with a global, interconnected world. Digital technology should be made accessible to all. The playing field between urban and rural areas should be levelled by expanding power and water grids, as well as road networks and Internet infrastructure to underprivileged, rural areas.

Tackling these inefficiencies and inequalities is therefore crucial to the establishment of a robust STEM culture and a dynamic STEM ecosystem in Africa. This would create an environment where the promotion and growth of STEM education become an integral part of the African narrative as the continent mobilizes to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and the realization of the promises of Agenda 2063.

The author is a Programme Management Officer in the policy analysis and coordination team of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa at the United Nations. She acknowledges the contribution of Dr. Beatrice Khamati Njenga, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Institutional Advancement, International Leadership University Kenya and former Head of the Education Division in the African Union Commission), who provided technical guidance during the preparation of this product. Dr. Njenga is a member of the Africa Knowledge Network.

Front Page Article:

Africa primarily finances its development through domestic resources

Rado Ratovonarivo — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 21:45:00 +0000

New York, 29 November 2022 – The UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) released its latest report, “Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19: The Primacy of Domestic Resources Mobilization in Africa” at a special event chaired by Ambassador Pedro Comissário Afonso, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique to the UN and Chair of the African Group in New York.

The report shows that Africa’s development is financed through domestic resources, defying the notion that the continent relies heavily on external support. This funding, however, is inadequate to close a widening financing gap, which the sluggish recovery from COVID-19 and the impact of the war in Ukraine have exacerbated.

To bridge this gap, African countries need to boost domestic resource mobilization (DRM) by increasing revenue, improving public spending efficiency, leveraging large pension fund markets and sovereign wealth funds, curbing illicit financial flows out of the continent, and harnessing partnerships.

The publication also calls for putting the continent in the driver’s seat when it comes to its development, subsequently strengthening its resilience against future shocks. When it comes to external sources of financing, Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) play a key, albeit complementary, role in financing Africa’s development.

In a panel discussion that followed the launch event, senior UN and Member State officials joined subject matter experts to share knowledge about the role of domestic resource mobilization in Africa and propose solutions to the challenges it is facing.

Ambassador Claver Gatete, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the UN, highlighted his country’s approach, which focused on streamlining tax administration and bringing the informal sector into the tax system, while Paul Akiwumi, Director of the Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said that to boost DRM, African countries should provide the same tax incentives to foreign and domestic companies.

For his part, Fodé Ndiaye, former UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, echoed the report’s messages that African countries need to invest pension funds domestically to boost revenues, while Irene Ovonji-Odida, member of the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda, focused on tackling illicit financial flows (IFFs) enabled by international systems that are often unfair to Africa. The panelist raised the alarm that these IFFs are depriving the continent of key financing.

Front Page Article:

Digitizing Africa, the key to stronger institutions

Rado Ratovonarivo — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 14:04:00 +0000

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Two women using a digital money transaction to buy and sell fresh produce

Adobe Stock Photo 309431523

By Kavazeua Katjomuise

I overheard a conversation between three young people at a café in an African city. It was a passionate discussion on the management of funds allocated to the COVID-19 response and the effectiveness of the mechanisms in place to manage these funds so they achieve the intended purposes.

The concerns of my three young brothers and sisters resonated with me, as I could not help but reflect on how COVID-19 exposed cracks in Africa’s fragile revenue institutions and contributed to widening the financing gap for the region’s development.

Weak institutions, especially revenue collection and customs authorities, are a challenge in Africa, which loses billions in potential tax revenue, including through tax avoidance and evasion, especially by multinational companies. UNCTAD (1) reports that Africa lost $88.6 billion through illicit financial flows in 2019.

This undermines efforts to mobilize domestic resources to finance the continent’s development as outlined in the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and African Union Agenda 2063, which both recognize the primacy of strong and effective institutions in driving sustainable development.

African countries fare poorly on domestic resource mobilization compared to other developing countries. The share of revenue to gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 averaged 16 per cent for Africa compared to 35 per cent for Asia-Pacific and 24 per cent for Latin American Countries. African Least Developed Countries fared even lower at 13.3 per cent.

Governance influences tax revenue collection considerably in Africa. Good governance and strong institutions, measured through regulatory quality, the enforcement of the rule of law, strong institutional capacity and lower corruption, enhance a country’s ability to mobilize domestic resources through revenue collection.

However, corruption erodes tax compliance. Citizens in countries with high corruption are reluctant to pay taxes because of the perception that resources will be misused. Empirical evidence shows that countries with a low Corruption Perception Index (CPI) score collected 4.3 per cent more in tax revenue to GDP than those with a high CPI score (2).

Addressing governance issues and improving transparency in the use of public resources is vital to building trust and generating increased domestic resources. Efforts should be geared at supporting African countries to strengthen governance and tackle corruption.

Technological improvements and digitization could be leveraged to improve scale and efficiency and prevent corruption through increased transparency.

The pace toward digitization has quickened in recent years, particularly in the wake of COVID-19. Before the pandemic, Africa recorded progress toward digitization, albeit driven by the private sector mainly through incubators, start-ups, technological hubs and data centers (3).

Digitization is already transforming African economies in several ways, such as revolutionizing retail payment systems, thus allowing consumers and businesses to save billions in transaction costs, facilitating financial inclusion, and enhancing the efficiency of fiscal and revenue administration.

For example, the launch of M-Shwari in Kenya increased access to financial services for millions who may otherwise have been excluded from the financial sector. Taking advantage of this trend, the Kenyan Revenue Authority (KRA) introduced electronic banking in 2016 to expedite the payment of taxes through secure electronic payment. This, coupled with the launch of iTax, has enabled a single view of taxpayer information, allowing for real-time monitoring of revenue collection, thus improving the efficiency of payment to government suppliers and social protection grants.

Digitization has enabled developed countries to build effective and robust DRM systems, which is critical to ensuring Africa’s recovery from COVID-19. However, despite the widespread adoption of digital technologies across the world, the digital divide excludes many African countries from the benefits of digital technology.

However, digitizing tax administration in Africa has been relatively slow. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) (4) analysis shows that, relative to other developing regions, African countries scored below the world average on almost all indices related to tax administration performance, especially on the degree of digitization. The average score for the degree of digitization was 29 per cent for Africa compared to 49 per cent and 46 per cent for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as East Asia Pacific, respectively.

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an erosion of tax collection in Africa due to a lack of digitization, as countries could not fully work remotely. This underscores the urgency of investing in the digitalization of tax collection processes, paired with other digitization initiatives such as digital identification, digital finance, and electronic payment systems.

Evidence shows that enhanced tax collection has followed the introduction of ICTs, including the computerization of tax and customs administration to support tax payments. Countries that have modernized and digitized tax revenue administration have benefited from increased revenue due to improved efficiency, reduced corruption through enhanced transparency, and increased tax compliance. For example, the introduction of electronic cash registers by the Ethiopia Revenue and Customs Authority increased Value Added Tax (VAT) collections by 32 per cent.

COVID-19 provides an opportunity for African governments to embrace digitization by leveraging information and communications technology (ICT) as well as mobile technology.

Increased mobile penetration is an opportunity for African countries to digitize their fiscal and revenue administration. Development partners can support African countries in bolstering DRM systems by channeling substantial Official Development Assistance (ODA) towards strengthening capacities and institutions, including tax authorities, to improve tax collection. This would help enhance African countries’ ability to address tax evasion and avoidance, tackle money laundering and tax havens, and curtail base erosion and profit sharing (BEPS).

Development partners and international organizations can increase support to Africa to strengthen its capacity for tax assessment, including through training, mentorship and coaching. Complimentary measures are also necessary to enhance African countries’ capacity to enact and implement policies and legislation to tackle BEPS and transfer pricing, starting with a comprehensive review of all tax treaties, tax incentives, and trade and investment agreements to eliminate all loopholes for BEPS and other IFFs. This is central to de-risking Africa’s fiscal space for long-term sustainable development in the post-pandemic era.

In conclusion, building strong institutions through digitizing key institutions, especially revenue authorities, is critical to boosting domestic resource mobilization systems. By digitizing fiscal and revenue collection institutions and modernizing customs systems, African countries can build robust DRM systems and overcome the challenge of weak institutions.

References:
(1) UNCTAD’s Economic Development Report, 2020
(2) Odusola
(3) Cristina Duarte, 2020, “Africa goes digital”, Finance and Development, March
(4) IMF, ISORA, 2018. Understanding Revenue Administration

The author is a Senior Economic Affairs Officer and the leader of the policy analysis and soordination team in the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa at the United Nations.

Front Page Article:

Towards effective intellectual property ecosystems for sustainable development

Rado Ratovonarivo — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 19:00:00 +0000

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A young boy takes a selfie under solar powered light

By Kei Tagawa

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of effective intellectual property (IP) systems for sustainable development in Africa. Despite various efforts made by African countries over the years to develop effective IP ecosystems, most countries still face a number of challenges which undermine the effectiveness of IP in promoting various aspects of socioeconomic development, including public health, agriculture and industrialization. Many IP systems in Africa, including creation, protection, maintenance, commercialization and enforcement of IP, are still weak, with limited institutional and human resources capacities and not adequately financed. The pandemic also revealed challenges of IP systems at the international level, such as WTO’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), including their rigidity that makes it difficult for developing countries to rapidly and effectively address their public health emergencies, in particular, pandemics.

As Africa prepares to recover better together from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is an opportune moment for its policymakers to reexamine where each country stands regarding IP ecosystems and how to improve them. This will help African countries to enhance their economies to be competitive in a global economy that has rapidly been transformed into a knowledge-based economy with the fast advancement of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. For instance, in advanced countries, an efficient system of intellectual property rights (IPRs) ranks among the most crucial policymaking issue to consider, given IP’s capacity to encourage creativity and innovation throughout the economy. How about in Africa? Is establishing efficient IP ecosystems a priority of African countries in promoting sustainable development?

COVID-19 has underlined the importance of IPR
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of adequate IPR ecosystems, which provide significant incentives to pharmaceutical companies to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in developing COVID-19 vaccines quickly. Since the discovery and publication of the coronavirus’s genome in January 2020, scientists have raced to develop relevant health products to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19, including vaccines, on an unprecedented timescale. To date, there are 12 vaccines approved for full use, and more than 120 clinical trials are underway, setting the stage for some of the fastest vaccine development in recent history. It was also reported that two of the most successful COVID-19 vaccines, namely Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna, are making combined profits of $65,000 every minute.

On the other hand, the pandemic also revealed the adverse effects of rigid and complex IPR systems in promoting public health in developing countries, including Africa. IPs, notably patents, are often accused of hindering the generic production of vaccines since patent protections allow pharmaceutical companies robust control over the drugs/vaccines they develop. This is evident by lengthy and heated global discussions on an IP waiver for health products, especially COVID-19 vaccines, at WTO. The debates finally resulted in an agreement of WTO member states to a limited relaxing of patent protections on the COVID-19 vaccines. IPRs are also widely deliberated on the continent since the negotiation is taking place under the phase II of African Continental Free Trade Areas (AfCFTA) on investment, IPRs and competition. This AfCFTA negotiation provides a prospect for African policymakers to promote the coherence of IP instruments at the regional level, where multiple IP policy frameworks and systems exist in parallel.

IP ecosystems in Africa
Generally speaking, IP ecosystems in Africa have not been optimal in leveraging IP to effectively advance socioeconomic development toward achieving the SDGs. For instance, one indicator of innovation is the number of patent registrations filed in countries, and Africa is lagging far behind. In 2020, Africa accounted for only 0.5% of the world’s patent applications, compared to 66.6% for Asia, 19.3% for North America and 10.9% for Europe. Furthermore, the number of applications from residents constituted only 20.7 %. This demonstrates that most of the applications were submitted by nonresidents indicating that Africa’s local innovations were either limited or not fully protected by the patent systems.

Several factors may contribute to the reasons for African residents' low level of patent protection. These factors include, among others, relatively weak science and technology capacity, inadequate research facilities and funding, inadequate intellectual property awareness, the high cost of processing patent applications and the complexity of maintenance of patents, the cost of enforcement of rights in case of infringement and subsequent patent litigations.

Research has also shown various other shortcomings of IP ecosystems: many African patent offices are not fit for purpose due to limited resources. They have limited safeguards and quality control mechanisms, as many African patent offices do not conduct substantive examinations. Many African countries also have limited infrastructure to ensure that the information in patent applications is collated and made electronically available to the public, including researchers and technology-oriented industries. Furthermore, the gap also exists in relevant national IP legislation. For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic revealed that WTO’s existing Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) safeguards on public health, which intends to benefit the Least Development Countries – many of them are in Africa – have not been fully implemented or used in most African countries.

No "One Size Fits All"
Lessons learned from fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and negotiating IPRs under AfCFTA provide a golden opportunity for policymakers and legislators to reexamine IP systems in Africa to make them “fit for purpose.” All in all, IPRs are private rights, and territorial in nature – meaning national laws regulate the conditions for IPRs acquisition, maintenance and enforcement along with international engagements.

Are administrative procedures and costs to acquire protections of IP adequate? Do court systems facilitate enforcement of IPRs in case of infringement? Is the private sector, including small and medium enterprises, researchers and entrepreneurs, fully aware of national IP systems? Are IPRs legislations adequate and up to date? Does the national IP office have sufficient capacity to process IP applications and publish necessary information on inventions to the public? These questions will help policymakers and legislators to revisit their IP ecosystems and identify an entry point to improve them if needed.

It is essential to underline how IP laws, policies and practices are designed and used in different countries to determine the effectiveness of the IP system for development purposes. Therefore, taking into account each country’s context and uniqueness is essential. In other words, there is no “One Size Fits All.” The uniqueness includes existing national IP frameworks and international engagements, industrial composition and national strategic industries, market sizes, R&D environment and advancement of industrialization, among others.

This national review exercise will undoubtedly help negotiate IPRs under the phase II of AfCFTA, which will, in turn, promote coherent regional IP ecosystems that advance the establishment of regional value chains to accelerate sustainable development. The time has come for Africa to advance with IP.

The author is a Programme Management Officer in the policy analysis and coordination team of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa at the United Nations.

Front Page Article:

"Africa’s COP" should not neglect Africa’s concerns

Rado Ratovonarivo — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 21:05:00 +0000

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Solar Power Plant in Rwanda

Sameer Halai/SunFunder/Gigawatt Global

A commercial solar field in Rwanda. Photo: Sameer Halai/SunFunder/Gigawatt Global

By Cristina Duarte

Ms. Cristina Duarte is the Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on Africa, a position she holds at the rank of Under-Secretary-General.

It is once again the time of the year when world leaders, climate scientists, negotiators, activists, and other stakeholders gather to take stock of the planet’s future at the UNFCCC’s global climate talks. This November, Egypt will host the 27th Conference of Parties (COP 27) at Sharm El Sheik where participants will review the implementation of the many commitments made to mitigate the looming climate crisis and to add new ones.

The planet’s future remains at risk. Yet globally, many countries keep the status quo in terms of energy consumption. Instead of meaningful and deep cuts in emissions, the conversation revolves around alternative solutions for "carbon offsets", and carbon markets as well as providing hefty subsidies for the nominal integration of solar and wind power in their energy mixes.

Despite the many pledges, global CO2 emissions continued to rise in 2022 according to the UNFCCC, where preliminary data between January and May 2022 shows that they are “1.2% above the levels recorded during the same period in 2019” (UNFCCC, 2022. We are heading in the wrong direction). Moreover, as of 2019, all modern renewables combined (wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels) accounted for 5% of primary global energy consumption, and hydropower and nuclear contributed 6% and 4%, respectively. The rest came from fossil fuels.

Many Africans are considering COP 27 as “Africa’s COP”, while also noting the incredible shifts in tone and narratives in the global energy landscape since COP 26 was held in Glasgow in November 2021. African countries have always been more than willing to embrace a green energy future, what is hanging in the balance is a clear path to such a future.

Africa’s voice and key messages, therefore, need to be pragmatic in Sharm El Sheik, recognizing that without technological breakthroughs to improve reliability, affordability, and ease of distribution, radical shifts to tilt the global energy balance in favour of green energy will take a lot longer than the projections of "net zero" by 2030 or even 2050.

First, the only viable energy future for Africa is a balanced energy mix

For African countries, energy access is no longer just an equity and economic development issue. It has real and severe implications for the continent’s peace and security, with a growing demand for food, and energy and a young population demanding better futures. Even though Africa is home to 17% of the world’s population, the continent represents only 3.3% of global primary energy consumption, 1.1% of electricity generation and 3% of global energy use in industry.

Moreover, each African country is at varying stages of its energy journey. Some countries have achieved a 100% electricity access rate, while others are well below 50%. Some countries already generate over 90% of their energy using green energy resources. There are also countries with large natural gas endowments and economies driven mainly by fossil fuel generation and export.

It is therefore unconscionable to arm-twist the entire continent into accepting an unrealistic "only renewables from now on" argument, knowing full well that renewables can only be a part of the equation in the path to a sustainable energy future. The continent’s future and its transformation instead lie in a balanced energy mix, if all are truly committed to the principle of “no one left behind.”

A windmill park near Nouakchott in Mauritania. Photo: UNDP Mauritania/Freya Morales.

Second, solar and wind renewable energy is not the "end all, be all" for Africa's energy access

The dominant assumption in the debate for Africa's renewable future is that Africa's vast untapped potential for solar and wind power can power all its energy needs. In technical terms, Africa's solar power generation potential is immense at 7900 gigawatts and 461 gigawatts for wind energy (assuming a 1% land utilization rate [1]). The possibility is exciting because this is enough to cover the entire world's energy needs, let alone Africa's. Plus, the assumption is that once constructed, the sun and wind are essentially cost-free energy fuels, allowing for capital cost recovery within a few years. However, the devil is in the engineering and technology details.

First, the continent's most significant potential for utility-scale solar and wind generation capacity lies in Northern Africa, within the Sahara Desert. The technical difficulty of developing this potential includes transmitting generated energy over long distances through vastly inaccessible landscapes, via investments in prohibitively expensive high-voltage transmission lines and transformers. Moreover, these power plants need energy/fuel to continuously run the plants' machinery, store, and transport excess power, and use a significant amount of pumped water to clean and cool solar panels.

As to cost recovery, many countries are hesitant to implement a substantial portion of their energy mix on solar and wind because these technologies provide intermittent power unless they feed a well-established grid. Moreover, the physical equipment (solar panels and wind turbines) has a lifespan of about 30 years under nearly perfect conditions.

Another assumption is that African countries can have a flourishing industry for manufacturing renewable energy components such as solar panels, lithium batteries, and wind turbines using the continent's natural resources for building green sectors. Indeed, Africa has a crucial advantage in this arena. The continent has "over 40% of global reserves of cobalt, manganese, and platinum – key minerals for batteries and hydrogen technologies." [2]

However, these industries for value addition and processing need constant, affordable, reliable energy to get off the ground. More critically, financing is more readily available for investments to export them away from the continent, not to add value to them on the continent.
To further complicate the issue, IRENA reports that "during 2018, three-quarters of patents related to the renewable energy sector were filed in just four countries (China, the United States, Japan, and Germany). To date, few African countries have managed to successfully integrate the high-value-added segments of renewable energy value chains and generate associated jobs." [3]

This is not to say that solar and wind energy do not have a place in Africa's energy mix and national energy plans. According to the World Economic Forum, Africa already generates 9% of its energy from renewable resources, with plans for more capacity underway. Decentralized off-grid renewable power systems provided 38 million people in East Africa alone between 2009-2019 with solar lighting and solar home systems. Indeed, supplying the 600 million Africans with electricity for their domestic needs will mostly come down to off-grid and mini-grid renewable energy systems.

However, to realize Africa's economic transformation and job creation potential, the focus needs to shift to what needs to be strengthened, harmonized, and built in the energy sector, all tailored to national priorities and realities. Some action items towards this end include:

investments in infrastructure such as national and regional grid networks.
increasing the efficiency of transmission and distribution networks.
research and development for energy storage technologies specific to African contexts.
harmonizing regulatory frameworks, and
strengthening power providers and utilities.

All these are reasons why a blanket ban on one or more energy sources or a 100% shift of investments toward renewables based on solar and wind alone is counterproductive.

Third, the misconception of the "stranded asset" argument

One of the arguments against African countries developing their natural gas resources [4] is the issue of "stranded assets." Proponents argue that as the world shifts away from fossil fuels, Africa's investment in natural gas will become a liability before the end of their useful lifespans.

But this lens is flawed for two reasons. First, African countries are portrayed solely as exporters of their resources, not consumers. This mentality is perpetuated in some circles because financing is mostly "readily" available to develop a resource/commodity to satisfy demand, usually outside the continent. However, with Africa's industrial, agricultural, and domestic demand for electricity and transportation projected to increase, long-term planning and investment should look at intra-continental consumption and markets in addition to using Africa's natural resources to generate revenue from outside the continent.

Second, tragically, the available data shows that fossil fuels represent 84% of global energy consumption [5]. Even if the world radically transitions to renewable energy, the demand for natural gas will most likely decrease gradually. Its use as a transition fuel and a cleaner backup fuel to counter the intermittency of solar and wind power will remain for the next 25-30 years, short of significant and cost-practical improvements.

These two considerations counter the "stranded assets" argument because the life span of natural gas pipelines is at most 50 years and that of gas turbines is about 30 years. As uncomfortable as this truth is, natural gas will most likely be a part of the global energy mix for the foreseeable future. In this scenario, the demand for Africa's gas resources can be turned inwards in the long term, proportionally to an eventual decrease in demand from abroad.

Planet Earth. View from outer space at night. Adobe Stock

Forth, Africans need a realistic picture of energy/climate financing

At the 2009 COP, rich countries promised to mobilize an additional $100 billion annually in climate finance for developing countries. Not only has this figure never been reached, but little of the billions also reported as climate funding is new, and Africa’s share has been less than a third of what has been made available. Indeed, expectations of massive flexible transfers from rich countries to enable developing countries to invest in their climate futures is at best, misleading.

In reality, the current investment and implementation rate for energy access is very slow. Africa currently accounts for just 4% of global power supply investment, and even this is concentrated in a handful of countries across the continent. Achieving reliable electricity supply for all would require an almost fourfold increase to around $120 billion annually through 2040.

If past performance is an indicator, this number will not magically increase. Moreover, financial markets and private sector actors will not suddenly change their business models to grant concessional financing and reduced profit targets for African energy projects, renewable or otherwise. These are some of the many reasons why domestic resource mobilization, curbing illicit financial flows, and long-term energy planning and investment are vital factors to Africa's energy access and growth.

As the momentum builds to Sharm El Sheik this month, "Africa's COP" should be a forum where the world genuinely hears Africans' concerns. Similarly, African countries should also take lessons from the "Just Energy Transition Partnership to support South Africa's decarbonization," one of the most prominent achievements of COP 26 in November 2021. The initiative promises to mobilize an initial commitment of $8.5 billion for the first phase of financing South Africa's transition. A year later, its practical implementation is still in the works due to the sheer complexity of the negotiations as to where the money is going to come from, how the country will spend it, and the conditionalities that need to be met before accessing the financing [6].

References and notes
[1] IRENA and AfDB (2022), Renewable Energy Market Analysis: Africa and Its Regions, International Renewable Energy Agency and African Development Bank, Abu Dhabi and Abidjan.
[2] IEA, Africa Energy Outlook 2022
[3] Ibid. IRENA, AFDB, 2022
[4] More than 5000 billion cubic meters (bcm) of reserves, i.e., over 13% of the world's natural gas reserves (IEA, Africa Energy Outlook 2022)
[5] The top countries importing natural gas from Algeria, Egypt and Nigeria are China, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Spain and Pakistan, in no particular order, which are nowhere near a complete transition to renewables.
[6] Bloomberg News, 2022. A Landmark $8.5 Billion Climate Finance Deal Hangs in the Balance.

Front Page Article:

Africa at the Transforming Education Summit

Rado Ratovonarivo — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:30:00 +0000

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A wide view of the projections in the General Assembly Hall as Secretary-General António Guterres (on screens and at podium) addresses the SDG Moment 2022.

UN Photo/Cia Pak

The UN system and its partners organized the Transforming Education Summit in New York from 16 to 19 September, aiming to tackle a global education crisis that is having a devastating impact on the lives of children and young people around the world, including in Africa. In addition to recovering learning losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Summit explored ways to make equitable, inclusive, quality and relevant education accessible to all, mobilizing global action and solidarity to put education front and centre on country priorities and government agenda.

The United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa produces knowledge products, highlighting the issues addressed during the Transforming Education Summit, with a specific focus on Africa. Most recently, the office published the policy briefs STEM education and inequality in Africa and Information Communications Technology in Higher Education in Africa: Challenges from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Summit included a Leaders Day segment dedicated to the presentation of National Statements of Commitment by Heads of State and Government as well as a presentation of the Summit Youth Declaration and the Secretary-General’s Vision Statement for Transforming Education. The UN Chief urged countries to protect education budgets and prioritize spending for learning resources. “Education financing must be the number one priority for Governments. It is the single most important investment any country can make in its people and its future,” continued the Secretary-General, who also spoke via video message on transforming the financing of education.

The Minister of National Education and Literacy of Côte d'Ivoire as well as the Minister of Education of Sierra Leone exchanged with youth leaders from their respective countries as well as other participants during an engagement on Intergenerational dialogues on young people at the center of transforming education. The Youth Envoy of the African Union also delivered closing remarks during a pivotal Youth Declaration segment exploring opportunities for action.

UN News reported the importance of halting a crisis that will have a significant impact on an entire generation, while amplifying the call of Secretary-General António Guterres that “Now is the time to transform education systems.” The outlet shared a key outcome of the initiative as well, which is the announcement that “more than 130 countries attending the summit, have committed to rebooting their education systems and accelerating action to end the learning crisis.”

The “biggest-ever investment in education” was also announced during the Summit, when the Secretary-General and Gordon Brown, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, launched a new mechanism that will provide an initial US $2 billion in additional affordable funding for education programmes, which could unlock an extra US $10 billion of additional financing for education and skills by 2030.

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