West and North Africa meeting in Accra discusses energy transition, food security

The ripples of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war and the results of how many economies in both West and North Africa have been managed are leading to crisis in these regions including food insecurity.

At a meeting in Accra organized by the Sub-Regional Offices for North and West Africa of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Ghana government from November 1 to 3, participants, experts, and government officials are discussing how to effectively address the issues of energy transition and food security.

The meeting, the second joint Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts (ICSOE) for North and West Africa is on the theme: “Investing in the energy transition, food security and regional value chains for sustainable development in North and West Africa”.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Ms Ngone Diop, the Director, ECA Subregional Office for West Africa, Ngoné Diop said the gathering was being held in the context of multiple crises facing the regions. Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukraine war and the debt crisis in most countries in Africa, she indicated that out of every eight countries in debt, one is from West and North Africa.

According to her, the energy transition issues and food security challenges affect the ability of the countries to achieve the SDGs.

“Food security is a problem affecting about 80 per cent of our people. 20 million people are facing food insecurity,” she said.

She added that the transformation agenda of the regions is hinged on energy transition and food security, she urged the need to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and increase the availability of renewable energy in the regions to achieve economic transformation.

In his remarks, Dr John Kuma, the deputy Minister of Finance for Ghana noted that the momentous highlight from last year was COP27- Africa’s COP; and the breakthrough agreement was to establish a “loss and damage” fund.

“We need to carry that same spirit into these meetings to identify key policy responses that address the pressing issues of food security, energy transition, and the development of regional value chains. These are challenges that have profound implications for the well-being and sustainable development of the two subregions,” he said.

He also said as of 2022, over 20 million people and at least 10 million children faced sever food shortage in Africa.

“Moreover, rising debt levels and an increasing frequency and severity of climate shocks is inhibiting our ability to invest in long term climate resilient solutions. Against that backdrop, we must engage in deep and meaningful dialogues over the next three days, with a view toward proposing key policy actions and responses that can accelerate sustainable development in our regions.

The global landscape we find ourselves in is not only evolving: It is complex and challenging. Yet, we must not be pessimistic about Africa’s prospects. Time and time again- as we have seen in the case of the Ebola crisis, HIV, AIDS and even the COVID-19 pandemic- Africa will prove resilient,” he added.

According to Dr Kuma, West Africa’s manufacturing sector accounts for less than 10 per cent of GDP, emphasizing the urgent need to promote regional value chains to improve economic diversification and structural transformation.

“With the African Continental Free Trade area in play, we can support broad improvements in competitiveness over time and build resilience to global shocks and mitigate, in part, the impacts of deglobalization.

Moreover, Agricultural value chains hold the potential to transform the economic landscape of North and West Africa in terms of alleviating food insecurity, creating trading opportunities, and generating quality employment for our youthful populations. Consequently, re-organizing our value chains around private-sector led initiatives that introduce an added layer of efficiency and productivity improvements must be scaled across the continent,” he said.

He noted further that crucially, energy poverty remains a significant impediment to economic development and trade in Africa.

“We must acknowledge the critical role that energy plays in our economic growth and address the limitations in energy supply that hinder socio-economic progress. .Approximately half (48 per cent) of sub-Saharan Africa is connected to electricity, well below the global average of 91 per cent. By and large, however, urban sub- Saharan Africa has access to electricity: Nearly four in five urban residents have access. The gap, therefore, is driven primarily by sub-Saharan Africa’s rural population, of whom only 29 per cent have access to electricity.

We must remedy this situation,” he said.

The Director, Subregional Office for North Africa, Ms Zuzana Schwidrowski said this year, the thirty-eighth meeting of the ICE for North Africa and the twenty-fifth meeting of the ICE for West Africa are both distinctive and special, featuring a number of joint expert sessions in which the two regions come together to share experiences and lessons learned.

The meetings also come at a time when, in the wake of the 2019 health crisis, most ICE meetings and conversations in 2021 and 2022 have focused on post-pandemic economic recovery and managing the adverse impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian war on food prices.

“However, on the road to post-pandemic economic recovery and the management of the negative impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, the year 2023 saw us experiencing the high cost of living due to the consequences of successive crises, illustrated in particular by rising food and energy prices, increased borrowing costs and debt servicing.

Added to this are the challenges posed by climate change, which continues to affect countries in both regions disproportionately. This is why the theme chosen for ICE 2023 is “Investing in Energy Transition, Food security and Regional Value Chains for Sustainable development in North and West Africa subregions”. The intention of this ministerial ICE, together with the experts, is to devise tangible solutions for our regions so as not to lose the economic recoveries already recorded and to address the major structural food and energy challenges facing North and West African countries, which have been exacerbated by the multiple current crises, and to explore opportunities for creating value chains in response to these challenges; taking into account the multiplier effects of food and energy security on all the SDGs,” she said.

She stated that despite the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the reopening of economies, and targeted interventions by countries, Africa’s economy has recorded a drastic fall in growth estimated at 3.5 per cent in 2022, mainly due to the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict on food and energy prices, and the persistent negative effects of climate change, in contrast to the 6.9 per cent rise in 2021, due to the post-pandemic economic recovery.

“For the year 2023, growth is expected to be 3.4 per cent before returning to 3.5 per cent in 2024, well below the 7 per cent required to achieve the SDGs by 2030. As far as our regions are concerned, growth in West Africa is expected to fall slightly to 3.8 per cent in 2023, while growth in North Africa is expected to rise slightly to 3.3 per cent in 2023.

Clearly, given the persistence of soaring food and energy prices, and the impacts of climate shocks, it is essential to develop concrete long-term solutions now through economic diversification, and to become a global hub for renewable energies so as not to lose this post-pandemic economic recovery,” she added.

By Emmanuel K Dogbevi

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