Climate Change: AfDB Targets Energy Transition for Sustainable Development

Dike Onwuamaeze

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has announced that its 2022 Annual Meetings would focus on energy transition that would drive Africa towards a net zero carbon path way and allow for industrialisation and inclusive growth.

It also disclosed that the annual meetings would hold in Accra, Ghana, between May 23 and May 27, 2022.

The announcement was made yesterday, by the Secretary General of the AfDB Group, Prof. Vincent Nmehielle, during a hybrid press conference.

Nmehielle said the theme of the annual meetings would be: “Achieving Climate Resilience and a Just Energy Transition for Africa,” which responded to the bank’s priority areas like energy and sustainability in Africa’s socio-economic development.

He also said this year’s annual meetings would be organised in a hybrid format and would also feature events that would mark the 50th anniversary of the AfDB.

He also said that the meetings would enable the board of governors to review the report of the finances and other activities of the bank and the fund during the proceedings year and adopt resolutions on key decisions and conclusions of the annual meeting as well as dialogue on the strategic outlook of the bank in the coming years in the attainment of the African Union Agenda 2063 and United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He added that the bank would organise series of knowledge-based event under the theme of the annual meetings.

Speaking during the press conference, the Acting Chief Economist and the Vice President for Governance and Knowledge Management, Prof. Kevin Urama, said that the annual meeting would also feature thematic knowledge events that would focus on policy discourse that are of great importance to Africa’s development.

Urama said the annual meetings would feature four main knowledge events that would be open to members of the public to attend, adding that the first of these events would focus on climate resilience and just energy transition in Africa so that the continent would, “drive toward a net zero carbon path way for Africa’s development.”

“We will use this opportunity to have high level events to launch the African Economic Outlook Report that is focusing on supporting climate resilience and just energy transitions in Africa.

“We all know the relevance of climate change and energy transition as we drive toward a net zero carbon pathways for achieving sustainable development.

“This event will enable us to be able to interrogate that specific policy position of moving toward a net zero transmission in Africa and globally and what it means for Africa’s development,” he added.

He said the discourse would focus on how Africa should respond to opportunities in new development trajectories that have come to stay.

“Another knowledge event is on ‘Building Digital Economy for a Resilient Africa.’ It will focus on riding on global opportunities in digitalisation and all opportunities that it will deliver for a greener, more inclusive and more sustainable Africa through effective digital infrastructure for the continent.

“The third event is on Green Jobs for Youths and Women in Post COVID-19. We have seen the impact of COVID on jobs for youths and women in Africa.

“As we drive toward a post COVID-19 recovery, we are focusing on building robust rural economies for food security and prosperous Africa. The bank has been working on leveraging technology on Africa agriculture, which massive improvement has been done on productivity,” he said.

Urama explained that these key themes were chosen because they are subject areas that are topical for Africa’s development and critical for its transition to net zero carbon energy, especially as “we are responding to the triple crises of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and continuing impact of climate change.

“Juxtaposed on all these is the need for Africa to have energy transition that will allow for industrialisation and inclusive growth.”