With more than 874 million hectares of arable land - nearly six times as much as in the United States - Africa has the opportunity to ensure food security for all without repeating the environmental mistakes made by advanced economies.
The continent is ready for it own industrial revolution, but with 70 percent of Africans dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, it must be a green one. Africa has been a latecomer in terms of the world's previous waves of industrialisation; now it is catching up because necessity and the birth of new technologies are fostering a continent of innovators.
Africa’s green industrial revolution
Statistics in the 2016 United Nations Economic Report on Africa (ERA) show a path to environmentally sound industrialisation. Investing in infrastructure so that people can power their homes with greener energy without chopping down trees will be key. With the increased wealth that an agricultural revolution might bring, the continent needs to be conscious of not squandering its natural resources. Therefore, green power and improved livelihoods must go hand in hand. By adopting a green agenda to improve urbanization, energy developments, and population growth, the report says, GDP per capita would more than triple to $14,000 and the number of Africans living on less than $2 a day would nearly halve to 350 million.
Africa’s green industrial revolution has to use the continent’s abundant renewable energies. Africa consumes less than 3 percent of the total energy produced globally and accounts for less than 4 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, yet it needs more energy to industrialise. Currently, Africa uses only 2 percent of its renewable water resources and has the potential to increase hydropower generation.
Greening is not just about honoring United Nations environment agreements made at the COP21 Paris climate change talks last year, or the decisions made at COP22 which will take place in Marrakesh in November. It is about combining industrialisation and technological advances that protect natural resources in the production process. If they get this transition right, women, in particular, stand to benefit. Rural women constitute the majority of the 80 percent of agricultural production coming from small farmers, yet they have limited access and control over the means of production. With proper training, these women could boost productivity and boost their earnings, thus lifting the economy.
