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Building blocks for a green economy:
experiences of the African Development Bank
Alexis Rwabizambuga, Chief Climate Change Officer and Anthony Nyong, Manager,
Compliance and Safeguards Division, the African Development Bank
R
ecent economic, social and environmental crises have
led to the realization that there is a need to reorient
current development models towards a more efficient,
inclusive and sustainable economy by enhancing the resource
efficiency of national economies and decoupling economic
activity from environmental degradation. In this context the
transition to a green economy represents a paradigm shift in
valuing the contribution of natural resources to sustainable
development objectives, in accordance with the principles and
recommendations of the 1992 Rio Summit (reiterated at the
2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development).
Two major issues will receive close attention at the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20):
• Transition to a green economy in the context of
sustainable development and poverty eradication,
including its means of implementation
• The institutional framework required to advance the
global sustainable development agenda.
One likely outcome of Rio+20 is the elaboration of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that support
the transition to a green economy.
S
ustainability
P
olicies
, P
rogrammes
and
their
E
conomic
I
mpact
Promoting clean energy solutions
Addax Bioenergy Sierra Leone project (
€
25 million)
The project consists of the development of:
• A greenfield sugarcane plantation (approximately 10,000 hectares)
• An integrated bioenergy facility including a sugarcane crushing facility
and ethanol distillery
• A 32-megawatt (MW) biomass cogeneration power plant.
It will generate roughly 960,000 tons of sugarcane per year, which will
be used to produce 83,000 cubic metres (83 million litres) of anhydrous
ethanol for export and possibly domestic consumption; and 165 gigawatt
hours (GWh) of electricity, of which roughly 100 GWh will be delivered to
the domestic market.
The project carries minimal risks to the environment, while its benefits
extend beyond access to clean energy to include broader local economic
development in accordance with the development pathway, including:
• Creation of employment opportunities
• Increase in household incomes
• Stimulation of local economic growth, including opportunities for
microenterprises and small businesses
• Generation of much-needed electricity
• Reduction of carbon emissions
• Increased agricultural productivity and food production in the project area
• Enhanced access to markets and social services for the local population
• Skills training.
Image: AfDB