The United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) is organising a peer review workshop for its current Home-based Scholars.
Date: 1st -2nd March, 2016
Venue: Accra, Ghana
The aim of the workshop is to bring all the Institute’s current Home-based Scholars together to present their research reports to other researchers for input. The workshop will be attended by 24 participants coming from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The Home-based Scholars programme falls within UNU-INRA’s project entitled Unleashing the Potential of African Rural Economies through Green Growth, which is being supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Project Background
Over the decades, economic growth has been a major concern of national governments in Africa and of the whole international community. In recent years, it has become evident and there is increased awareness that African countries cannot afford to pursue the path that neglects the environmental consequences of the growth process. There are many reasons for this. African countries are already severely impacted by environmental degradation and climate change. Growth is eroding natural capital which constitutes 25% of the total per capita wealth in these countries and thereby increasing risks to development. Soil erosion, drought and water pollution all have devastating effects. These challenges compound with those of increasing poverty, income inequalities and high unemployment. A paradigm for sustainable global development has emerged recently. It is the concept of green economy, which aims to pursue economic growth and development while preventing environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and erosion of the natural resource base. Although the concept of green growth reconciles development and environmental protection, there is a lack of empirical evidences on how a green growth trajectory can address some of the major developmental challenges in rural Africa that include high unemployment, increasing poverty, environmental degradation, pollution, biodiversity loss, soil erosion and lack of access to energy.
The project addresses the knowledge gap on green growth in Africa. It seeks to provide a better understanding on how African countries can translate increased innovations for low-carbon technologies and services and increased productivity from efficient use of resources, recycling and waste management into increased employment from green jobs, inclusive growth and enhanced natural ecosystems.