December 19, 2022     Accra

United Nations University, Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, will hold a Roundtable presentation to launch its project called Just Energy Transition in the Informal Sector (JUSTIS) on Tuesday, 20 November 2022 at the Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra, Ghana. The project will also feature the presentation of the Green Digital platform that gives space for local entrepreneurs and government officials to discuss trials and tribulations as well as gain support from stakeholders.

The digital portal serves as a marketplace to retail green products and services to potential consumers, financial markets, and investors. The portal will also provide policymakers with a learning opportunity to support evidence-based climate and green policy decisions to support green businesses better and democratize research findings to a broader audience.

The inspiration for JUSTIS stems from the pressing need to mitigate the impacts of climate change on Africa, through an energy transition while ensuring that the impacts of the transition does not create a scenario where some are more likely to benefit from a green transition than others. In this UNU-INRA and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa created JUSTIS to explore how the events of asset stranding of hydrocarbon products will affect workers in the informal sector, and how targeted policy intervention and private sector support can help grow the green economy in a sustainable manner.

This event is set to bring together stakeholders in government, academia, the civil society and private sector to discuss the findings and demonstrate the potential of the Green Digital Platform. The roundtable event is the first of four taking place in four other countries on the African continent.

This initiative is a product birthed through a partnership project between The United Nations University-Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as part of a project called Just Transitions in the Informal Sector (JUSTIS).

The United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) is one of the 14 Research and Training Centres  of the United Nations University (UNU), the academic arm of the UN. The institute bridges the gap between science and natural resources management policies in Africa. UNU-INRA’s mandate is to contribute to the sustainable development of Africa’s natural resources in a way that maintains the quality of the natural environment and transforms lives. The institute’s programme areas focus on the development, management and governance of Africa’s renewable and non-renewable natural resources as well as green economy promotion.