Page 11 - AfrElec Week 48 2021

AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec

Trade crucial for Africa’s resilient

and green economic recovery

AFRICA AFRICA has the chance to purse a resilient and AfCFTA, potentially through a dedicated proto-
green economic recovery from the COVID-19 col or chapter on trade and sustainability.
pandemic if environmental and climate consid- In this way, there could be greater alignment
erations are built in to the continent’s trade and with the objectives of the GRAP and the AGSP,
investment networks. which could further stimulate more resilient
Developing trade in a sustainable and envi- recoveries.
ronmentally sound manner across the continent Looking ahead, the briefing found that recov-
will be crucial to transforming the economies of ery plans put forward by Ghana, Kenya, Mozam-
Africa, the ODI, an independent global think- bique, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa need
tank, said in a recent briefing. to be radically improved if they are to support
Two key actors are the African Union’s Green sustainable trading.
Recovery Action Plan (GRAP) and the African The briefing found that while policy objec-
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the tives for post-coronavirus (COVID-19) recov-
body tasked with increasing intra-continental ery efforts in African countries include building
trade and investment. resilient and green value chains, the means of
The ODI briefing found that greater align- implementation are often not specified.
ment is needed between the long-term economic Moreover, the relationship to climate action,
transformation objectives of the AU’s Agenda as defined in countries’ own Nationally Deter-
2063, the AfCFTA and the GRAP to secure mined Contributions’ (NDCs), often remains
sustainable and climate-compatible economic unclear.
growth paths. The briefing calls for environmental con-
One key issue is expanding the services pro- siderations to be more explicitly included in all
tocol of the AfCFTA to promote diversification future trade agreements.
away from carbon-intensive sectors and support In view of the prominent role that current
climate compatible manufacturing. negotiations on digital trade, investment, IPRs
The briefing also highlighted that the AfCFTA and competition protocols could play in sup-
already has the provisions and tools to boost porting resilient recoveries, there may need to
ambition and secure more resilient recoveries. be more explicit reference to environmental
These include consideration of environmental objectives.
goods and services, harmonised standards and There are different ways in which this could
regulatory enforcement for sustainability. be achieved, including through a specific envi-
The agreement’s investment, intellectual ronmental protocol or through ensuring future
property rights (IPR) and digital trade rules must protocols make specific reference to climate
be crafted to support green recovery objectives. change.™
However, more must be done to embed envi-
ronmental and climate considerations within the

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