African Ecological Futures_Synthesis Paper

This document synthesizes Phase One of the African Ecological Futures process, linking six scenario papers on energy, water, agriculture, extractives, trade and investment, and infrastructure corridors. It outlines a scenario-planning approach that maps drivers and uncertainties, then uses critical trade-offs as axes. It summarizes trends including population growth, urbanization, GDP growth, investment, climate change impacts, conflict dynamics, and sector baselines such as energy poverty, transboundary water, low agricultural productivity, and expanding extractives. It identifies cross-paper themes on equity and access, valuing natural capital, governance and civil society, and prioritizing African needs, and discusses spatial overlap and potential ecological flashpoints.