Climate Change, Clean Technology and Green Growth Opportunities in Africa - Note by the Secretariat

This document outlines how African governments can address climate change while pursuing clean technology deployment and green growth, prepared to support the Thirteenth Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Bamako (21–25 June 2010). It describes Africa’s high vulnerability despite low emissions, citing risks to water, agriculture, health, infrastructure, and ecosystems. It presents four policy domains where UNEP offers support: clean technology readiness, REDD-plus, ecosystem-based adaptation, and green economy approaches. The text highlights barriers to renewable and efficiency technologies, frames forests as critical for mitigation and livelihoods, and details planning, analysis, and policy instruments to enable regional coordination, safeguards, capacity-building, and investment-driven transitions.