Navigating the Opportunities and Risks of the European Green Deal for Africa

The European Green Deal (EGD) aims to reduce EU net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030, creating significant spillovers for Africa in sectors such as energy, agriculture, and critical raw materials. The document argues that to avoid replicating past dependencies, the EU must align its policies with African development priorities and provide concessional climate financing focused on adaptation. Simultaneously, African nations are urged to articulate their own climate transition agendas, update resource mapping to attract foreign direct investment, and strengthen local content laws to ensure technology transfer and job localization.

• The European Green Deal (EGD) targets a reduction of the EU's net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent compared to 1990 levels by the year 2030.
• The EGD presents opportunities and risks for Africa across seven specific sectors: finance, new technologies, circular economy, critical raw materials (CRMs), energy, biodiversity, and agriculture.
• To maximize benefits, the EU should establish partnerships for energy and critical raw materials that focus on localizing value chains and building industrial capacity, such as establishing solar photovoltaic and battery manufacturing plants in mineral-rich nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• EU climate financing for Africa should be provided as grants or at highly concessional rates to prevent unsustainable debt, and it should be shifted from a primary focus on mitigation toward climate adaptation and resilience.
• African policymakers should update geological surveys of renewable resources, fossil fuels, and CRMs to attract foreign direct investment and capture a share of the estimated 75.6 billion euros ($90 billion) in investments for green hydrogen supplies to Europe.

APA

Usman, Z., & Ituen, I. (2021). Navigating the Opportunities and Risks of the European Green Deal for Africa. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/navigating-the-opportunities-and-risks-of-the-european-green-deal-for-africa

Chicago

Usman, Zainab, and Imeh Ituen. Navigating the Opportunities and Risks of the European Green Deal for Africa. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2021. https://afripoli.org/navigating-the-opportunities-and-risks-of-the-european-green-deal-for-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Usman |first1=Zainab |last2=Ituen |first2=Imeh |title=Navigating the Opportunities and Risks of the European Green Deal for Africa |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=21 October 2021 |url=https://afripoli.org/navigating-the-opportunities-and-risks-of-the-european-green-deal-for-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{usman2021navigating, author = {Usman, Zainab and Ituen, Imeh}, title = {{Navigating the Opportunities and Risks of the European Green Deal for Africa}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://afripoli.org/navigating-the-opportunities-and-risks-of-the-european-green-deal-for-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }