Towards a climate resilient Agenda 2063
Summary
This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies argues that Africa's Agenda 2063 framework must be updated to integrate climate risk management and low-carbon pathways. It highlights the economic threats posed by climate change and the risk of stranded fossil fuel assets, while providing specific recommendations for African governments, Regional Economic Communities, and the African Union to enhance resilience and human security.
Key insights
- Climate change is significantly hindering Africa's economic progress, with the African Development Bank reporting a loss of between 5% and 15% of GDP per capita growth due to climate impacts. Other analysis suggests an average reduction in GDP per capita growth ranging from 10% to 13%.
- Agenda 2063 was developed in 2015 based on the assumption that fossil fuel assets, valued at approximately $10 trillion, would fund development. However, the global shift toward a low-carbon economy and new trade barriers risk leaving Africa with stranded assets.
- The pursuit of Agenda 2063's development goals is expected to increase Africa's carbon footprint. Projections from the ISS African Futures project indicate that fulfilling these objectives would release approximately 297 million additional tons of carbon by 2043, potentially increasing Africa's contribution to global emissions to nearly 12% by that year and 30% by 2063.
- Africa faces a disproportionate burden of climate costs due to the increasing frequency of storms and floods, which are accelerating faster there than in any other global region. The continent also experiences one-third of the world's droughts.
- The document recommends that the African Union review Agenda 2063 to align it with climate-resilient pathways and establish a regional climate data and knowledge hub and a dedicated fund for climate adaptation and resilience projects.
- National governments are urged to integrate climate-resilient agricultural practices, embed climate risk assessments into infrastructure development, and set ambitious renewable energy targets.
Cite the original document
- APA
- Dahir, I., Gulati, M., & Naidoo, D. (2023). Towards a climate resilient Agenda 2063. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-187.pdf
- Chicago
- Dahir, Ilhan, Manisha Gulati, and Dhesigen Naidoo. Towards a climate resilient Agenda 2063. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-187.pdf.
- Wikipedia
- {{cite report |last1=Dahir |first1=Ilhan |last2=Gulati |first2=Manisha |last3=Naidoo |first3=Dhesigen |title=Towards a climate resilient Agenda 2063 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-187.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}
- BibTeX
- @techreport{dahir2023towards, author = {Dahir, Ilhan and Gulati, Manisha and Naidoo, Dhesigen}, title = {{Towards a climate resilient Agenda 2063}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-187.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }
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