A Multi-Criteria Policy Coherence Index for Water-Energy-Food Nexus Governance and Energy Transition Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa

The study finds a significant disconnect between the design and implementation of water, energy, and food policies in four Sub-Saharan African countries. While policies appear aligned on paper, particularly regarding water management, fragmented energy market instruments and sustainable agriculture policies create regulatory uncertainty that hinders investment and resource management.

• There is a systemic gap between policy design and actual implementation, where strong theoretical alignment—especially in water management—is undermined by deficiencies in institutional capacity, coordination, and implementation.
• Policy coherence is inconsistent across sectors; while economic incentives are reasonably integrated, energy market instruments such as power purchase agreements and feed-in tariffs, as well as sustainable agriculture policies, remain fragmented.
• The fragmentation of regulatory frameworks and policy inconsistencies lead to regulatory uncertainty, which negatively impacts investment and the effectiveness of resource management.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2026). A Multi-Criteria Policy Coherence Index for Water-Energy-Food Nexus Governance and Energy Transition Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-multi-criteria-policy-coherence-index-for-water-energy-food-nexus-governance-and-energy-transition-pathways-in-sub-saharan-africa/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. A Multi-Criteria Policy Coherence Index for Water-Energy-Food Nexus Governance and Energy Transition Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa. 2026. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-multi-criteria-policy-coherence-index-for-water-energy-food-nexus-governance-and-energy-transition-pathways-in-sub-saharan-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=A Multi-Criteria Policy Coherence Index for Water-Energy-Food Nexus Governance and Energy Transition Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa |date=3 July 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/a-multi-criteria-policy-coherence-index-for-water-energy-food-nexus-governance-and-energy-transition-pathways-in-sub-saharan-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2026multicriteria, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{A Multi-Criteria Policy Coherence Index for Water-Energy-Food Nexus Governance and Energy Transition Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/a-multi-criteria-policy-coherence-index-for-water-energy-food-nexus-governance-and-energy-transition-pathways-in-sub-saharan-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }