The development goals will only succeed if they succeed in Africa

The document asserts that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can only be achieved globally if they succeed in Africa. It highlights the work of the Africa Progress Panel, emphasizing that Africa can leapfrog to a low-carbon future using its abundant solar, hydro, wind, and geothermal resources to address an energy crisis where two in three Africans lack electricity. Additionally, it identifies African agriculture as a major business opportunity to improve food security and calls for an end to the plunder of natural resources and systemic tax evasion. The text warns that without a shift from 'trickle-down growth' to equitable development, one-third of Africans will still live in extreme poverty by 2030.

• The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is contingent upon their success in Africa, as the continent's rapidly growing population is most in need of the changes the agenda proposes.
• Africa faces a severe energy crisis characterized by inefficient, centralized systems that benefit the wealthy, leaving two out of three Africans without electricity and forcing the poorest to pay some of the highest energy prices globally.
• There is a significant opportunity for Africa to bypass traditional carbon-intensive energy systems and transition to a low-carbon future by utilizing its vast renewable resources, including geothermal, wind, hydro, and solar power.
• African agriculture represents a major business opportunity rather than a development problem, though a gap remains between its potential and a growing reliance on food imports.
• Despite a decade of economic growth driven by global commodity demand, wealth inequality has persisted; current trends suggest one-third of Africans will remain in extreme poverty by 2030.
• The continent suffers from the systemic plunder of natural resources, including forests and fish stocks, as well as tax evasion facilitated by off-shore tax havens used by domestic and foreign investors.

APA

Kende-Robb, C. (2015). The development goals will only succeed if they succeed in Africa. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/the-develpoment-goals-will-only-succeed-if-they-succeed-in-africa/

Chicago

Kende-Robb, Caroline. The development goals will only succeed if they succeed in Africa. World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/the-develpoment-goals-will-only-succeed-if-they-succeed-in-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kende-Robb |first1=Caroline |title=The development goals will only succeed if they succeed in Africa |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=1 October 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/the-develpoment-goals-will-only-succeed-if-they-succeed-in-africa/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kenderobb2015development, author = {Kende-Robb, Caroline}, title = {{The development goals will only succeed if they succeed in Africa}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/the-develpoment-goals-will-only-succeed-if-they-succeed-in-africa/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }