ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PAMACC News) - A report, "Towards Africa's Prosperity: Creating Conditions for Socially Inclusive, Environmentally Sustainable and Well-Governed Continent”, to assist African countries to accelerate and ensure the successful implementation of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 on the continent has been published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The report is a response to the call by World Leaders in January 2020 for a "Decade of Action" to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. UN Secretary-General António Guterres further emphasised this by launching 'Our Common Agenda', which focuses on foresight analysis and involves looking ahead and examining how significant change can be achieved. These calls for action came amid worsening global economic problems caused by the disruptive effects of COVID-19, the crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the escalating climate crisis. These issues have led to global hunger, limited access to essential health services, poor educational quality, gender inequality, violent conflicts, vulnerability to natural disasters, and climate change. Africa is the worst-affected region, posing a threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established in 2015. The SDGs are designed to enhance global shared prosperity and improve people's lives by 2030. Therefore, the Report aims to help African countries address these challenges and accelerate the desired implementation of Agenda 2030, which aligns with the goals of Agenda 2063 of the African Union(AU). The report assessed four major themes: Africa's economic and social conditions, a comprehensive definition of prosperity, scenario casting through a macroeconomic model on options for achieving prosperity in Africa by 2030, accelerators of Africa's development, and the role of governance institutions in economic transformation. The report identifies the critical ‘game changers’ that could accelerate Africa’s development process in achieving the key goals of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030. Some of these include the urgent and imperative need for an agricultural revolution that would harness the continent's green resources to feed itself and become a net exporter of agricultural products and processed agricultural goods. Others include "Developing human capital," "Expanding and upgrading infrastructure and logistics," "Unleashing entrepreneurship and private sector development," "Ensuring gender equality and equal opportunities," "Harnessing the urban advantage," "Acceleration of regional integration and trade," "Mobilising financial resources," and "Ensuring environmental sustainability as a foundation for prosperity." The report suggests pathways to accelerate progress towards achieving prosperity in Africa by 2030, aligning with Agenda 2063's vision. It includes promoting inclusive political and economic governance, improving the capacity, autonomy and accountability of economic and political institutions, addressing disparities between the rich and poor, applying fiscal and monetary policies judiciously, creating incentives for enterprises, modernising technology and infrastructure, prioritising investing in technology and accessing global knowledge, and leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The report highlights that governance institutions—economic and political—are essential for sustainable development and socio-economic transformation in Africa. Key political institutions include the judiciary, human rights bodies, and participatory entities like Parliament. Economic institutions encompass national planning, resource management, and accountability…

ABUJA, Nigeria (PAMACC News) - It was a cool and breezy evening in Koba. Abou Camara sat in his reclining chair, with the gentle breeze caressing his bearded face and unveiling the palpable feeling of satisfaction and happiness emanating from his being. Abou, a renowned rice farmer in Koba, a town in the Télimélé Prefecture in the Kindia Region of western-central Guinea, is in high spirits following a recent discovery on his farm. This discovery will change his socio-economic status forever! With experience in rice farming from 1998, Abou has planted several rice seed varieties on his farm. Each year, his hope for a bumper harvest gets shattered by flooding occasioned by fluctuating weather patterns in his region. In 2016, Abou acquired and planted the NERICA L19 variety, but little did he know that the variety does not have the flood-tolerant submergence gene, and when the floods came, he lost nearly all he planted that season. In 2019, Abou participated in a farmer field school organised by Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) in collaboration with the AfricaRice Centre and some seed enterprises. He was introduced to new climate-smart varieties: NERICA L19sub1, WITA 4sub1, Mbapeya, and ROK5. Upon planting the new NERICA L19sub1 and WITA 4sub1 seeds in the subsequent season with strict observance of good agronomic practices, Abou discovered that the seeds he planted had a flood-tolerant gene. He noticed that these varieties could tolerate flooding when it occurred at the vegetative stage on his farm for a period of 10 days, and yet the crop was able to show normal growth. “Both NERICA L19sub1 and WITA 4sub1 showed high promise of a very good harvest despite the flooding in my farm. Accessing these varieties has made a huge difference in my life, and I am happy because this year’s harvest will be my biggest one so far,” Abou said. “This is something I have never experienced with other varieties. I am proud of this scientific achievement. Indeed, with science, we can overcome,” he added. To reduce the negative effects of climate change on rice production and paddy quality, the African Development Bank, through the TAAT programme, is scaling the adoption of improved climate-resilient rice varieties across Africa. This will ensure that seed enterprises and farmers can access elite rice varieties adapted to adverse weather conditions like erratic rainfall, flooding, and droughts. In this regard, TAAT and AfricaRice, working with the Africa-wide Rice Breeding Task Force, have developed varieties tolerant to key biotic and abiotic stresses. NERICA L19sub1 (submergence/flood-tolerant at the vegetative stage), aromatic ORYLUX 6 (Basmati group of rice), which are recognized for their excellent grain quality, taste, and early maturing, and hybrid ISRIZ 09 (AR051H) with excellent grain quality (long grain with firm texture) and good taste form part of the latest generation of rice varieties for Africa. These new mega varieties are suitable for rainfed lowland ecology where there is limited or no water control and irrigated ecology where water control is practiced. Yields of up…

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, PAMACC News – A new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the African Union Commission on the state of climate in Africa has called for urgent measures to increase investment in climate adaptation and resilience to save Africa from the looming crisis. The report, ‘State of the Climate in Africa’ indicates that the continent is facing an escalating climate change bill, with an average loss of 2-5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to climate extremes. In Africa, the cost of adaptation is estimated to be between USD 30-50 billion annually over the next decade, representing 2-3% of the region’s GDP. “This report serves as a stark reminder of the urgency of climate action in Africa, where extreme weather events are intensifying and disproportionately impacting the continent's social economic development.”, said the Minister of Green Economy and Environment of Zambia, Mike Elton Mposha. “Africa is uniquely vulnerable to climate change, with its high dependence on rain-fed agriculture and limited adaptive capacity. Rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and erratic rainfall are already causing widespread harm to human health, ecosystems, and livelihood. These challenges threaten to derail Africa's big-bed progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals and the African Union agenda 2063”, stated the Minister of Green Economy and Environment of Zambia. “It is essential to continue advocating for increased investments in climate adaptation and resilience, particularly through the laws and dynamic priorities,” he added. “The State of the Climate in Africa 2023 Report highlights the urgent need for action. Africa faces disproportionate burdens and risks from climate change, which threatens food security, public health, and socio-economic development across the continent,” said Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment at the African Union Commission. Hanan Morsy, Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said, “Africa is on the front lines of fighting climate change and its impacts, from rising temperatures to shifting rainfall patterns, and other extreme weather events. Consequently, key sectors like the agricultural sector, which employs over 60% of Africa’s population, are under threat. Crops are failing and livestock is suffering as climate variability disrupts traditional farming practices, jeopardizes food supply, and the economic stability of nations, which are already grappling with high poverty and levels.” “At the same time, African countries face significant debt distress, forcing trade-offs with critical development needs such as health or education. We can only drive investments in climate action if we have financing, therefore, there is a need to achieve sustainable debt levels to make the essential investments” added Ms. Morsy. To this end, she explained, “There must be first, a timely and sustainable international debt resolution that calls for an overhaul of the G20 Common Framework to make it more effective, time-bound, and transparent, and second, a reform of the global financial architecture to ensure affordable financing at scale. Third, the implementation of innovative financing instruments…