(AfDB) - The African Development Bank and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI have launched a report analysing  the readiness of seven countries - Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Gabon and Mozambique - to drive green growth.

The joint report was launched on the sidelines of Africa Climate Week, in Libreville, Gabon. It assessed the status and trends of green growth as well as countries’ preparedness for the green growth transition across a number of metrics. It also offered recommendations for the countries surveyed in the report.

Malle Fofana, GGGI’s Director and Head of Programs for Africa said: “Our joint study Green Growth in the Context of NDC, LTS and SDGs Implementation in Africa, which assesses the state and readiness of green growth implementation, highlights key valuable insights for our members states.”

The report found evidence that African countries are demonstrating growing political commitment to green growth. Governments actively champion the UN Sustainable Development Goals and nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia, in particular, have incorporated into their constitutions citizens’ right to a clean and safe environment and other related rights. Rwanda, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal and Mozambique have adopted national green growth and climate-resilient economic strategies.

Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, African Development Bank Officer in charge for Climate Change and Green Growth and co-lead of the report said: “This report is expected to stimulate valuable dialogue and debate about ways to advance climate action and green growth in Africa. For the Bank, investing in green growth requires both policy interventions and adequate financing, especially that green growth investments require significant upfront financing to harness the innovative environmental solutions and clean technologies. This includes building resilient and low-carbon economies, smart and sustainable cities, greening industrialization, and building climate-resilient infrastructure”.

Scope exists for improvement across the nine categories of green growth readiness that the report assesses, particularly legal & regulatory, financing, research and development human capacity, and monitoring & reporting.

During the launch event, GGGI’s Dr Pranab Baruah, a co-lead on the report, emphasized the importance of operational readiness for green growth, which includes measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems for effective planning and implementation of the NDC/SDGs.

The session also offered participants the opportunity to respond to the report’s findings. African Development Bank and GGGI experts also outlined the ways the report will guide their operational planning going forward.

About the African Development Bank Group

The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.afdb.org