Within the series of lectures “A Growing Africa – To and Fro”, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli are pleased to announce the third lecture on “Sustainable Growth and Decent Work in Africa within the Planetary Boundaries“. The lecture will be delivered by Elias Ayuk, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) and Member of FEEM’s Scientific Advisory Board.

Available evidence clearly shows that the African continent grew impressively over the past decade. In spite of this, there is increasing concern about the quality of the growth, which needs to be sustainable. The main challenges for African countries that have made sustainable growth a strategic focus of their sustainable development policy include environmental constraints (soil erosion, drought and water pollution, water stress, land degradation, high energy dependence, vulnerability to climate change, pollution) and the limited benefits of economic growth and policies of social development in terms of jobs creation and reduction of social disparities. In the wake of the Rio + 20 summit, the urgency of economic development and growth strategies that no longer pursue pathways under the mantra of ‘growing now and cleaning later’ have become quite evident. This strategic focus has also been reinforced by the evidence that the planet is reaching its safe operating space. This presentation draws on a synthesis of available evidence to identify opportunities for sustainable growth and the creation of decent jobs within planetary boundaries in Africa. The presentation concludes with a proposal on critical cornerstones called the Six I’s that are likely to create a conducive environment needed to experience growth that is sustainable and creates decent jobs.

Click here to read the article “L’Africa ripartirà dalla terra” published in the Italian daily newspaper il manifesto.