Forgotten, SDG9 on sustainable industry discussed on November 16 in Addis Ababa
After Mauritius in December 2022 where the cyclone season and the climate resilience of the territories were under discussion, the African Economic Conference (AEC2023) is back from November 16 to 18, 2023 in Addis Ababa, the third world diplomatic hub. On the agenda of exchanges between economic actors and political leaders is the thorny sustainable industrialization of Africa, including that of host Ethiopia.
A few weeks before the opening of the African Economic Conference (AEC2023) in Addis Ababa, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Program development (UNDP) have a common wish for the event they are co-organizing: to bring together the continent's investors on the same table. Objective, to address the often neglected issues of the 9th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG9) relating to sustainable industrialization.
The meeting from November 16 to 18, 2023 is being held in a context marked by an increase in industrial pollution, the acceleration of deforestation in favor of fossil fuels (oil and gas) or even food waste and which contrasts with the food insecurity. All this involves the ecological responsibility of companies accused of exhausting the planet's resources. Thus, AEC2023 participants will debate in turn on eco-responsible practices such as energy efficiency (solarization of sites), carbon credits and the digitalization of work techniques.
The contribution of multinationals to financing the mitigation of global warming should also be included in discussions as the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) on climate approaches in Dubai. It is time for Africa to “better explore private sector and public-private partnership (PPP) options for financing sustainable industrialization, integrating into value chains and promoting the green economy” , indicates the ECA, whose headquarters are in Addis Ababa.
The choice of the capital of Ethiopia is not insignificant since it is an economic machine which owes its growth to the numerous technological firms (Safaricom) and mass distribution (Décathlon) already well established. This is also the case for Ethiopian Airlines, which was ranked as the leading airline in Africa in 2022 by the British agency Skytrax, just before carrying out its “first flight operated with sustainable aviation fuel” in April 2023. ". The aim of such an initiative, pleasing to environmental defenders, is to contribute to the reduction of CO 2 emissions in the aeronautics industry.
For more information on the event, click here.
