entrusted the IUCN with the administration of its Central Africa Regional
Programme for the Environment (CARPE). Central African countries also
rely on the activities of these various forest conservation programmes toProgrammes to reduce emissions from degradation and deforestation (REDD) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are considered as innovative. Congo Basin forests render unique services to the world's en vironment and these non-extractive services could be valorised and remu nerated in the future; the sequestration of carbon from DRC's forest is estimated at 17 billion tonnes, with 11% coming from protected areas and 17% from forest concessions (Laporte et al., 2007).
All of the countries are not committed at the same level in the REDD pro cess. Some countries like Cameroon and DRC are about to complete their Readiness Preparation Proposals (RPP); others are still at the beginning of the process (Congo, Gabon). The IbiBateke Carbon sinks of the company Novacel has been accepted as a CDM in DRC. This reforestation project combines the reforestation of heavily degraded soils with acacia trees and cassava farming, this will ensure soil rehabilitation, cassava production and charcoal production, all at once.
Household and urban waste processing is also a major green economy sec tor. It provides compost for farm fertilisation, biogas for various uses - no tably for the diversification of energy sources. Processing waste under the CDM is currently one ofthe pilot climate change mitigation projects in Ca
meroon.
Apart from the experiences of Sahel forest management for energy wood, so far, energy development programmes in the sub region have not been explicitly linked with environmental issues. In its energy strategy for Africa, the World Bank intends to boost the electricity generation capacity of about thirty countries by at least 20%, but has not announced participation in major investments. Nevertheless, the IUCN considers that in Central Africa, the promotion ofbio fuels is a priority activity in the years to come (UICN, 2008).
Countries of the sub region created the Central Africa Energy Pool under the NEPAD Program in 2003. In 2006, CEMAC defined an action plan which favours hydroelectricity. Unfortunately, these initiatives are yet to become concrete.
The Economies of Central Africa - 2013
In Central Africa, the CCD Global Mechanism supports the implementation of the Sub Regional Action Programme to Combat Desertification. In this perspective, the development ofArabic gum (Chad, Cameroon, and CAR) is notable; it contributes to 6 - 7% ofthe national GDP and is the occupation ofthousands of farmers in Chad. The development ofthis sector in the Sahel region has a dual advantage: generating income for producers and comba ting desertification. There is also potential in northern Cameroon and to a lesser extent in northern CAR. Investments in this sector should increase purchasing power while contributing to GDP growth and environment pro tection.
■ Sectors of Activity and Technologies considered as Drivers for a Green Economy
UNEP, based on the region's potential, has identified ten
preferred sectors to boost a green economy: agriculture, construction, energy, fishing, forestry, manufacturing industry, tourism, transport water and waste management. Regarding Central Africa, the priority areas iden tified during the "Green Business" meeting in Pointe-Noire (from 8 to 10 May 2012) and during the Brazzaville Meeting of Ministers from 14 to 16 May 2012 are: (i) sustainable use of timber and derivatives; (ii) sustainable use of non-timber forest products; (iii) eco-construction (houses in local materials); (iv) agro forestry and reforestation; (v) ecotourism and protected areas economics; (vi) waste reclamation and sanitation; (vii) renewable energies; (viii) carbon and water saving.
To transform these activity sectors, policies must be based on appropriate technologies privileging carbon efficient renewable energies.
The technologies needed to transition into a green economy are several and varied. They apply to sectors of activity which are drivers ofthe sub region's economy. They include agriculture, energy, industry, natural resource ex ploitation and bio fuels.
The technologies needed to transition into a green economy apply to sectors of activity which are drivers of the sub region's economy. The traditional system of agriculture in Central Africa is geared towards subsistence or small scale trading of agricultural goods. It is not suitable to developing a
transformation in Central Africa, agricul tural productivity must be increased and ecologically rational agricultural practices must be encouraged (see Box 3.2). Go vernments should use revenue from the
mining and other extractive sectors to subsidise access to technologies which can boost productivity and foster the sustainable management of land and natural resources in general.
The technologies needed to tran sition into a green economy apply to sectors of activity which are dri vers of the sub region's economy.
Box 3.2 Sustainable Agriculture (the Example of Uganda and other West African Countries)
Thanks to institutional support and improved access to funding, Uganda, the African country with the largest surface area dedicated to organic agriculture, increased the number of certified organic pro ducers from 45 000 in 2004 to 206 803 in 2008; the revenue it generated from exporting certified organic products rose from 3.7 million USD in 2003-2004 to 22.8 million USD in 2007-2008.
In the same vein, West African farmers (Senegal, Mali] succeeded in reducing the use of toxic pesticides and increasing output and reve nue, and diversifying farming systems.
Source: UNEP, 2010b and ECA, 2011
Like other African countries, those in Central Africa are facing many chal lenges with energy. The current energy supply is based on the hydroelectric potential which is exposed to the changeable rain gauge and does not gua rantee sustainability. There is need to diversify energy sources, privileging renewable energies and exploring the potential of bio fuels.
The Economies of Central Africa - 2013
Central Africa's clean energy potential must be developed. To achieve this renewable energy production technologies
- solar, wind, tidal, etc. - are priority (Box 3.3).
Box 3.3 Examples of Innovative Energy Programmes
To promote solar energy in Morocco, there are several initiatives for energy efficiency, tourism and water management. The first solar plant in Africa and Arab regions was inaugurated in May 2010; this plant should produce 3 538 GW/hour, about 13% of Morocco's needs.
In Tunisia, the energy sector transformation policy is based on the 2004 law on renewable energies and the 2009 law to promote clean energy in the industrial sector. In 2009, Tunisian Banks granted over 12 million USD (that is, five times the amount the Government spend) to imple ment a programme known as PROSOL, promoting the use of solar water heaters.
Egypt adopted a plan aimed at generating 20% of electricity from re newable energy by 2020,12% of which would be from wind energy. A new agency was created to promote these goals so as to attain a ca pacity of 3 500 MW by 2025. In 2010, Egypt's investments in renewable energy rose from 800 million USD to 1.3 billion USD, mostly thanks to a thermal solar project in KomOmbo and a 220 MW wind farm in the Gulf of Zayt.
T. DE OLIVEIRA
While it is not a priority today, in time, Central African countries will be faced with depleted oil resources. Almost every country in the sub region produces crude oil, which provides them with almost no added value. Bio fuels will surely play an important economic role on the condition that their development is based on the very diverse ecosystems. Thus, apart from the abundant ethanol production, the sub region can count on the redevelopment
dust, etc. There are two requirements to boosting the bio fuels sector in Cen tral Africa; stimulating strong political will to initiate and develop national programmes to promote bio fuels; define an appropriate institutional fra mework at the regional and national levels.
Central African countries are the least industrialised in Africa. The added manufacturing value per capita oscillates between 5 (DRC) and 200 (Gabon). Generally, the manufacturing industry contributes to at least 10%
of the GDP in the sub region. From 1995 to 2009, only Cameroon (about 17%) and Burundi (10%) maintained a share higher than or equal to the re gional average (ECA, 2011).
Considering this situation and the increasingly tougher challenges the coun tries face, developing a "transformative" economy in the CEMAC area has become an imperative for survival.
The promotion of true industrialisation in Central Africa should be based on agriculture and domestic transformation of some natural products gene rally exported as raw materials. In this manner, it will also create jobs and reduce poverty. In the context of accelerated globalisation, the ECCAS should take advantage of growing world trade in green products (ECA, 2011).
There is little visual tourism practiced in protected areas (national parks and wildlife reserves). And yet, it holds promise in a more secure context.
The same holds for hunting, recreational fishing and trail walks. In the cur rent state, sustainable tourism development programmes in Central Africa are not developed enough, hence the low economic and social impacts in the local population.
In the landscapes of Congo Basin forests, the type and intensity of tourism programmes vary from one complex to another and output is not the same in every country. In DRC, protected areas cover about 11% of the national territory. The country is home to five UNESCO world heritage sites. This potential is conducive to develop ecotourism. The tri-national Sangha forest landscape is the most developed sub regional tourist complex. It is the CEMAC pilot landscape around which Central African countries intend to build a vision for the good of mankind which places respect for human rights, ecosystems, cultural diversity, and democratic participation and co operation at the heart of values. This is where one can talk of "global"
com-The Economies of Central Africa - 2013
rules of competition. Undepletable resources or natural milieus like water, soils, air, etc., fall in this category, and yet they are not priced in the eco nomy. This issue of common goods is fundamental in formulating new ge neral interest principles which super cede the rules of competition dominating economic law today.
■ Funding a Green Economy in Central Africa
According to UNEP (2011), annual demand for funding aimed at making the global economy green is around 1.5 to 2.59 billion USD, that is, less than a tenth of total annual global investment. There are funding instruments in Central Africa, but they are not enough. They need to be completed with innovative funding.
In Central Africa, current sources of funding the green economy are: (i) the ECCAS green economy fund; (ii) the multi-donor fund; (iii) ECCAS contri butions; (iv) State budgets, etc. (Tabuna, 2012).
A special place must be given to the Green Fund for a Green Economy (FEVAC), created on 16 May 2012 and lodged at the Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC). FEVAC is a tool of the Central African Green Economy System (SEVAC) which aims at funding the Support pro gramme to develop a green economy in Central Africa (PADEVAC) and sectorial programmes.Each programme corresponds to a fund line and is articulated around the following: (i) research, innovation and training; (ii) capacity building, advocacy and lobbying; (iii) product, market and business development; (iv) institutional and fiscal-legal aspect; (v) developing com munication - NICTs, promotion and marketing. The fund's funding sources are: States, donors, the private sector, foundations and international funding mechanisms to finance projects on the environment in general and green economy/sustainable development/climate change in particular.
Eligible projects are related to the following sectors: forest protection; sus tainable production activities; clean energy development; development sciences and techniques applied to water cycle control; refilling Lake Chad with water; biodiversity preservation; re-colonising degraded soils; waste management; human, institutional and technical capacity building;
protec-Each ECCAS member State will host one sectorial programme management unit (UGPS) or CIPRODAC (programme engineering cabinet for develop ment in Central Africa).Each CIPRODAC will examine projects and then send them to BDEAC for a scrutiny before funding. CIPRODAC will act as advisory support before project building and during execution. However, if a given country is hosting a UGP/CIPRODAC, it does not mean that it will be alone in executing its activities. Every State should be able, using operators or beneficiaries, to present projects in every sector of the green
economy.
The following bodies have been set up for flexibility and transparency in managing the FEVAC: a Board of the Fund (CAF), a Steering Committee of the Fund (CDF) and a Scientific Committee of the Fund (CSF).
According to the principle of common liability but differentiated responsi bility developed under the UNFCCC, developed countries (annex I coun tries) are those first responsible for greenhouse gas emissions responsible for current global warming. Consequently, they should take up their res ponsibilities by supporting developing countries in their efforts to develop a green economy for their own development, thereby participating in "sa ving the planet". This is why the Green Climate Fund was created. The De claration from the Rio de Janeiro Summit in Brazil from 20 - 22 June 2012, recognizes that green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication as one of the important tools available for achieving sustainable development. It emphasizes that green economy should contri bute to eradicating poverty as well as sustained economic growth, enhan cing social inclusion, improving human welfare and creating opportunities for employment and decent work for all, while maintaining the healthy functioning of ecosystems.
Limited or no fundraising is a major obstacle to introducing innovative tech nologies to promote green economy in Central Africa. The following factors enhance this shortcoming: developed countries do not uphold their com mitments to support the implementation of the Rio Conventions; the debt burden; technological and socio-economic inequalities; poverty and its en suing pressure on natural resources; low contribution of national budgets to sectorial programmes.
The Economies of Central Africa - 2013
I Conventional funding mechanisms (such Limited or no fundraising is a major , . „ , j*^^
, t , A . , , . as subventions from donors and NGO
pro-obstacle to introducing mnova- c