Environment a matter of survival - World Bank

Concern with the environment, far from being a luxury, is a matter of survival for Africa due to the high dependency of people there on the continent’s natural resources, and their vulnerability to environmental degradation, according to Hans Binswanger, sector director for environmental, rural and social development at the World Bank. The three priority actions the Bank had defined for Africa were: improving quality of life, improving the quality of economic growth and the maintenance of common goods, Binswanger wrote in the French publication ‘Jeune Afrique’. The Bank’s environment strategy fell within the poverty eradication framework, and sought to develop a comprehensive plan of action for the continent by rendering economic activities sustainable; protecting health; reducing vulnerability to natural disasters; and preserving ecosystems and biodiversity, he said.

These goals and priorities were set against “a backdrop of powerful trends in Africa, such as rapid and uncontrolled urbanisation, decentralisation and democratisation, the growing role of the private sector and regional integration, and globalisation,” according to Binswanger. Those trends presented challenges and opportunities, as their impact on populations and their environment depended on how they were managed - technically, socially and politically, he said. In this context, it was important to strengthen the capacity of states and regions to make the environment and social equity fundamental features of economic development, he added.