Inclusive Green Economy (IGE) in an extensive program for capacity development in Eastern Africa. It strengthens the national capacity to create an inclusive green economy, which is one of the prerequisites for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The program focuses on economic policy instruments while considering the social aspects of policy implementation.
Connects with SDGs
The program mainly connects with the implementation of SDG 8 – sustainable and inclusive economic growth – but also to SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy for all, SDG 12: Sustainable production and consumption, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 15: Sustainable land ecosystem and land use.
The participants are senior civil servants from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, who are working at ministries and national government agencies that have been identified as key organizations for an Inclusive Green Economy (IGE).
Implemented by local teams
The EfD centers in each of the participating countries have set up teams including an IGE lead, a full-time policy engagement specialist, and senior researcher fellows. These teams are the main implementers of the program and give active technical support to the participants throughout the program.
More comprehensive and new features
This program, financed by Sida, started with an inception phase during 2020- 2022 and is prolonged to five more years, until 2027. It is a more comprehensive program than previous ones that EfD has been involved in, and it includes new features. For instance, with more emphasis on inclusion, the program highlights the importance of stakeholder involvement and accountability, which ensures that green economy policies can get broad acceptance. Methods for peer learning have also been developed to help participants benefit from networking and the sharing of knowledge and experiences across borders.
The program consists of five work packages:
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Matching IGE policy needs with scientific evidence
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IGE In-service Trainings
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Transformation Initiatives – Peer-learning for IGE in Practice
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Social inclusion, Acceptance, and Accountability of Green Economy Reforms
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Building IGE Professional Network for Local and Regional Community of Practice
The EfD centers in the participating countries are partners in this program. Researchers and practitioners at the University of Gothenburg, the Swedish Tax Authority, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and the World Resources Institute also provide expertise.
What is IGE?
An inclusive green economy (IGE) is an economic development that improves human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.
UNEP 2015
Comments on the program
“In East Africa, we don’t lack policies or strategies for IGE but we lack the capacity to put them into practice. For this, we need to connect policy-makers, technicians, and academia. The IGE program is doing exactly that.”
Fred Sabiti, UNDP’s Technical Advisor, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in Rwanda
“We may have thought that green growth is not for us in early development countries, but it is! It needs to be country-specific and there has to be a political will for implementation. That’s why this program is so important.”
Dr Claudine Uwera, Minister of State in Charge of Economic Planning in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in Rwanda.
“This was the most practical program I have ever attended. We need more capacity on IGE so I hope a lot more people will be given the opportunity to attend this program.”
Ann Mwangi, Chief Economist at Kenya’s State Department for Planning
"It’s a very good program! The best part is that it provides a platform for us to share experiences on a regional level. It’s also very valuable to have experts explain the principles of an inclusive green economy and to learn about specific policy instruments."
June Nyakahuma, Economist in the Macroeconomic Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in Uganda