ABSTRACT
Africa's wealth of resources offers myriad opportunities for sustainable development; yet the region has not been able to realize the full potential of these opportunities and entered the 21st century with enormous challenges. The demand for energy in Africa is set to grow exponentially; but the continuing lack of access to affordable and appropriate technologies is seriously constraining Africa's sustainable development options. Increasing numbers of African countries face water stress and scarcity, as well as critical levels of land degradation (UNEP, 2002), and the region is likely to be hit hardest by climate change (UNEP, 2001). The rising costs of water treatment, food imports, medical treatment and soil conservation measures are increasing human vulnerability and health insecurity and draining African countries of their economic resources (UNEP, 2002). The HIV/AIDS pandemic is affecting all aspects of human, social and economic development and weakening ‘the ability of today's generation to pass on its skills and knowledge to the next’ (Devarajan, 2003). In the face of these challenges, Africa's commitment to implementing multilateral environmental agreements is impressive (UNEP, 2002), and there are many regional and local sustainable development initiatives underway that address the concerns of the poor. The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) is key amongst these and was identified at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) for special attention and support to direct international efforts towards Africa's development needs.
