VIENNA, 6 December 2018 – A new report launched today highlights the impact of a project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) with funding from the Government of Japan. The project tackles the challenges posed by climate change by promoting low-carbon and climate-resilient (LCCR) industrial development in Africa.

The project assisted four African countries – Egypt, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa – to shift their production cycles to greener and more resource-efficient practices. It demonstrated the opportunities and benefits of low-carbon and climate-resilient development in productive industries through the promotion and introduction of green industry policy instruments, adaptation and low-carbon technologies and of resource efficient and cleaner production (RECP) practices and techniques.

Multiple partner companies have seen the benefits of the project on their activities.

Madam Deme, the owner of Free Work Service, an agro-products company in Senegal, received a renewable energy dryer and greenhouses for the drying of millet products such as couscous. “Because of the new technologies, the time taken for drying process is significantly reduced. Previously it took 11 hours of sun-drying as pre-drying and eight hours with the dryer, now it is six to seven hours pre-drying in the greenhouse and three with the dryer,” Deme said.

“Energy savings are significant and we can increase the production capacity,” she said, adding that drying in the greenhouses means that rain is not a problem.

UNIDO Project Manager Smail Alhilali said, “The LCCR project successfully promoted business partnerships between African countries and Japan. In collaboration with the Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) Tokyo, we played a bridging role in finding technology suppliers from Japan that match the adaptation needs of the project partner companies.”

Takeshi Takama, Founder of Sustainability and Resilience.co and climate change advisor for the project, said, “Mitigation and adaptation are conceptually complementary strategies to address climate change impacts. Creating synergies between them has multiple benefits, such as cost-effectiveness, that may not be achieved if they are addressed separately. This is particularly true for the industrial sector, where awareness and implementation of adaptation strategies remain particularly low because adaptation is seen by stakeholders as an expense rather than an investment to tackle future climate risks.”

Take a look at the project webpage here.

For more information, please contact:
Smail Alhilali
Chief
UNIDO Emerging Compliance Regimes Division
Email

LCCR-Impact-Report