UN urges Africa to adopt green business development in agriculture

NAIROBI - The UN Environment Programme(UNEP) on Wednesday urged African countries to adopt green business development in agriculture due to its potential in providing economic opportunities.

Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, director of Regional Office for Afric at UNEP, said that the concept has growth potential for African economies that highly depend on natural resources.

"Green business development is instrumental in sound management of Africa's natural resources," Koudenoukpo told African delegates attending a SWITCH Africa Green regional sector meeting on sustainable agriculture in Nairobi.

The EU-funded SWITCH Africa Green Programme supports African countries in their transition to an inclusive green economy and in promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) practices and patterns.

Koudenoukpo noted that since it was introduced in some countries in the continent, SWITCH Africa green has created a multiplier effect to improve the livelihood especially of women-led enterprises and youth in the region.

"Transforming agriculture by improving the productivity of small-scale farmers and connecting them to markets has the highest potential for increasing food production and significantly increase incomes of farmers," she added.

"The program has improved the livelihood of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Ghana, Burkina Faso and South Africa," she said.

During phase one of the program, over 3,000 MSMEs have been supported in the uptake of sustainable consumption and production practices in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and waste management sectors through funding from the European Union.