Leapfrogging Possibilities For Sustainable Consumption and ...

Figure 1: Human Development Index (HDI), 2002 1 .
Africa has attracted the attention of the Marrakech Process assuming the status of being
the only region for which a dedicated taskforce called Taskforce for Cooperation with
Africa is established (see Section 3.2.1). Can Africa leapfrog in growing economically to
the level of meeting basic needs of its population through promoting SCP without passing
through the long period of evolution experienced by many countries in the North despite
its current severe challenges such as poverty?
In regions of the world such as Africa where there is no well-established large scale
technological system and associated institutional and cultural landscape, leapfrogging to a
new set of technological system can be a better option.
1.1 Objective
The objective of this preliminary review report is to:
i) clarify the potential role of leapfrogging in promoting SCP in Africa;
ii) identify existing cases of leapfrogging in Africa and other relevant economies
iii) identify the most promising sectors for leapfrogging;
iv) analyze the key enabling conditions for leapfrogging to SCP in African countries
1.2 Methodology
This work was done based on a desktop literature review. Different types of literature
including online sources were consulted. The choice of sources and materials and hence
cases was done based on the relevance to African demographic reality and diversity of
economic actors.
An overall consideration was done as to the different target groups of the report ranging
from technical experts and academicians as well as governmental and industrial policy
makers.
1 UNEP (2002a)
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