The Poverty-Environment Nexus in Africa

Abstract: This paper provides a short review of the poverty-environment nexus in Africa, which has emerged as a major development challenge for the continent. It looks specifically at issues related to deforestation and land degradation, low agricultural productivity, water scarcity, threats to Africa's biodiversity, and the impact of civil conflicts. It summarizes some of the main policy implications that arise based on the time inconsistency problem between short-term survival strategies and longer-term environmental concerns. The policy recommendations include sector-specific interventions as well as cross-cutting policy changes addressing gender imbalances and insufficient institutional reforms.