Addis ababa: Ethiopia has emerged as one of the top three performers in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) implementation across Sub-Saharan Africa for the year 2024, according to the NDC Implementation Index released today.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the NDC Implementation Index places Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Ethiopia as leaders in translating climate commitments into concrete action on the continent. The index is a comprehensive metric developed by the African Technology Policy Studies Network in Nairobi, Kenya, in collaboration with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and the West African Green Economy Development Institute. It provides a quantitative and qualitative understanding of a nation’s progress under the Paris Agreement.
During the opening remarks of the Regional Policy Dialogue and Dissemination Workshop on NDCs Implementation held in Addis Ababa, Planning and Development State Minister Seyoum Mekonen underscored Ethiopia’s commitment to climate action. He emphasized Ethiopia’s vision that aligns climate action with sustainable development, offering a model that resonates across the continent. The State Minister highlighted Ethiopia’s dedication to pan-African collaboration, emphasizing its role as the seat of the African Union and a member of IGAD.
Seyoum further detailed Ethiopia’s people-centered and climate-resilient development pathway, citing initiatives such as the updated NDCs (2021) which set a target of a 69 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and an unconditional commitment of 12.4 percent reduction through domestic efforts. He also mentioned the Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy launched in 2023, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, and the National Adaptation Plan addressing challenges like droughts, floods, and desertification.
On his part, African Technology Policy Studies Network Executive Director, Professor Nicholas Ozor, elaborated on the methodology of the NDC Implementation Index. “This index,” he explained, “is generated by evaluating a country’s performance across five key components crucial for successful NDCs implementation: Governance, Mitigation, Adaptation, Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)/Transparency, and Finance and Technology Transfer.”
The recognition underscores Ethiopia’s role in climate action within Sub-Saharan Africa and its commitment to a sustainable and climate-resilient future. ‘NDCs Implementation Using Tracking Tools and Indexes’ is a crucial initiative aimed at enhancing the monitoring and implementation of NDCs in selected African nations. These countries include Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The Regional Policy Dialogue and Dissemination Workshop in Addis Ababa serves as a platform for engaging stakeholders in discussions on best practices, challenges, and strategies for effective NDC implementation. It will also serve as an avenue to disseminate the results from the work done on NDC index development from the 12 participating countries.