Outcome of the African Regional Workshop on Transfer

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Outcome of the African Regional Workshop on
Transfer of Technology Arusha, Tanzania
Dr. Peter P. Zhou EECG Consultants Pty Box
402339 GABORONE. Botswana Tel/fax [phone]
mail pzhou_at_global.bw Africa Regional Workshop
on Transfer of Technology Arusha, Tanzania,
16-18 August 1999
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Workshop Objectives

• Share views/experiences among Parties on past
  transfer of technology in the African Region.
• Advance the understanding of technology needs
  special situations of the African countries.
• Generate information and ideas on practical steps
  to enhance the transfer of technology to Africa.
• Consider elements of a framework for meaningful
  and effective actions to enhance implementation
  of Article 4.5 of the Convention.

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Key Themes of Arusha Issues and Questions

• Technology needs- What How
• Barriers Opportunities to the transfer of
  technology
• Capacity building to enhance tech. transfer_
  Specific priorities Strategies
• Technology information needs
• Transfer of Technology Mechanisms
• Stakeholder Interactions- public-private-MLI,
  BLI, NGO, Civil (roles and potential)

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Themes of the Arusha Workshop

• Technology needs
• What are the technology needs of African
  countries? What are the priorities?
• Africa to increase Energy-Qty Quality--Move
  away from unssustainable traditional biomass- to
  new and benign sources
• Consider Sociological disparities- industrial
  complex Versus social upliftment-poverty
  alleviation
• Africas diverse socio-economic/political/resource
  endowments disparities
• Public Domain Techs- need not most sophisticated

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Themes of the Arusha Workshop

• Barriers to the development and transfer of
  technologies
• Barriers?
• NO CC Policies Legal- regulatory, Institutional
  weakness
• access to finance (local international) no
  ready markets, poorly equipped SMMES
• Poorly informed consumer
• political corruption macroeconomic statusPoor
  Response to investor enquiry Battling with ESAPS

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Themes of the Arusha Workshop

• Capacity-building for technology transfer
• Focus For capacity-building,?
• Best to learn by doing- engage in EST trial
  projects- GEF but missed out in AIJ!
• Equip with business skills- part SMMEs
• Empower socioecological groups
• Policy analysis project development- a think
  tank idea
• Establish strong legal and regulatory
  institutions
• Change African notions-rationale competitive
  edge
• Matching needs with capacity

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Themes of the Arusha Workshop

• Technology information
• What information on technology is needed?
• Most technologies public domain- source
  application
• Tracking technology developments
• CC information In hands of govt, NGO but PVT
  sector lacking- sharing among stakeholders
• Sharing and replication of Experiences
  In-counytry S-S and S-N.
• General awareness rationale of CC activities.

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Themes of the Arusha Workshop

• Transfer of technology mechanisms
• Other ML and BL have conditionalities and no EST
  facility
• UNFCCC important jump start for EST
• GEF operative in Africa- no AIJ- Bias towards
  mitigation and more needed in adaptation
• Sectorally limited to energy
• What are key elements of appropriate technology
  transfer mechanisms under Article 4.5?- prepare
  both launching and landing pads

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Themes of the Arusha Workshop

• Stakeholder Involvement
• Govt, NGO and RI actively involved
• Limited Pvt sector role- too much risk in new
  venture- to be involved from project development
• Govt to promote pvt sector confidence in TT as
  new venture.
• Govt to buy down risks- but current project
  preferences not conducive to sustainability.
• Informed society
• Int Organizations- promote existing opportunities

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Three Key Observationsfrom Africa

• The synergy between development and climate
  change policies has been under exploited. Success
  in RETS.
• Actions to address climate change must
  simultaneously address development objectives.
  Past CC taken as technical Fixes/passing phase-
  even distorted markets
• Success with awareness/skills/information/Fiscal
  policies
• Development and implementation of actions
  initiatives must involve all key stakeholders
• e.g., intergovernmental and multilateral
  organizations, national and local governments,
  private sector, NGOs public society.

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Significant Outcomes from Arusha

• Require concerted effort to identify and
  prioritized technology needs- Public Domain for
  suitability- expanding sectoral scope
• General barriers to technology transfer are known
  and practical actions to overcomethem should be
  initiated.
• Agreement on meaningful and effective actions and
  a framework for actions under the UNFCCC requires
  continued consultations
• Capacity Building in Africa is of paramount
  importance but specific priorities and strategies
  need to be mapped.

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Further Significant Outcomes from Arusha

• Require strategic partnerships between
  governments, private sector and other
  stakeholders on technology transfer.
• Require partnerships among African countries as
  an important and potentially effective mechanism
  for technology transfer.
• Require multilateral bilateral donors who play
  greaterrole in coordination of EST activities

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Next steps for African countries...
Development of meaningful and effective actions
under the framework of the UNFCCC may be best
achieved by

• Undertaking technology needs assessments to
  identify priority technology needs
• Further identification and analysis of the
  barriers to the transfer of priority technologies
• Need a think tank to lead the debate
• Need easier access to financing EST and local
  tech. devt
• Consultation among stakeholders to identify
  practical actions to overcome barriers enhance
  implementation of Article 4.5 bring climate
  change on Development Agenda

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Next steps for African countries...

• Development of meaningful
• and effective actions under the framework
• of the UNFCCC may be best achieved by
• Building commercial interest for PVT sector/Civil
  society participation
• Information base Networking at
  National/Regional/International
• Advocating for easier windows of EST Financing
• Build skills to support Decision making