include the effects of desertification on human development and economic growth. regional government policies in tanzania, have led to implementation of environmental management policies aimed at promoting waste management, urban planning, and impact assessments for large projects. government authorities have created designated protected areas aimed at conserving forests as well as supporting community - based income. this initiative is also being implemented in zambia. africa now has a total of 1, 254 protected areas, or 7 % of the landmass. the southern african development community ( sadc ) plays an important role in the implementation of programmes aimed at improving the environmental sustainability of the region. acknowledging the importance of water in development, the sadc water sector coordination unit was established in 1996. prior to the formation of this unit a protocol on shared water course systems was ratified by the majority of the sadc member states. this protocol aims to promote the availability of fresh water resources in the region. in addition, a forest policy and development strategy, was implemented in 1997 by the sadc forest sector to address the issue of forest protection in the region. in order to protect marine life, agreements such as the oil spill contingency plan have been developed. the sustainability of fisheries resources is also now monitored by control agreements, and a sustainable fisheries livelihoods programme has been developed in west africa. other regional protocols adhered to by some african states include cooperative efforts to implement programmes that aim to combat desertification by the arab magreb union ( amu ), the common market for eastern and southern africa ( comesa ), economic community of central african states ( eccas ), economic community of west african states ( ecowas ), intergovernmental authority on development ( igad ), inter - state committee to combat drought in the sahel ( cilss ), and southern african development community ( sadc ). international agreements such as the vienna protocol, which called for the formation of a co - operative framework and policy structure aimed at protecting human health and the environment from adverse effects of human activity which modify, or are likely to modify the ozone layer4 are also observed. the vienna protocol was, effectively signed by 46 african countries. the montreal protocol which was signed by 47 african countries called for the implementation of cost effective alternatives to ozonedepleting substances, and the kyoto protocol which was signed by 4 african countries5 out of a total of 84 countries globally, aims to curb greenhouse gas emissions that result in global warming. despite the ratification of these protocols

##ayotou further notes the failure to provide evidence that the occurrence of lax environmental standards in emerging economies leads to fdi, on account of the fact that investment decisions by manufacturing plants and other multinationals to invest in countries is based on factors such as political stability, favourable economic policy, labour quality, and infrastructural developments. it is therefore clear that economic development is not without costs. in fact, the much desired economic growth if not carefully balanced with the need to protect the environment may result in permanent adverse effects on the environment for a country and the world. specific to africa, the application of these models and research findings lends itself to further caution. with the continental economy still facing numerous problems to the extent that most national economies are yet to provide sufficiently for their nationals, it is unlikely that a point would soon be reached in africa ’ s economic growth, at which adequate resources become available for commitment to environmental concerns. in other words, thought needs to be given to the social background against which utilisation of resources from economic growth will depend. the various human and social challenges such as poverty and epidemics confronting the continent may well explain the relatively low emphasis by policy makers on environmental concerns when compared to their western counterparts. that said, however, it must be recognised that in respect to the ecosystem, the globe is one and benefits that accrue to one corner due to environmental preservation, accrue to the entire globe. in this regard, measures need to be developed to quickly put africa ’ s high potential economic growth on a path that is environmentally sustainable. deliberate actions need to be taken in successfully transferring environmentally friendly technologies to africa. a case in point is the use of solar technology, for which achievements thus far are promising. most of africa is endowed with solar energy, and transforming it into usable energy would substitute the widespread use of wood fire energy by the majority of the continent ’ s population. in addition, because this is proven technology no more resources need to be devoted to research and development. further, solar energy circumvents the costs related to the generation and distribution of yet another clean source of energy, hydroenergy. in addition to generation, distribution of hydroelectricity presents africa with a unique challenge of supply network or grids due to the vast landscapes that constitute the rural setting where majority of the population resides. this is part of the wider infrastructural constraint that the continent is yet to overcome. 4. africa and the world economy