Photo: Marie Parramon-Gurney
Working in partnership with government and civil society, IUCN’s Global Business and Biodiversity Programme is leading the business outreach for SUSTAIN-Africa, an initiative to facilitate greening two growth corridors in Tanzania and Mozambique.
Growth corridors have been created in many African countries to attract investment that will stimulate economic development, job creation, public revenue, and ultimately, contribute to poverty alleviation.
Through the innovative programme, called the Sustainability and Inclusion Strategy for Growth Corridors in Africa (SUSTAIN-Africa), IUCN and its partners are working with local, national and international partners to demonstrate the benefits of inclusive green growth strategies using a landscape approach. The aim is to help shape planning processes and investments that can strengthen climate change resilience, as well as food and water security in these regions, so local communities can prosper.
The model for change combines action on the ground and consensus building among stakeholders with policy framing to help strengthen institutions, rules and implementation incentives.
The IUCN Business and Biodiversity Programme, together with its SUSTAIN implementing partners, the African Wildlife Foundation and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, is rolling out a SUSTAIN business engagement programme. The project has mapped businesses active in the two corridors to gain a better understanding of the impacts and dependencies on ecosystems, as well as the innovative business practices that could be scaled up there.
In addition, a business roundtable organized in Maputo, Mozambique, highlighted some of the important challenges linked to improving business practices in the country and facilitated a deeper understanding of the capacity needs. Similiarily, participation in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) Annual Forum and support for the SAGCOT Centre's Private Sector Feeder Group has strengthened engagement on the business priorities in this corridor.
SUSTAIN's business outreach is focused on three thematic areas: natural capital management; collective impacts in supply chains; and, responsible investments. It is building relationships with business and corridor secretariats to support inclusive green growth strategies, while developing management standards for business and investors, and demonstrating good practices in business operations and supply chains. Furthermore, the IUCN-led initiative is promoting sustainable landscapes and investments in these regions, in part by building capacity for integrating natural capital valuation into business planning.
For more information, read the story in the Highlights 2016 report or visit the SUSTAIN-Africa website.
