Water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus and sustainable development in the Horn of Africa

Abstract

Water, energy and food (WEF) security are key indicators of sustainable development. Realization of sustainable development goals (SDGs) by countries is achieved through a water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus framework. Climate change is a threat to food, energy and water security in the Horn of Africa. The main aim of this review is to assess the status and prospects of WEF nexus as it relates to SDGs in the horn of Africa. The countries considered were Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti. The review indicated that the four countries have a challenge in achieving SDGs 2, 6 and 7. Djibouti had the highest (50.9) WEF index in the region followed by Ethiopia and Somalia at 47.5 and 36.8, respectively while Eritrea had the lowest WEF index of 35.8. The energy sub-index was the best performer in the region with an average index of 56 while water and food sub-indices were the worst at 36. Political instability, insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, weak institutional and legal framework are some of the challenges facing WEF and sustainable development in the region. Climate change adaptation measures should be incorporated into the water, energy, food and ecosystem (WEFE) nexus using an integrated approach. Modelling WEFE requires integration of models and should also focus on interactions among the sub-systems.

Water-energy-food nexus in the Great Lakes Region of Africa: Current status and prospects

“…Further databases that are hosted by Organizations such as the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organizations and World Food Programme were used. The search strategy utilized was adopted from Kanda et al [2023] in order to screen the relevant literature materials for use in this study.…”

“…Study conducted in Rwanda by Johnson and Axelsson [2017] while investigating the role of hydropower for the country's electrification plans revealed water insufficiency for the anticipated hydropower project plan as its expansion would lead to low water supply to cover the expected water demand in the country by 2026. Also the case study of Kenya explored similar trends observed in the SSA on the main factors contributing towards the deficiency of WEF like exponential population growth, extensive urbanization coupled with booming economy, and climate related vulnerabilities [Wakeford 2017;Okumu et al 2021;Awandu et al 2022a;Kanda et al 2023]. Mukuve and Fenner [2015] case study of Uganda analyzed beyond the WEF by incorporating the soil nutrient nexus into the mix for better understanding of the nexus ability in tackling the food insecurity.…”

“…Food security is a measure of the accessibility, availability and quality provision of safe food for consumption by the population [Bernard 2018;Awandu et al 2022a;Kanda et al 2023]. The food security status is attained when the population is capable of consuming sufficient safe and nutritious food for active and healthy living [Nkiaka et al 2021].…”

“…c) There is lack of concerted efforts on development of policy frameworks that guide on the use of shared water resources. Since each state tends to pursue unilateral policies, this tend to degenerate into conflicts as is the case in of Ethiopian Dam Mega Project [Kanda et al 2023].…”

“…The paper by Kanda et al [2023], a study review of the Horn of Africa with focus on Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, revealed that the focus countries are indeed WEF insecure. Considering the geographical location, the Horn of Africa has a considerable difference from the Great Lakes Region of Africa in terms of water availability and development.…”