Clean Economic Corridors in Africa: Integrating Energy, Industry, and Transport for Low Carbon Growth
Economic corridors in Africa have the potential to serve as far more than transport routes. When planned as integrated energy, industry, and logistics systems, they can become powerful platforms for low-carbon industrial development. Access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy is central to this vision, as energy availability directly shapes industrial location decisions, investor confidence, and corridor competitiveness. Without deliberate integration of energy and transport planning, Africa risks locking in fragmented, high-emission infrastructure that limits economic opportunity. Strategic co-location of hard-to-abate sectors, including cement, iron and steel, and minerals processing, within corridor systems can unlock economies of scale and accelerate decarbonization through shared clean energy infrastructure. African nations that design corridors around integrated, low-carbon systems stand to strengthen long-term competitiveness and secure greater value in emerging global clean energy supply chains. This policy brief was co-published with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on the margins of the 2026 International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum (IVECF).
Downloads and Related Links