Africa has experienced remarkable economic growth since the past decade. The continent's Growth Domestic Product (GDP) has been growing at a pace of 5% a year, on average, and it is expected to take a big leap by 2050, increasing from current U$ 6,36 trillion to U$29 trillion. This represents a unique opportunity to tackle some of the challenges the continent is facing, such as poverty, a high unemployment rate and heavy economic reliance on natural resources. 

The transition to greener economies offers opportunities for development and growth that will enhance people's well being and inclusiveness, create jobs, and promote environmental sustainability. In light of this, UNITAR, with support from the European Union and Switch Africa Green, has developed a course on "Sustainable Consumption and Production in Africa". The course aims to provide policymakers and the interested public with the knowledge needed to unlock several opportunities in sustainable production and consumption.

The course, which is available for free, addresses Sustainable Development Goal 12, “Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns”, and 13, "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts". It covers a number of aspects and various thematic areas: from energy efficiency - to climate-smart agriculture, from SCP tools, policies and international agreements - to behavioural change of individuals.

 By the end of it, users will be able to:

• Define the concept of SCP and explain its value for Africa and globally;
• Distinguish key elements of effective policies for SCP;
• Discuss how SCP can be advanced on specific sectors and areas;
• Explain the role of consumers and individual choices for SCP;
• Identify global and regional initiatives that promote SCP.

The course is self-paced, and it is currently available in English and French. It is divided into five modules that take, overall, an average of six hours to be completed. Users can choose whether to take the whole course or focus on one module that interests them most. After successfully completing the whole course, users will be granted a certificate.