Africa has long remained a blank spot in carbon pricing policy implementation, except for South Africa, which adopted a carbon tax in 2019. Multiple other Sub-Saharan African countries, however, have since 2015 articulated their intentions to implement carbon pricing. This article zooms into these volatile early-stage developments and explores how and why carbon pricing has emerged on the political agenda in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, the two countries that have considered the issue for several years but with varying levels of activity. The article combines Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework with elements of policy diffusion to fully grasp the interplay between the domestic and international processes at play. The analysis shows that the Paris Agreement served as a focusing event, opening a policy window for carbon taxation in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. Yet, the main motivations to consider carbon pricing are economic, though indirectly environmental, through the generation of revenues for the implementation of NDCs. International actors play a pivotal role in this process, but ultimately, domestic political structures and actors enable the carbon pricing agenda setting. This paper provides novel insights into how the carbon pricing policy process unfolds in Sub-Saharan African countries, a hitherto under-researched region.
Policy implications
- African countries considering carbon pricing should actively engage with carbon pricing policy development initiatives that have proven to be effective learning platforms.
- Policymakers must ensure strong domestic coordination and political willingness in carbon pricing policymaking, fostering collaboration among key stakeholders, including finance and environment ministries.
- Policymakers should engage with the private sector early in the process to foster understanding, address concerns, and prevent resistance at later stages. Just as policymakers require time to navigate carbon pricing, businesses also need time to adapt and prepare.
- External partners should maintain and enhance policy support for carbon pricing to countries and African regional organizations as interest grows across Africa. Their focus should be on fostering trust, strengthening knowledge, and empowering national policymakers to lead and own the decision-making process.
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