A Multi-Criteria Policy Coherence Index for Water–Energy–Food Nexus Governance and Energy Transition Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa
Rattachement africain : Kenya, Burkina Faso, cy, Afrique du Sud, it. Niveau de preuve : code pays fourni par la source.
Le résumé fourni par la source
Ensuring sustainable management of water, energy, and food (WEF) resources requires governance frameworks capable of addressing cross-sectoral interdependencies and policy fragmentation. This study evaluates the performance and coherence of national water, energy, and agricultural policies in Mali, South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania, with a focus on their contribution to WEF nexus integration and energy transition pathways. A mixed-methods approach is applied, combining qualitative policy analysis, stakeholder consultations (n = 52), and a composite policy coherence index to assess cross-sectoral policy alignment across three river basins: the Bani River Basin (Mali), the Songwe River Basin (Malawi–Tanzania), and the Inkomati–Usuthu Water Management Area (South Africa). The results indicate that key water policy dimensions such as conservation, pollution control, and stakeholder participation demonstrate high performance (mean = 1.0) and strong coherence (SD = 0.0–0.1) across all countries. However, these values primarily reflect the presence of policy instruments rather than their effective implementation. Stakeholder evidence highlights persistent gaps in enforcement, coordination, and institutional capacity. In the energy sector, core infrastructure and participation policies exhibit high performance (mean = 1.0; SD = 0.0), while critical market instruments—including feed-in tariffs (FITs) and power purchase agreements (PPAs)—show moderate performance (mean = 0.6–0.8) and high variability (SD = 0.4–0.5), indicating regulatory inconsistency. In the agricultural sector, economic incentives achieve high performance (mean = 1.0; SD = 0.0), whereas sustainable practices such as agroecology, crop rotation, and organic fertilization remain weakly integrated (mean = 0.1–0.4; SD up to 0.5). Overall, the findings reveal that WEF nexus governance is characterized by strong structural policy alignment (mean = 0.8–1.0) but limited functional integration, reflecting a gap between policy design coherence and implementation effectiveness. Strengthening regulatory frameworks, improving cross-sectoral coordination, and enhancing investment mechanisms are critical for advancing resource efficiency and accelerating energy transition. The study provides a reproducible framework for assessing policy coherence and offers policy-relevant insights for integrated resource governance in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.
Le contrôle bibliographique ouvert
DOI retrouvé dans Crossref DOI retrouvé ; titre concordant.
- Titre Crossref
- A Multi-Criteria Policy Coherence Index for Water–Energy–Food Nexus Governance and Energy Transition Pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Date Crossref
- 03/07/2026
- Éditeur
- MDPI AG
- Type
- journal-article
Ce recoupement confirme des métadonnées liées au DOI. Il ne confirme ni la méthode ni les conclusions de l’étude, et il ne compte pas comme une seconde source scientifique indépendante.
Où se fait cette recherche
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Stockholm Environment Institute Nairobi, Kenya (code pays fourni par la source)Organisation à but non lucratif
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso (code pays fourni par la source)Structure de recherche
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Cyprus Institute pays non établi dans la noticeInstitution
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University of KwaZulu-Natal University of KwaZulu-Natal, Afrique du Sud (code pays fourni par la source)Université ou école supérieure
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Rina Services (Italy) pays non établi dans la noticeEntreprise
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ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Praia, Cabo Verde (pays nommé en fin d’affiliation)Institution
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School of Agriculture and Science Pietermaritzburg, Afrique du Sud (pays nommé en fin d’affiliation)Université ou école supérieure
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RINA Consulting S.p.A pays non établi dans la noticeInstitution
Stockholm Environment Institute (Nairobi, Kenya), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso) et Cyprus Institute, avec 5 autres affiliations. Pays d’affiliation : Kenya, Burkina Faso, Afrique du Sud, Cabo Verde.
Une affiliation ne permet pas de déduire la nationalité d’un auteur.