Political Economy of Climate-Resilient Agriculture Policy Failures in Sub-Saharan Africa: Unpacking the Governance Gap

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces existential threats from climate change, with its agriculture sector, the backbone of most economies and livelihoods, disproportionately vulnerable. Despite widespread recognition of the need for climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) policies and numerous initiatives, implementation failures remain pervasive. This paper argues that these failures are fundamentally rooted in the complex political economy of the region. Utilising a political economy framework, it analyses how power dynamics, institutional weaknesses, competing interests, rent-seeking, colonial legacies, and donor influence systematically undermine the formulation and execution of effective CRA policies. The analysis highlights the misalignment between formal policy objectives and the incentives and capacities of key actors, including political elites, bureaucracies, smallholders, traditional authorities, and international donors. The findings illustrate common pitfalls. The paper concludes that addressing CRA policy failures requires confronting these deep-seated political economy constraints through context-specific governance reforms, enhanced accountability mechanisms, and more politically informed donor engagement.