Mapping governance interactions among the Paris Agreement and SDG1 in Sub-Saharan African countries

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are interdependent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet they are often formulated and implemented separately. Poorly aligned climate policies can deepen poverty, while poverty reduction strategies reliant on growth-driven models risk environmental harm. Addressing these challenges requires a governance nexus approach, yet little is understood about how this operates in the context of the global South. Against this background, this study examines the governance interactions between poverty reduction (SDG1) and climate commitments proposed in 49 Sub-Saharan African countries’ NDCs. Using data from the novel governance nexus framework across three categories of governance interactions, the paper develops the Poverty Engagement Score (PES), applied to measure and compare the NDC-SDG1 governance nexus in SSA. The findings reveal limited governance interactions among NDCs and SDG1, which suggests that current climate commitments have a low potential to meaningfully contribute to the attainment of SDG1.