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The Kenya Renewable Energy Policy Scan evaluates the gap between the country's ambitious climate targets—including 100% renewable electricity by 2030—and the actual industrial and social outcomes of its energy transition. While Kenya sources over 90% of its electricity from renewables, the scan identifies systemic failures in localisation, where components like solar PV and wind turbines remain import-dependent and local firms are limited to assembly. It further highlights gaps in the development of Medium Enterprises (MEs), persistent gender underrepresentation in technical roles, and the prevalence of precarious, casualised labour in energy projects despite strong legal frameworks. The report argues that without enforceable and integrated industrial and labour strategies, the transition risks reinforcing import dependency and social inequality.

The document evaluates South Africa's energy transition, arguing that while legal frameworks for renewable investment are expanding, they fail to guarantee structural socio-economic transformation. It identifies critical gaps in industrial policy, where localisation remains fragile due to inconsistent enforcement and import reliance, and in labour policy, where renewable energy jobs are often short-term and lack stability. The report concludes that a just transition requires integrating energy reform with industrial strategy, municipal governance, and labour market policies to avoid 'low-carbon poverty'.

The Ghana Renewable Energy Policy Scan finds that while Ghana has comprehensive energy policies and ambitions for renewable energy deployment, there is a lack of coordination across sectors. Key gaps include the fragmentation of SMME policies, limited access to finance, and a failure to operationalise decent work and gender inclusion principles within renewable energy production networks.

The framework examines the potential for renewable energy industrialisation to advance a just energy transition by focusing on localisation strategies and the link between economic and social upgrading. It employs a Global Production Networks (GPN) perspective, integrated with Marxist, feminist, and ecological political economy, to analyse value creation and power relations. To operationalise these theories, the project uses an assessment matrix to evaluate employment quality, ownership patterns, and capability development in local firms.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) warns that modest GDP growth and improvements in network industries (energy, freight, and ports) in 2025 must be used as a springboard for structural transformation rather than a reason for complacency. Despite a projected 1.2% GDP expansion in 2025, unemployment remains critical at 31.9% (narrow) and 42.4% (expanded), while poverty affects 66.7% of the population. The IEJ argues that growth in finance and commodities does not create sufficient jobs and calls for a developmental macroeconomic framework. This includes a dual policy rate regime from the South African Reserve Bank, increased public investment in infrastructure and social services, and the implementation of a net wealth tax to fund these initiatives.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) asserts that while South Africa saw modest GDP growth of 1.2% in 2025 and improvements in energy and logistics, these gains have not reduced high unemployment, poverty, or food insecurity. The IEJ calls for a shift from market-centric policies to a developmental macroeconomic framework that prioritizes industrial policy, progressive taxation, and expanded social security to achieve inclusive growth.

The report examines how mining-producer countries use local content policies to translate extractive activities into domestic economic development. Key findings indicate a primary focus on local employment and contracting, with a significant emphasis on benefits for communities near mine sites. While many governments employ mandatory requirements and incentives, the report identifies critical gaps in the use of 'rules of origin' and data-based monitoring tools. Despite challenges such as limited technical capacity and infrastructure deficits, the report concludes that these policies are generally successful when they balance local community benefits with national development and avoid unrealistic industry burdens.

Nepal's textiles and clothing sector, particularly readymade garments and hand-knotted woollen carpets, remains a key export earner despite structural constraints and a decline in manufacturing's share of GDP. While the sector leverages unique craftsmanship and LDC-based preferential market access, it faces high logistics costs, skilled labour shortages, and a 25% higher unit cost compared to competitors like Bangladesh and India. LDC graduation threatens this competitiveness through potential tariff increases and stricter rules of origin. The authors argue that the government should move away from ineffective ad-valorem subsidies and poorly located special economic zones, instead focusing on market intelligence, inter-agency coordination, and productivity improvements to adapt to a changing global trade landscape.

The paper contends that traditional industrial policy is overly focused on manufacturing and must be expanded to include services, which now account for roughly two-thirds of global GDP. It identifies five pillars for a services-led industrial policy: infrastructure, investment/FDI, skills and human capital, regulatory quality, and connectivity. The author highlights that services offer developing economies advantages in terms of lower capital intensity, smaller minimum scale, and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the document notes that the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) provides governments with more policy space for experimentation than the rules governing manufacturing trade.

The document argues that a 'window of opportunity' has opened for Africa due to the convergence of China's domestic push for renewable energy leadership and US-China geopolitical tensions. While the US has retreated from climate leadership and scaled back African assistance, China is pivoting toward 'small is beautiful' project financing and green industrialization as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and FOCAC commitments. To maximize these opportunities, the brief recommends that African nations implement rigorous strategic planning, professionalize project pipelines, adopt innovative mixed-financing models to reduce sovereign debt, and pursue regional energy integration through frameworks like the Southern African Power Pool.

Using Kenya as a primary case study, the authors examine how the shift from traditional manufacturing-based industrial policy to a platform-based digital economy risks creating a new form of 'informational dependency'. While Kenya has successfully integrated into global digital services, the authors find that value capture remains limited because data and algorithmic control reside with foreign platforms. The paper advocates for a holistic industrial policy that integrates data governance, decent work standards, and regional cooperation to ensure digital transformation leads to inclusive development rather than extractive accumulation.

The report identifies Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and China as the fastest adopters of electric vehicles by sales share. It highlights China's dominance in both total volume (11.3 million sales in 2024) and market share (48%), while noting Norway's lead in share (92%). The analysis emphasizes that rapid uptake is driven by government incentives, investment in charging infrastructure, and the availability of affordable models. It also notes a trend of 'leapfrogging' in developing nations like Ethiopia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, fueled by affordable Chinese imports.

The Lobito Corridor, anchored by the Benguela Railway, aims to move beyond mineral exports to foster value addition in mining, battery production, and agro-processing. However, a stark duality exists between the modern logistics provided by the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium for large-scale exports and the dilapidated state of the Caminho de Ferro de Benguela (CFB) passenger rail, which hinders small and medium enterprises (SMEs). While some value-adding ventures like Pensana Plc and Flying Swans exist, they are heavily dependent on state facilitation, suggesting that private sector dynamism alone is insufficient to achieve industrial diversification.

South Africa's green technology transfer ecosystem is characterized by a comprehensive but fragmented policy landscape that creates tensions between social equity goals and climate urgency. While the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) demonstrates successful public-private collaboration, other sectors struggle with institutional silos and a significant gap in funding for the commercialization of research. Key barriers include conflicting localisation requirements and data regulations that may act as non-tariff barriers to foreign investment.

This research paper examines the role of green technology, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) and onshore wind energy, in decarbonisation and industrialisation. It argues that market forces alone are insufficient for scaling renewable energy and emphasizes the necessity of targeted industrial policy and government intervention to ensure equitable transitions, particularly in developing economies like South Africa and Brazil.

The report argues that tax and royalty policies for non-metallic minerals should be tailored to the specific economics of each mineral, as standard frameworks for metallic minerals may be inappropriate. It suggests that unit-based royalties are effective for minimizing administration costs when revenue potential is limited and cautions against the use of tax incentives due to their poor track record in promoting investment. The study estimates that over USD 217 billion of non-metallic minerals are produced annually across 66 countries.

The document argues that Europe must shift from a research-centric approach to a comprehensive industrial strategy for fusion energy to avoid falling behind global competitors like the US, UK, China, and Japan. It recommends that the EU's first Fusion Strategy prioritise private sector-led net energy fusion demonstration plants by the 2030s and adopt a Key Enabling Technology (KET)-based roadmap to align public funding with commercially relevant R&D. The authors propose streamlining governance by expanding the role of the Fusion for Energy (F4E) Joint Undertaking as the singular public governance body and establishing a cohesive Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programme to remove financing barriers for start-ups. Additionally, the letter calls for the explicit recognition of fusion as a strategic clean technology in EU legislation, including the Green Taxonomy and the Net Zero Industry Act, and the creation of a regulatory framework that distinguishes fusion from fission.

The report outlines a comprehensive toolkit for U.S. states to decarbonize heavy industry, emphasizing a combination of financial incentives, demand-side market policies, and regulatory reforms. It identifies four critical subsectors—petroleum refining, chemicals, cement, and iron and steel—which together account for approximately 40 percent of U.S. industrial emissions. The guide details technology pathways including electrification, CCUS, and alternative production processes, while providing case studies from Missouri, Louisiana, and Colorado to illustrate effective state-level implementation of these strategies.

The report argues that fiscal incentives are secondary to 'primary' non-fiscal conditions—such as stable regulatory frameworks, reliable energy and transport infrastructure, and clear national strategies—which are essential for the commercial viability of mineral processing. Using case studies from countries like Indonesia, Australia, and Zambia, it examines tools such as variable royalty rates, investment tax credits, and export restrictions. It warns that without rigorous economic modelling, policies like export bans or tax holidays can lead to significant revenue losses, deterred investment, or the support of commercially unviable projects.

The report argues that non-metallic minerals—such as sand, gravel, and potash—differ from metallic minerals due to lower revenue potential, stronger domestic economic linkages, and a lack of benchmark prices for many varieties. It proposes a typology for royalties and transfer pricing based on a mineral's export propensity, price volatility, and the availability of benchmark prices. Key recommendations include using unit-based royalties for low-value construction materials to minimize administration costs, and ad-valorem royalties for high-value exports like graphite and potash to maximize revenue. The document also addresses cross-cutting issues such as environmental taxation, the formalization of artisanal mining through lower tax burdens, and the risks associated with tax incentives and export restrictions.