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The report argues that mining tax incentives in Africa are often poorly designed and overly generous, resulting in significant revenue losses. It challenges the assumption that such incentives are the primary drivers of investment, suggesting that deposit quality and political stability are more critical. The authors recommend that governments eliminate harmful incentives, implement time-bound and transparent frameworks backed by cost-benefit analyses, and enhance regional coordination to prevent tax competition. Furthermore, it suggests aligning tax policies with the Africa Mining Vision to promote local industrial development and value addition.

The document argues that while African governments have set ambitious climate adaptation targets, governance and financial barriers hinder the effectiveness of locally led adaptation (LLA). It highlights the severe economic impact of climate change on Africa's GDP and food systems, noting that LLA can enhance resilience by centering decision-making at the community level and leveraging Indigenous knowledge. The brief identifies gaps in national policies, such as the lack of substantive gender analysis in NDCs and the disconnect between identified needs and available funding. It recommends integrating LLA principles into national policies, expanding direct access to climate finance for local actors, and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure accountability and inclusivity.

The document addresses the significant underfunding of climate-smart agrifood systems, which contribute approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that while public and private capital have roles, concessional capital is essential for the 'missing middle'—investments with high social and environmental impact but sub-commercial returns. The playbook proposes five 'investment plays': deploying system-level approaches, supporting natural capital restoration, strengthening shared infrastructure, expanding technical assistance for innovation, and scaling local financial intermediaries. It includes a four-step framework for investor action: diagnosing the landscape, identifying financing gaps, designing instruments, and integrating partnerships.

The report analyzes the sources of development finance for low-income countries (LICs), identifying tax revenues as the primary source but highlighting systemic risks such as cuts to official development assistance (ODA), trade fragmentation, and an impending external debt crisis. It argues that while domestic resource mobilization (DRM) is essential, it must be balanced with 'external revenue mobilization' through export diversification to avoid balance of payments crises. The authors propose a pragmatic approach to the Financing for Development (FfD) agenda, recommending specific international reforms—such as separating poverty-reduction ODA from global public goods funding—and national reforms, including the removal of fossil fuel subsidies and the implementation of wealth and natural resource taxes.

The document examines the critical role of African IFIs in bridging the continent's infrastructure gap to enable the AfCFTA. It highlights a significant annual financing need of $130–$170 billion, with transport being the most deficient sector. While IFIs like the AfDB, AFC, and Afreximbank have invested billions, the author argues that financing still relies too heavily on governments with limited fiscal space. The brief recommends establishing a results-oriented coordination model and a dedicated agency to improve project bankability to better attract private institutional investors.

The document outlines the work of the Global Solidarity Levy Task Force (GSLTF) in developing 16 tax options targeting undertaxed, high-emission sectors to bridge the trillion-dollar financing gap for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. It highlights the potential for these levies to generate over $500 billion in annual revenue and calls for developing countries to engage in the design and assessment of these mechanisms to ensure equitable access to funds. The brief details the GSLTF's efforts to build political momentum through international forums and its submission to the Baku to Belém Roadmap to support the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance.

The document argues that while Africa holds approximately 30% of the world's critical mineral reserves, the surge in demand for green minerals risks exacerbating inequalities and environmental degradation without strong governance. It advocates for a transition from rigid to progressive taxation, the development of domestic value chains (such as battery and EV component manufacturing), and the strategic reinvestment of mineral rents into climate resilience initiatives and local community development to ensure a just transition.

The report finds that human-caused climate change significantly increased the frequency and intensity of extreme heat globally from May 2024 to May 2025. Approximately 4 billion people experienced at least 30 additional days of extreme heat, and 195 countries saw the number of such days at least double compared to a world without climate change. All 67 significant heat events analyzed were influenced by climate change, with some becoming dozens of times more likely. The authors emphasize that while adaptation strategies like City Heat Action Plans are vital, comprehensive mitigation through the phasing out of fossil fuels is the only way to limit future harms.

The document outlines the impact of Covid-19 on the African insurance sector and the subsequent regulatory responses in sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights a trade-off between providing regulatory relief to insurers and monitoring market vulnerabilities. While the pandemic hindered operations like premium collection and claims processing, it also created opportunities for digitalization and the adoption of regtech and suptech. The current research seeks to evaluate these responses to guide future stability and crisis management.

The R3Lab Toolkit is designed to help insurance regulators in Africa foster responsible innovation while maintaining consumer protection. It outlines a four-step process: conducting innovation gap assessments, utilizing a taxonomy of regulatory and supervisory tools, integrating these tools into concrete action plans, and monitoring progress via a key performance indicators (KPI) framework. The toolkit builds on R3Lab's initial assessments of innovation states and barriers across eight Sub-Saharan African countries.

FSD Africa and FirstRand have collaborated to implement TNFD frameworks within the African financial sector, focusing on capacity building and piloting disclosures in high-impact sectors like agriculture and extraction. The initiative included training 10 C-suite or board-level executives and conducting regulatory road-mapping and networking events via the African Natural Capital Alliance (ANCA) to address the continent's natural capital financing shortfall.

The Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF) issued Morocco's first infrastructure Green Bond in 2022, raising 1 billion Moroccan dirhams (approximately £80 million) to refinance the high-speed rail link connecting Tangier to Kenitra. This rail service is powered entirely by wind energy and is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by over 2.5 million tonnes over 30 years. The financing was supported by partners including CDG Capital, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and FSD Africa.

The statement emphasizes that while Africa possesses significant natural and financial capital, power imbalances in the international financial architecture hinder its mobilization. It highlights the severe impact of illicit financial flows and debt servicing on public services and calls for a collaborative approach between the African Development Bank, governments, and civil society to ensure transparent, sustainable, and equitable financial governance.

BCP and Attawfiq Micro-Finance launched Morocco's first Gender Bond, raising USD 25 million to provide microloans and non-financial services to over 17,000 women, addressing systemic barriers to financial inclusion in both urban and rural areas.

The document evaluates the BMZ's Feminist Development Policy (FDP), noting progress in institutional training and specific projects in Rwanda and Tunisia, while critiquing the lack of concrete anti-colonial strategies and contradictions between feminist rhetoric and Germany's arms exports.

The document analyzes the interdependencies between the EU, China, and Africa regarding critical raw materials (CRMs). While the EU seeks to reduce its reliance on China through initiatives like the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Global Gateway, the paper argues that complete decoupling is unfeasible due to China's dominance in midstream processing and the high costs of establishing independent European supply chains. It highlights that African nations, particularly the DRC and Zimbabwe, are increasingly pushing for local value addition and processing rather than mere extraction. The author proposes a trilateral cooperation model, using a hypothetical cobalt project in the DRC, where the EU provides technical training and financing, China provides refining technology and market access, and the DRC ensures resource ownership and local industrial development.

The 2025 Climate Litigation Lab, hosted by Surge Africa and partners, addressed the systemic use of SLAPP suits by corporations and governments to intimidate climate activists in Africa. The event resulted in the launch of an Africa-specific SLAPP Toolkit and the development of strategies for legal advocacy, strategic communications, and regional solidarity to protect environmental defenders.

The document examines the fragmented nature of the global trade, finance, and investment ecosystem, which comprises approximately 200 organisations. It argues that institutions often operate in silos, leading to contradictory policies and a significant trade finance gap, particularly affecting African SMEs. The author advocates for G20-led reforms to align global governance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and regional priorities like the AfCFTA. Key recommendations include the establishment of a G20–Africa Trade Guarantee Fund and the creation of a knowledge and coordination platform to enhance transparency and technical assistance.

The document outlines a strategy for South Africa to develop its green hydrogen ecosystem by prioritizing trade-focused investments that deliver local benefits. It identifies critical hurdles, including inefficient ports and a lack of domestic electrolyser manufacturing, and proposes solutions such as 'green corridors' for marine fuels and regional certification standards. The brief emphasizes that social acceptance, particularly regarding water scarcity and community consultation, is essential for the sector's viability.

In 2021/22, Nigeria received USD 2.5 billion in climate finance, representing a 32% increase from 2019/20 but leaving an annual finance gap of USD 27.2 billion. Public actors provided 70% of this funding, with multilateral development finance institutions (DFIs) as the largest providers at 48%. Mitigation investments (USD 1.2 billion) dominated, primarily driven by solar PV, while adaptation finance (USD 0.74 billion) covered only 6% of estimated needs. The report highlights a heavy reliance on debt for international public finance and identifies critical barriers such as high capital costs, a lack of bankable projects, and limited green fiscal incentives.