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This policy brief by the African Center for Economic Transformation examines Africa's readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), emphasizing the urgent need to equip its rapidly growing youth population with STEM and ICT skills to avoid economic instability and harness a potential demographic dividend.

This March 2020 report by Global Energy Monitor and partners tracks the global development of coal-fired power plants in 2019. It highlights a general global decline in new coal plant starts and pre-construction activity, contrasted with a net increase in global capacity driven primarily by China. The report details the shift in financing away from Western commercial banks toward public finance, particularly from Japan and China, and notes a record low in global coal plant utilization.

The 2020 report by Global Energy Monitor indicates a general global decline in the coal power pipeline, with construction starts and pre-construction development falling significantly since 2015. However, the global coal fleet grew in 2019 by 34.1 GW, primarily due to a surge of plants entering operation in China. Conversely, the OECD, US, and EU saw continued declines in capacity and generation. Despite these trends, the report notes that current reductions are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of reducing coal use by 80% by 2030.

The 2019 Global Coal Plant Tracker report reveals a contradictory trend: while the global pipeline for new coal plants has shrunk by two-thirds since 2015 and generation fell by 3% in 2019, net global capacity actually increased by 34.1 GW due to a surge of new plants in China. Western commercial banks have largely ceased direct financing for coal, but Chinese state banks and Indian state-owned finance corporations continue to provide significant funding. The report emphasizes that current trends are insufficient to meet the IPCC's goal of an 80% reduction in coal use by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

This report by Global Energy Monitor, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and CREA analyzes global coal power plant trends in 2019. It highlights a general decline in new coal development and operational capacity globally, though this trend is heavily skewed by China, which continued to increase its capacity. The report details the financial pressures on the coal industry, the role of public funding, and regional shifts in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the OECD.

This case study examines the role of the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) Incubator in supporting five selected grantees to scale their resilience innovations. It details the Incubator's methodology, which includes gap analysis, leadership training, and business model development, and evaluates the progress of projects focused on food systems, risk financing, urban habitat, water governance, and smallholder market access across Africa and Asia.

The 'Mapping of Global and Regional Resilience Initiatives' is a report published by the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) in March 2020. It provides a comprehensive directory of funds, financing facilities, networks, alliances, partnerships, organisations, programmes, and projects that focus on or incorporate elements of climate and disaster resilience.

This report presents the results of an expert consultation with 51 financial service providers (FSPs) to identify the sustainability and business criteria agricultural producers in developing countries must meet to be 'investment-ready'. The findings highlight a strong preference among investors for economic and governance factors over social and environmental ones when assessing financial risk.

The March 2020 Peace & Security Council Report details the African Union's (AU) response to the COVID-19 pandemic, political instability in Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan, geopolitical competition in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and the AU's marginal role in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute. It also outlines South Africa's priorities as the 2020 AU chair, focusing on 'Silencing the Guns', the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and gender equality.

This policy brief examines the role of resilient ecosystems in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR), specifically for coastal cities in Africa. It advocates for nature-based solutions, such as Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR), to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather events. The document highlights a significant gap in African regional policies that explicitly link biodiversity conservation with DRR and provides recommendations for mainstreaming these approaches into national and regional development strategies.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the implementation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It distinguishes PPPs from privatisation, highlights the potential for PPPs to address infrastructure deficits in Africa, and provides recommendations for improving governance, transparency, and public engagement to attract investment while avoiding hidden debt.

The report details the projected economic benefits of the AfCFTA, including significant GDP and employment growth, while highlighting critical implementation challenges such as non-tariff barriers, rules of origin, and the 15-year timeline to reach 97% tariff-free trade.

This research paper outlines the strategic opportunities for South Africa in 2020 as it concurrently chairs the African Union (AU) and serves as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The author argues that South Africa can reclaim its continental prestige by focusing on three priority areas: conflict resolution ('Silencing the Guns'), the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), and the improvement of governance through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

This research paper examines Turkey's strategic efforts to expand its influence in North and East Africa to counter regional isolation and secure energy interests. It focuses on Turkey's military and political support for the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, its diplomatic tensions with Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and France over Mediterranean exclusive economic zones, and its broader 'Open to Africa' policy exemplified by its deep involvement in Somalia.

This policy brief examines how Rwanda has utilized the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) to accelerate its national transformation agenda, specifically through infrastructure development and the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI). It analyzes Rwanda's economic trajectory from the post-genocide era to 2019, highlighting the role of 'reform culture capital' and the necessity of private sector engagement to overcome infrastructure deficits.

This case study examines Ghana's participation in the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA), evaluating the relationship between the country's reform commitments and the resulting foreign direct investment (FDI). It analyzes the effectiveness of the CwA framework, the role of the IMF, and the gaps between government-led reforms and the needs of the domestic private sector.

This guide by Friends of the Earth International (ATI) argues that gender justice and the dismantling of the patriarchy are essential for systemic transformation and the achievement of social and environmental justice. It advocates for a grassroots, anti-capitalist feminism to challenge interconnected systems of oppression, including capitalism, racism, neocolonialism, and heteronormativity.

This case study compendium by Natural Justice examines human rights violations associated with green energy projects in Africa, arguing that the 'just' component of the Just Energy Transition is often neglected. Through examples in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, and Senegal, the document highlights systemic failures in public participation, land rights protections, and environmental safeguards, providing policy recommendations to center human and environmental rights in the energy transition.

This guide, prepared by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and SouthSouthNorth (SSN), translates the findings of the 2019 IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate specifically for African policymakers. It details how human-induced climate change is altering ocean chemistry and temperature, accelerating sea-level rise, and melting high-mountain glaciers, all of which threaten marine biodiversity, food security, and coastal infrastructure across the African continent.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) estimates the public funding required by 2030 to end hunger, double the incomes of smallholder farmers, and maintain agricultural greenhouse gas emissions within the limits of the Paris Agreement. Using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, the authors determine that donors must nearly double their current annual contributions to food security, supplemented by increased domestic tax revenue in low- and middle-income countries.