Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper examines the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education across Africa, highlighting how school closures, a significant digital divide, and economic inequalities led to massive learning losses and increased vulnerability for poor and rural students.

This report examines the state of women's political representation across Africa, highlighting significant gender gaps in parliament, local government, and executive roles, while noting relatively better progress in the judiciary. It identifies structural and cultural barriers to women's participation and argues that increased female leadership correlates with lower corruption, higher social spending, and more effective climate policies.

This research paper examines the growth and impact of private education in Africa, noting a shift from charitable mission schools to profit-driven institutions driven by government failures and foreign investment. While some private schools provide high-quality alternatives to overcrowded and underperforming public systems, the trend is criticized for exacerbating inequality and draining resources from the public sector.

The document outlines 'The Education scenario', a set of ambitious interventions for the African education system modeled using the IFs platform. It compares this scenario against a 'Current Path' to demonstrate how improvements in primary, secondary, and tertiary access, quality, and gender parity could impact Africa's ability to meet SDG 4 targets by 2043.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines gender exclusion in African education, comparing enrollment ratios and attainment levels across different regions and educational tiers. It highlights a persistent gap between male and female education in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Central Africa, and notes that without aggressive interventions, the region will struggle to close the gap with global averages.

This research paper analyzes the potential economic and social impacts of reducing gender gaps in education and labor force participation across Africa by 2043. It compares a 'Gender scenario' against a 'Current Path' forecast, finding that aggressive reductions in gender inequality would significantly increase GDP, raise GDP per capita, reduce extreme poverty, and improve child health and human development indices across the continent.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the potential economic impact of achieving full gender parity in Africa by 2043. It compares a 'Gender Equality scenario' against a 'Current Path' and a 'Gender scenario', focusing on GDP growth, per capita income, and poverty reduction across different African regions and income levels.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the stagnation of African agricultural productivity since independence, highlighting the roles of poor policy, land tenure issues, conflict, and climate change in maintaining a significant yield gap compared to the rest of the world.

This research paper introduction explores the relationship between education and economic growth, emphasizing that while basic literacy is essential for transitioning from low- to middle-income status, the economic returns on education are often long-term. It highlights the specific challenges facing African education systems, including the 'brain drain' of skilled professionals to higher-income countries and systemic issues such as overcrowding and student retention.

This report from the Institute for Security Studies examines the intersection of gender inequality and health in Africa, focusing on disparities in disease impact, maternal mortality, reproductive health access, and the influence of social norms on healthcare outcomes.

The document explains that Africa has failed to achieve a modern agricultural revolution due to a combination of historical, geographical, and policy factors. It highlights that poor soil quality (55% unsuitable for most agriculture), high disease burdens, and a lack of investment in smallholder farmers have led to the world's lowest agricultural yields, despite interventions by the World Bank, AU, and AGRA.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the decline of Zimbabwe's agricultural sector resulting from land redistribution programmes and policy failures between 1992 and 2020.

This research paper explores how technology, specifically augmented reality (AR) and offline applications, can be used to improve education outcomes in Africa, provided that infrastructure gaps in electricity and broadband access are addressed.

This research paper presents an 'Agriculture scenario' for Africa, modeling the potential impact of an agricultural revolution through eight specific interventions using the IFs forecasting platform. The scenario aims to address low productivity, climate vulnerability, and food insecurity to stimulate rural economic transformation and diversification.

This report concludes that while education is a strong driver of income and prosperity in Africa, investing in it alone is insufficient for growth. It argues that African nations must move beyond outdated rote education models, address a 'low-learning trap' through systemic investment from early childhood to tertiary levels, and integrate digital skills and vocational training to leverage the continent's growing youth population.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the landscape of education financing in Africa, detailing expenditure levels, the distribution of funds across educational levels, and the challenges of spending inefficiency and declining donor support.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines agricultural reforms in China, Brazil, and Egypt to identify potential lessons for improving productivity and food security in Africa.

The report argues that the convergence of trade and climate policy is creating systemic gaps that marginalize developing countries. It highlights the mismatch between WTO rules and climate objectives, the lack of a unified governance space between the WTO and UNFCCC, and a scarcity of granular data on distributional impacts. To ensure a just transition, the authors advocate for a multilateral agenda that prioritizes development, differentiation, and the treatment of green technologies as global public goods.

This research paper examines the potential for triangular cooperation between the European Union (EU), Indonesia, and African nations in the critical raw materials (CRM) sector. It argues that while the EU and Indonesia currently employ different partnership models in Africa—the EU focusing on supply chain integration and ESG standards, and Indonesia focusing on downstream industrialisation and South-South cooperation—these differences are complementary. The authors propose a framework where EU financial instruments and ESG expertise combine with Indonesia's technical experience in mineral processing to support African goals of local value addition and industrialisation, thereby reducing all parties' dependence on China.

This guide by the Africa Policy Research Institute outlines a strategic framework to close the adaptation finance gap, particularly in the Global South. It proposes moving from fragmented, project-based funding to 'Country Platforms for Climate Action'—nationally led governance frameworks that coordinate policy and de-risk investments. The document provides a practical 8-Move Playbook for policymakers to transform climate adaptation from a perceived cost into a scalable asset class by layering finance and linking payments to verified resilience outcomes.