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The report argues that community lands, managed by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), are critical for climate mitigation due to their ability to sequester carbon and maintain biodiversity. Despite managing approximately half of the world's land, only 10% is legally recognized. The document provides evidence that secure land tenure leads to lower deforestation rates compared to state-managed lands and is a cost-effective mitigation strategy. However, these lands face increasing threats from illegal mining, drug trafficking, and land grabbing, while land defenders face rising violence. The report concludes that international climate finance significantly underserves IPLCs and calls for governments to prioritize legal land titling and the protection of environmental defenders.

The document argues that community lands, which cover approximately half of the world's land, are critical for carbon sequestration and biodiversity. It highlights that secure land tenure for IPLCs leads to lower deforestation rates and more effective climate mitigation than state-managed areas, often at a lower cost. However, the report notes that most community land lacks legal recognition, IPLCs receive less than 1% of official development assistance for climate change, and land defenders face increasing violence. It recommends securing land rights, improving law enforcement, and directing international climate funds toward IPLC-led management.

The document examines the historical tendency of extractive companies in Africa to build exclusive 'island mode' infrastructure, which limits integration with host economies and reinforces the 'resource curse'. It advocates for a transition toward shared-use infrastructure—such as power, rail, and ports—to convert natural resource depletion into broader societal assets. The author suggests that while 70% of resource infrastructure investment could be shared among operators and another 30% with the public, achieving this requires stronger local governance, new internal corporate competencies in socio-economic development, and government incentives like tax offsets to compensate companies for the costs of open access.

The document reviews digital policies across Africa, finding that while most countries have strategies focusing on infrastructure, e-government, and cybersecurity, there is a lack of continental harmonization. It highlights the significant role of external actors, noting that China provides much of the physical infrastructure (e.g., 70% of 4G base stations via Huawei) while the EU exerts regulatory influence through development assistance and agreements like the EU-ACP, which incorporates GDPR standards. The authors argue for an Africa-led, harmonized digital strategy to avoid fragmented standards and better leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The document examines how Multistakeholder Initiatives (MSIs) and corporate entities influence the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). It argues that the transition from state-led multilateralism to multistakeholderism allows transnational corporations and private foundations to direct policy and promote 'technofixes' and 'nature-based solutions' that maintain corporate dominance while ignoring structural inequalities and food sovereignty.

The research finds that climate adaptation finance for Africa is significantly lower than mitigation finance and the actual investment needs of the region. Between 2014 and 2018, adaptation finance was dominated by loans over grants, heavily concentrated in only two sectors, and suffered from low disbursement rates compared to general development finance.

The Subnational Climate Fund (SnCF), approved by the GCF in 2020 and running through 2028, aims to mobilize USD 750 million to support approximately 40 subnational projects with deal sizes between USD 5 million and 75 million. The fund utilizes a Technical Assistance Facility and USD 150 million in concessional equity from the GCF to attract USD 600 million in commercial equity, targeting subnational governments that lack fiscal autonomy or the ability to borrow from international capital markets. The fund involves 42 countries, including 16 in Africa, and focuses on projects aligned with NDCs that incorporate Nature-based Solutions.

The project aims to reduce coastal flooding risks in Egypt's North Coast and Nile Delta through the installation of 69 km of sand dune dikes and the development of an integrated coastal zone management plan. Co-financed by the Green Climate Fund (USD 31.4 million) and the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (USD 73.8 million), the initiative targets direct benefits for 768,164 people. Implementation involves multiple Egyptian ministries and the UNDP as the Accredited Entity, while the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency serves as the National Designated Authority.

The Africa Sustainable Forestry Fund II (ASFFII) is a USD 150 million private equity fund managed by Criterion Africa Partners that invests in sustainable forestry value chains in Africa. The fund utilizes a blended equity structure comprising one commercial investor, Calvert Impact Capital, and five development finance institutions (DFIs): AfDB, BIO, EIB, FinDev, and FMO. ASFFII focuses on plantation rehabilitation, expansion, sustainable downstream manufacturing, and biomass, requiring investees to adhere to Forest Stewardship Council guidelines. The fund provides both mitigation and adaptation benefits through reforestation, sustainable harvesting, and conservation set-asides. Current investments are located in eSwatini, Gabon, South/Southern Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, with Botswana, Kenya, and Rwanda identified as potential future markets.

The Lesotho Transport Infrastructure and Connectivity project, funded by the IDA, focuses on constructing 35 footbridges to maintain access to social services and markets during heavy rainy seasons. The project integrates climate-responsive measures to address flood vulnerability, with approximately 10% of construction costs dedicated to resilience-building. Implementation is led by the Lesotho Ministry of Public Works and Ministry of Transport, relying on national adaptation planning and climate data to ensure successful outcomes.

The African Conservancies Fund (ACF), established by Conservation International (CI), provides debt capital to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) to fund sustainable revenue-generating activities like eco-tourism and carbon credit generation. Having provided USD 500,000 in loan capital, CI aims to scale this to USD 5 million over two years and eventually USD 100 million. The model relies on local land ownership and a legal trust structure to ensure community-led management and income generation, with plans to expand the concept across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Green Aggregation Tech Enterprise (GATE) is a risk-pooling mechanism that guarantees a baseline level of revenue for rural mini grid developers, addressing the lack of credit histories among rural customers. By diversifying risks across different geographies and customers, GATE aims to enable developers to meet debt obligations and crowd in commercial debt. The instrument requires strong implementing partners, support from Development Finance Institutions for initial capital, and a robust regional electricity market, specifically leveraging the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). The initiative is currently preparing for launch in southern Africa, starting with Zambia, and aligns with the Zambian National Energy Policy 2019.

The African Risk Capacity (ARC) operates as a mutual insurance company and agency to help African Union members manage climate shocks through weather-index insurance. Since 2014, ARC Ltd has provided USD 720 million in coverage and paid USD 65 million in claims, primarily targeting the agriculture sector. Participation requires the use of Africa RiskView (ARV) software to define payout thresholds based on rainfall deviation. The program's viability depends on robust subnational climate data, government technical expertise in sovereign insurance, and high-level political awareness.

The document describes a World Bank-supported initiative in Cambodia using performance-based contracts and IDA credit of USD 170 million to improve road rehabilitation and climate resilience. It suggests this model could be scaled to African countries with strong project pipelines and private investor pools, identifying Morocco, Madagascar, and Lesotho as potential candidates based on previous adaptation financing.

The Restoration Insurance Service Company (RISCO) is a social enterprise piloting a model in the Philippines and Vietnam to protect mangroves by monetizing their flood reduction and carbon sequestration values. RISCO generates revenue through annual fees paid by insurance companies for reduced risk exposure and the sale of blue carbon credits. The model aims to benefit coastal communities, asset owners, and insurance companies, with Kenya identified as a potential site for replication in Africa due to its mangrove cover and growing non-life insurance market.

The Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise (ACRE) provides index insurance to smallholder farmers in Africa, utilizing mobile technology and solar-powered weather stations to trigger rapid payouts for yield loss. By 2018, the program insured over 1.7 million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, covering crops such as maize and coffee against drought, storms, and excess rain. The model relies on a 50% premium subsidy shared between farmers and agribusiness partners, and leverages mobile money platforms like M-PESA to reduce operational costs and accelerate claims settlement. The document identifies critical success factors for scaling, including robust local climate data, progressive regulation, and the high adoption of mobile money across Africa.

The Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), launched by the Ethiopian government in 2005, provides cash or food transfers to over 8 million households to address chronic food insecurity and climate shocks. Integrated into the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy, the program's fifth phase (Phase V), initiated in November 2020 via the Strengthen Ethiopia’s Adaptive Safety Net Project (SEASN), is supported by a diverse funding pool including the World Bank, USAID, UK FCDO, and the Government of Ethiopia. The program utilizes public works, such as building terraced hill slopes, to enhance water retention and climate adaptation.

Commercial banks in Africa face significant climate-related credit risks, with 49 banks across 14 countries exposed to USD 218 billion in risks. While these institutions lack developed climate strategies and remain risk-averse due to fiduciary duties, they possess the networks and capacity to mainstream resilience through partnerships with development banks and the adoption of adaptation taxonomies. Pan African Banks (PABs), such as Ecobank Transnational and Standard Bank, offer further potential for financial innovation and capital mobilization, despite a current lack of specific climate commitments.

CRAFT is a commercial investment vehicle targeting SMEs with proven climate resilience technologies in both developed and developing countries. It identifies market segments totaling over USD 130 billion in spending and targets investors ranging from development finance institutions to institutional investors. The fund focuses on countries with high climate vulnerability and low investment risk.

The Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant project, costing USD 390 million, is funded through a combination of Egyptian government public budget (USD 237 million) and concessional debt from development finance institutions (USD 150 million from AfDB and AGTF). The project aims to enhance adaptive capacity and water supply through infrastructure expansion and institutional support. The document highlights that accessing such concessional finance requires robust climate data, strong sovereign credit ratings, and a supportive policy environment, noting that Egypt is one of six African countries receiving the majority of DFI water adaptation finance.