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The report analyzes the varying stages of nuclear energy development in Egypt, Ghana, and South Africa. Egypt is currently constructing a nuclear power plant with Russian assistance, though it faces criticism for a lack of transparency. Ghana is in the early infrastructure-building phase, following the IAEA Milestones Approach. South Africa possesses the continent's only operational plant, Koeberg, but struggles with ageing infrastructure and the financial legacy of previous failed expansion plans. The document emphasizes the importance of robust governance, international non-proliferation commitments, and civil society engagement to ensure the safe and sustainable use of nuclear energy in Africa.

The report argues that new natural gas developments in Appalachia are high-risk investments due to low domestic prices and the global transition toward low-carbon energy. Analysis of 216 prospective gas fields indicates that average 2020 prices for gas and oil do not support widespread expansion. The authors highlight that deep decarbonization consistent with the Paris Agreement would likely keep gas prices below the $3/Mbtu threshold required for average profitability, potentially rendering new fields and associated petrochemical infrastructure, such as ethane crackers, unprofitable.

The workshop served as a platform for youth working groups to validate a report on governance in South Africa, covering themes from institutional planning and political participation to climate change and economic empowerment. Government and APRM representatives emphasized the importance of integrating youth voices into the national review process, particularly given high youth unemployment rates. The working groups identified systemic failures in policy implementation, a lack of youth representation in political parties, and the need for a 'green, intersectional and just' future to address climate change and its compounding effects on other social issues.

The document examines the role of green bonds in addressing Africa's climate vulnerability and infrastructure gaps, noting that while public finance is currently inadequate, green bonds offer a pathway to mobilize capital for sustainable development and climate mitigation.

The Green Climate Fund's January 2021 pipeline consists of 459 projects with a total value of $81,138M, including GCF funding and co-financing. The pipeline is divided between the Public Sector (DMA) and Private Sector (PSF), with significant concentrations in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Projects are categorized by themes of adaptation, mitigation, and cross-cutting activities, with the majority of funding flowing through the Proposal Approval Process rather than the Simplified Approval Process. The report further segments these figures into 'Funding Proposals' and 'Concept Notes', providing granular data on financial instruments, impact potential, and specific allocations for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and Africa.

The document argues that integrating nature-based solutions (NBS) and flexible tenure systems into urban upgrading schemes can improve living conditions and climate resilience for marginalized populations in African dryland cities. It highlights a pioneering approach in Namibia across three pilot cities and draws on research from the 'Peri-Urban Resilient Ecosystems' partnership involving Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

The document argues that urban climate resilience in dryland Africa requires alternative models of knowledge production and decision-making that prioritize social inclusivity and innovation. It highlights that rapid, expansive population growth in African cities increases land use change and leaves residents of informal settlements vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding and landslides due to a lack of basic services and secure tenure. Based on stakeholder interviews from the "Peri-Urban Resilient Ecosystems" partnership, the brief emphasizes democratic accountability, transparent decision-making, and community co-production as essential themes for scalable and replicable urban policy.

FSD Africa defines 'sustainable futures' as a framework ensuring current interventions do not adversely affect future generations or other groups, emphasizing a 'just transition' and the preservation of five types of capital: financial, manufactured, human, social, and natural. The organization assesses its projects through two lenses: the impact of interventions on these capitals and the dependency of project success on a stable enabling environment. To measure progress, FSD Africa utilizes a mix of country-level macro indicators (such as the Gender Inequity Index and Corruption Perception Index), social impact indicators, and market system change metrics, specifically tracking 'Green finance mobilised'. Practical examples of this approach include facilitating over £100m in Green Bonds in Nigeria and £35.3million for green student accommodation in Kenya.

The report identifies a $1 trillion stranded asset risk associated with 212,000 km of planned oil and gas pipeline expansions. It highlights that gas dominates new developments, with 82.7% of pipelines in development carrying gas. The U.S. and China are leading in capacity and length growth, respectively. The document argues that this expansion is incompatible with net-zero commitments and will lock in significant CO2 emissions, while noting a trend of increasing social and legal opposition to such projects.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faces a 'paradox of plenty,' where immense natural resources coexist with extreme poverty and poor human development indicators. On its current trajectory, the DRC is projected to remain a low-income country with stagnant per capita income and high poverty rates through 2050. Key constraints include endemic corruption, a massive infrastructure deficit in electricity and transport, and a high fertility rate that hinders the demographic dividend. The report models several intervention scenarios, finding that while agricultural improvements offer short-term poverty relief, long-term prosperity depends on structural economic transformation and improved governance. A combined comprehensive scenario suggests that concerted action across governance, infrastructure, human capital, and agriculture could reduce the extreme poverty rate to 9.6% by 2050.

The report examines the Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone for Africa (CEMZA), a proposed 'maritime space without barriers' intended to enhance geostrategic, economic, and security benefits across the African Maritime Domain. While the author argues that CEMZA is compatible with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) if treated as a framework for cooperative governance rather than a replacement for national sovereignty, significant hurdles remain. These include the fact that less than half of Africa's coastal states have fully utilised UNCLOS to maximise their maritime zones, the existence of unresolved territorial and boundary disputes, and a historical gap between African Union norm-setting and actual treaty implementation. The report suggests that CEMZA should focus on joint enforcement jurisdiction and resource management, drawing on successful bilateral delimitation and joint-development examples from the continent.

The document analyzes drivers of support for terrorism, finding that justifications for domestic and political violence, younger age, lower education, and a lack of religious belief or openness to other religions are positively associated with justifying terrorism. It notes that while some factors vary by region, a moderate commitment to democracy and a moderate perceived importance of God are consistent global indicators of support for terrorism.

The document examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of e-governance tools, specifically social media and smartphones, to maintain public service delivery. It highlights South Africa's use of WhatsApp chatbots and the 'COVID Alert SA' contact tracing app as innovative examples, while noting that the 'digital divide' and concerns over surveillance and fake news remain significant barriers to digital governance across Africa.

The document examines the failure of most SADC member states to adhere to the Abuja Declaration's pledge to allocate 15% of annual budgets to health, noting that by the end of 2018, all member states were struggling to meet this target. It identifies aid dependency and economic decline as primary barriers, while arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a critical catalyst for overhauling underfunded systems. To bridge funding gaps, the author recommends establishing a SADC regional healthcare fund backed by the African Union, forming public-private partnerships, improving domestic tax compliance, and involving civil society organisations to ensure transparency.

The document evaluates the EITI, a global transparency standard for extractive industries, noting its success in improving investment climates and contract disclosure while highlighting failures in preventing corruption and ensuring civil society participation.

FSD Africa, in collaboration with The Good Economy and Tandem, has developed a four-step framework to measure how financial sector deepening impacts job creation. The framework emphasizes the use of full-time equivalent (FTE) metrics to account for underemployment and employs a sectoral approach to assess job quality and 'decent work' multipliers. The process involves a theory-based assessment of materiality, estimation of direct and indirect jobs, a decent jobs assessment using sector proxies, and optional bespoke research for high-impact projects.

This research paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) identifies key strategies to accelerate climate change adaptation across Africa. Based on interviews with African scientists and practitioners, the paper advocates for a shift toward locally-led, inclusive solutions that integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific projections. It proposes three primary investment pillars: enhancing people's skills and knowledge, building climate-resilient economies, and investing in nature-based solutions.

The document outlines a strategic framework for accelerating climate adaptation in Africa, emphasizing the integration of indigenous knowledge with scientific data and the need for decentralized finance. It advocates for investing in a climate-smart workforce, resilient water and energy systems, and nature-based solutions to protect biodiversity and human livelihoods.

The report advocates for the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change to address the holistic impact of the climate crisis on human rights. Based on consultations with 157 participants across 55 countries, it argues that a dedicated mandate would ensure consistency in how the Human Rights Council addresses climate change, increase accountability for state and non-state actors, and protect vulnerable groups, including Indigenous Peoples and environmental defenders. The document outlines regional priorities—such as addressing climate debt in Africa and climate displacement in Asia and the Pacific—and emphasizes the need for the role to be supported by sufficient financial resources and political will from Member States.

The report advocates for a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change, detailing regional priorities and global consensus on the need for a rights-based approach to climate action.