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The global mini-grid market has seen significant growth, with installations in 2024 projected to be six times higher than in 2018. There is a clear transition from diesel to solar PV, with solar's share of installed capacity rising from 14% in 2018 to 59% in 2024. While funding has increased—with total committed funding for ongoing programmes exceeding USD 3.1 billion—a significant financing gap remains, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The sector is shifting toward Productive Use of Energy (PUE) business models and innovative technologies like mesh grids and lithium-ion batteries to improve financial viability. However, the report notes that regulatory implementation often lags behind formal policy, and there is a critical need for standardized reporting and better data sharing to attract private investment.

The 2024 State of the Global Mini-Grids Market report highlights a significant expansion of the sector, with installations increasing six-fold since 2018. It documents a transition from diesel-heavy systems to solar photovoltaic (PV) and lithium-ion battery storage, driven by a 90% drop in solar panel costs over the last decade. The report emphasizes the shift toward Productive Use of Energy (PUE) to ensure financial viability and the emergence of innovative models like mesh grids for low-density areas. While total committed funding has exceeded 3.1 billion USD, the report identifies a persistent financing gap and slow disbursement rates, averaging 57% as of March 2024. It recommends the adoption of integrated energy planning, standardized regulatory tools, and a greater focus on local developers to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.

The 2024 Global State of the Mini-Grid Market report highlights a significant expansion in mini-grid installations, with a marked shift from diesel to solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity. It identifies a substantial funding gap despite an increase in total authorized funding to over 3.1 billion USD. The document emphasizes the transition toward integrated energy planning, the importance of Productive Use of Energy (PUE) for financial viability, and the role of digital tools in reducing operational and development costs. It provides detailed case studies on Sierra Leone, India, and Kenya to illustrate diverse regulatory and economic approaches.

The proposed project aims to enhance the climate resilience of Benin's school feeding system by introducing energy-efficient cooking technologies in 2,500 canteens and supporting 4,000 smallholder farmers in adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices. With a total indicative cost of USD 50 million, the initiative seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from traditional biomass cooking and secure food supplies against climate threats like drought and flooding. The project includes capacity building for students, teachers, and parents to promote eco-responsible behaviors and the establishment of contract farming to link local producers with schools.

The document analyzes 24 "Seed" initiatives across six African countries to understand how marginal, bottom-up projects can drive systemic transformation in food systems. It finds that while these initiatives effectively improve distributional equity—specifically through increased self-sufficiency for vulnerable groups and economic opportunities—they struggle to achieve procedural and recognitional equity. Major barriers include misaligned funding, poor public infrastructure, and restrictive socio-cultural dynamics. The report recommends that development partners move beyond direct financial aid to amplify networks, facilitate collaborations, and support the legal recognition of land ownership to foster deeper systemic change.

The mid-term evaluation of Côte d’Ivoire's SNGCC 2020–2024 reveals a low overall implementation rate, with only 16% of activities fully completed. While the strategy is deemed relevant and aligned with international commitments and national priorities, it suffers from a lack of budgeting, an absent monitoring and evaluation framework, and insufficient funding for direct actions. Significant progress was made in capacity building and inter-institutional coordination, including the establishment of the National Gender and Climate Change Platform (PNGCC) and the integration of gender perspectives into the National Adaptation Plan (PNA) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). However, the axis focused on the empowerment of women and girls has seen the least progress, with over 80% of its activities not yet implemented. The report recommends adopting a results-based management approach for the next strategy, mobilizing more internal and external resources, and expanding gender-climate training to local authorities and community leaders.

The SCPZ programme targets the Kara region in Togo, the Southern agropole in Senegal, and the Boké and Kankan regions in Guinea. It integrates climate adaptation and mitigation by investing in solar-powered drip irrigation, biogas energy for agro-processing, and climate-resilient agricultural (CRA) practices. The project aims to benefit 6.72 million people, with a strong focus on women, and expects to reduce 16.9 million tCO2eq over its lifespan.

The LoCAL Benin project is a scaling-up of a pilot initiative designed to empower 25 local governments in four vulnerable departments (Atacora, Alibori, Donga, and Mono) to implement climate-resilient investments. The programme addresses institutional, technical, and financial barriers by providing capacity building, technical assistance, and Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG). These grants, totaling approximately USD 6.48 million, will fund roughly 110 small-scale investments in sectors such as climate-adapted agriculture, water management, and coastal protection. The project targets 2.68 million total beneficiaries, with a strong focus on women and the most vulnerable populations, to integrate climate resilience into local development planning and budgeting.

The report forecasts a significant increase in Africa's energy demand due to population growth, projecting that it will overtake the EU27 by 2043. While Africa possesses vast oil, gas, and hydropower reserves, its current energy mix remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with 'other renewables' making up only 1.6% of production in 2023. The document highlights a trajectory where Africa will eventually become a major global source of carbon emissions from fossil fuels, overtaking the EU by 2034.

The report identifies Africa as a net energy exporter, though it forecasts that total energy demand will exceed production by 2039. While a small group of countries like Algeria, Nigeria, and Angola maintain high export values, a significant number of African nations remain heavily dependent on energy imports, a group expected to expand by 2043.

The global aligned GSS+ debt market reached a cumulative volume of USD 4.2 trillion by the end of Q3 2023, though year-to-date volumes declined by 10% compared to 2022. Green bonds remain the dominant theme, surpassing a cumulative USD 2.5 trillion milestone. In the Middle East and Africa (MEA), the market grew by 158% in 2023, driven largely by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with a strong preference for green instruments and a recent increase in public sector issuance.

The report examines vertical integration in National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, finding that while most countries reference sub-national governments and non-governmental actors, there are varying levels of integration across planning, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) stages.

The report examines vertical integration in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), highlighting the roles of subnational governments and non-governmental actors. Based on an analysis of 45 multisectoral NAPs, it finds that while most countries recognize subnational roles in planning and implementation, gaps remain in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and stable financial flows to local levels. It provides recommendations for national governments, subnational authorities, development partners, and funding bodies to strengthen multi-level coordination and capacity.

The report identifies deep-seated patriarchal norms in Benin that limit women's access to land, education, and financial resources, thereby increasing their vulnerability to climate change. It notes that while Benin has a strong legal framework for gender equality, climate-specific policies often lack gender integration. The LoCAL programme aims to address these gaps by mainstreaming gender in local governance and using the Women Economic Empowerment Index (WEEI) to prioritize resilient investments in four specific departments.

The Green Climate Fund's Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for a second term, maintaining its scope for medium-sized projects and medium environmental and social risk (Category B). The assessment confirms FAO's strong technical expertise in adaptation, REDD+, and the blue economy, and its ability to implement GCF's gender and environmental and social policies. While generally compliant, the Panel identified a gap in explicit policy statements regarding Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), making the re-accreditation conditional upon the formal approval of an AML/CFT policy or the inclusion of consistent statements within its prohibited practices policies.

The document outlines a five-year, EUR 55.8 million project to transition Togo's health system to a climate-resilient model. It focuses on the northern regions of Centrale, Kara, and Savanes, where morbidity from malaria and diarrhoea is highest. The project aims to integrate meteorological data into health surveillance, establish early warning systems, upgrade health infrastructure to be heat-resistant, and improve community WASH services. It targets 273,224 direct beneficiaries and seeks EUR 37.6 million in GCF grants.

The proposal aims to address critical gaps in Benin's climate action, including the lack of a centralized climate information system and poor integration of national climate commitments into communal development plans. Key planned activities include the creation of a digital climate data repository, a baseline study on the integration of climate change into local planning, an evaluation of the 2016-2025 Low-Emission Climate-Resilient Development Strategy (LECRDS), and the development of a concept note for scaling up nature-based solutions. The project will be implemented by the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) over 24 months, targeting the National Designated Authority, sectoral ministries, and local communes.

The document examines the application of gender analyses within the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes of nine countries between 2017 and 2022. It identifies four primary impact areas: changes in policy (such as the integration of gender-specific actions in NAPs), improvements in knowledge and practice (including targeted training), enhanced collaboration between gender and climate ministries, and increased investment in gender-responsive adaptation. The briefing concludes that while gender analyses provide a critical foundation for equitable adaptation, their impact is maximized when there is high-level ownership, diverse stakeholder engagement, proactive dissemination, and ongoing technical support beyond the initial reporting phase.

A review of 41 multisector NAP documents reveals that transboundary climate risks are sporadically mentioned and lack a systematic approach, with most references limited to shared ecosystems like river basins. The document argues that the dominance of place-based adaptation and state sovereignty norms hinder the integration of cross-border risks, and recommends leveraging intergovernmental organizations and territorial framing to improve regional collaboration.

The document assesses the impact of gender analyses on National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in nine countries, identifying how these tools influence policy, knowledge, collaboration, and investment. It highlights that while gender analyses often lead to the creation of specific gender-climate strategies and the integration of gender-disaggregated data into NAPs, their effectiveness depends on high-level political ownership, inclusive stakeholder participation, and continuous dissemination of results.