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The policy brief argues that Africa's high vulnerability to climate change necessitates 'anticipatory adaptation' driven by the effective use of climate science. It outlines seven key recommendations: improving access to historical climate data to enhance downscaling; strengthening the skills of African climate scientists and establishing regional science centres; bridging the communication gap between data producers and users through 'translators'; creating collaborative information-sharing platforms; leveraging existing local organisations; documenting successful adaptation cases; and ensuring donor aid is long-term and aligned with African priorities.

The report examines the role of the Somali diaspora in Norway in supporting political actors and peace processes in Somalia. It finds that while ideological support exists for national actors like the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), the most impactful financial contributions occur at the sub-clan level to fund either conflict or reconciliation. The authors recommend that the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs adopt a more proactive approach to diaspora engagement and support decentralized peacebuilding initiatives.

The document highlights that Africa's vulnerability to climate change is driven by poverty, lack of infrastructure, and dependence on the natural environment. It finds a significant gap between climate science producers and agricultural decision-makers, noting that few practitioners successfully use projection data to improve productivity. The brief recommends strengthening communication between scientists and users, building local institutional capacity, and shifting donor funding from short-term pilot projects to long-term process support.

The document evaluates SEI's use of stakeholder engagement, distinguishing between the mere use of participatory methods and a comprehensive participatory approach. Through case studies in East Africa, Vietnam, and the UK, it argues that effective engagement requires careful planning, cultural sensitivity, and a clear purpose to avoid 'extractive' research. The authors recommend that SEI adopt institute-wide guiding principles, invest in facilitation training, and create internal mechanisms for sharing expertise to move from being a practitioner of participation to a theoretical contributor in the field.

The report examines the 'aid for trade' concept, which aims to help developing countries, particularly least-developed countries (LDCs), build supply-side capacity and infrastructure to benefit from the multilateral trading system. It analyzes the recommendations of the WTO Task Force on Aid for Trade, the role of the African Group, and the impact of other initiatives like the Enhanced Integrated Framework (IF) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the EU. The author argues that for aid for trade to be effective in southern and eastern Africa, it must be driven by the recipient countries, integrated into national development strategies, and delinked from market access concessions in the Doha Round.

The report examines the 'spaghetti bowl' of overlapping regional economic communities (RECs) in southern and eastern Africa, focusing on the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the East African Community (EAC). It highlights the institutional tensions caused by multiple memberships and the pressure from EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations. The authors argue that SACU should be positioned as a core 'fast-tracking' anchor for regional integration, but emphasize that it must first 'get the basics right' by improving trade facilitation, statistics, and its internal institutional framework before expanding.

The report examines the investment climate in Kenya from the perspective of South African firms, highlighting Kenya's role as a strategic hub for East Africa. While South African companies are attracted by Kenya's skilled workforce and strategic location, they face significant hurdles including poor infrastructure, high electricity costs, corruption, and local resentment toward perceived South African economic dominance. The document analyzes the socio-economic landscape of Kenya, the trade imbalance between South Africa and Kenya, and the specific operational difficulties encountered by investors, such as red tape and insecurity. It concludes that while South African firms can be successful through local partnerships and sensitivity to Kenyan business culture, the Kenyan government must implement structural reforms in infrastructure and governance to sustain foreign direct investment.

The report examines the experiences of South African companies in Kenya, noting that while Kenya is an attractive 'natural entry point' to East Africa due to its skilled labor and business-friendly history, South African firms face significant hurdles. These include poor infrastructure, high electricity costs, corruption, and local resentment toward perceived South African corporate arrogance. The study highlights specific failures, such as the 'beer wars' and the closure of Metro Cash and Carry, while suggesting that South African firms must better accommodate local sensitivities to avoid being seen as economic hegemons.

The report details a March 2006 workshop in Arusha, Tanzania, involving 48 stakeholders to identify interventions for four EAC energy access targets. The primary findings emphasize the need for decentralized planning at district and municipal levels, increased regional cooperation to share costs, and the development of public-private partnerships. The workshop resulted in 14 recommendations adopted by the EAC Council of Ministers and Heads of State in April 2006, focusing on harmonizing energy policies, mobilizing resources, and mainstreaming energy access into national planning frameworks.

The paper examines the intersection of the Capability Approach and participatory development, analyzing five specific methodologies: Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA), Participatory Action Research (PAR), and Appreciative Inquiry (AI). It argues that while many participatory methods are used as extractive tools for information, genuine capability enhancement requires a shift from functional participation to interactive partnership and self-mobilization. The author concludes that PPA, PAR, and AI are most consistent with the Capability Approach, provided they are implemented by facilitators who recognize power imbalances and prioritize the empowerment of marginalized groups over predetermined project agendas.

The document argues that scientists and engineers bear a special responsibility for the consequences of their work due to their technical expertise and the dominant role of science in society. It provides a framework for navigating ethical careers, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary education, personal reflection on values, and the establishment of support networks. The text details specific ethical risks in fields such as military technology, genetics, and space exploration, while highlighting the systemic pressure exerted by large corporations and the bias in government funding toward military projects. It advocates for a transition toward 'cleaner technologies' and a holistic approach to global politics and ethics to ensure scientific progress benefits humanity and the environment.

The report summarizes a workshop focused on rural electrification in four East African countries. It examines obstacles to electrification and explores potential solutions, with a specific emphasis on bio-electrification and the potential of solar, wind, and hydro power for rural electricity production.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is implementing an Africa-led program to address energy poverty and economic development by expanding energy access and building a foundation for decarbonization. The program emphasizes the need for centralized grids and industrial energy use over a limited focus on micro-grids and solar home systems. Key activities include developing energy transition modeling for Sub-Saharan Africa, establishing technology innovation hubs in West and East Africa, and improving the financial health of utilities. CATF is seeking $10 million over five years to scale these efforts, with current projects in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana, and scoping activities in Rwanda and West Africa Power Pool member countries.

The document explains the step-by-step process for navigating the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to analyze climate variables and presents specific projections for Africa, noting that the continent is likely to warm faster than the global average with varying impacts on rainfall and extreme weather.

The paper examines the application of probabilistic event attribution (PEA) to extreme weather in Africa, highlighting that different methodological framings—such as comparing single years versus decades—lead to significantly different risk quantifications. It argues that defining the 'right' attribution question is a stakeholder-driven process rather than a purely scientific one, which is critical for the effective implementation of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage. The authors emphasize that relying solely on predictable slow-onset events in loss and damage frameworks would exclude many vulnerable African communities affected by unpredictable extremes.

The report highlights that black carbon emissions are rising in low- and middle-income countries due to a lack of binding international agreements and its exclusion from the UNFCCC list of climate pollutants. It proposes that emissions can be rapidly reduced by 2030 through the deployment of proven technologies and targeted interventions. A primary focus is the transition to clean cooking fuels, noting that 42% of global residential black carbon emissions come from seven specific countries, with the Indo-Gangetic Plains being the largest hotspot. The document emphasizes that government subsidies and favorable policies, such as India's Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme, are essential for the adoption of clean fuels.

The report analyzes the FinTech ecosystem in East Africa, identifying key enablers such as high mobile penetration and gaps in traditional financial services. It details the value propositions of FinTechs in lending, payments, insurance, and investment management, while assessing the regional investment landscape. The document highlights a strong concentration of activity in Kenya and a significant reliance on foreign venture capital, particularly from the US and Europe. It also examines the role of partnerships between mobile network operators (MNOs) and banks, and identifies critical gaps in support infrastructure and regulatory clarity.

AquaMnara, supported by FSD Africa's TECA project, provides aquaculture farmers in Kisumu, Kenya, with technical support, value chain linkages, and financial facilitation to improve climate resilience and production. The startup focuses on sustainable practices, water quality management, and empowering women in the sector through a dedicated 'women in aquaculture' programme.

FSD Africa and Parhelion have launched an initiative to attract investment in geothermal energy in Kenya and Ethiopia by addressing high upfront drilling costs and risks. The programme introduces a Geothermal Risk Transfer facility to mitigate the risk of unviable wells and a training programme to build the capacity of local insurers in risk assessment and parametric insurance. Ten leading insurers have participated in the training, with GA Insurance planning to launch a geothermal risk insurance product within one to two years. The initiative aims to increase geothermal production by 500% in Ethiopia and 20% in Kenya, potentially creating 2,600 jobs and providing electricity to 5.25 million people.

The partnership between FSD Africa and Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company Limited (InfraCredit) has facilitated 1.6 billion Naira in local funding for DarwayCoast, a Nigerian solar power company. This support has enabled the deployment of six solar mini-grid projects across Abia and Rivers States, which are expected to produce 541.76 kW of solar energy and connect 7,711 households by September 2023. The initiative addresses the high cost of capital for greenfield infrastructure, where local interest rates can reach 27%, and includes a focus on gender inclusion through InfraCredit's gender action plan.