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The report analyzes the Democratic Republic of Congo's high fertility rates, rapid population growth, and urbanisation trends. It argues that without sound demographic policies to reduce fertility and manage a large youth bulge, the country's population growth will remain a significant obstacle to economic prosperity and human development, delaying the achievement of a demographic dividend until approximately 2060.

The report analyzes multidimensional and income-based poverty across the Horn of Africa, noting that while the region is projected to see a decline in average poverty rates to 12% by 2040, it will fail to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for eradicating extreme poverty. It highlights severe disparities, with South Sudan and Somalia facing extreme poverty driven by conflict and weak governance, while Ethiopia has shown significant progress in poverty reduction despite ongoing regional conflict.

The DR Congo faces exceptionally high levels of extreme and multidimensional poverty, with forecasts suggesting it will fail to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on its current path. Despite modest declines in extreme poverty between 2005 and 2018, the country remains one of the world's poorest, with significant regional variations and a growing urban poverty phenomenon.

The health systems of the Horn of Africa are severely strained by conflict, insecurity, and drought, leading to high rates of malnutrition and maternal and child mortality. While life expectancy has generally increased, the region struggles to meet SDG targets, with a dual burden of persistent communicable diseases and steady rates of non-communicable diseases and injuries.

The Resilient Agriculture Innovations for Nature (RAIN) challenge, a partnership between the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Munich Re Foundation, seeks nature-positive agricultural innovations in East Africa. Open to not-for-profit organisations, the challenge provides selected winners with tailored mentoring, a Leadership Academy, communications support, and potential next-stage funding for implementation and scaling. Applications are evaluated on a 100-point scale across criteria including innovativeness, impact, equity, scalability, viability, team composition, and risk.

The review finds that energy transition modeling in Africa is a rapidly growing field, yet it is dominated by researchers based outside the continent and largely ignores the nexus between decarbonization and socio-economic development. Most models focus on global targets (2030/2050) and techno-economic optimization, while neglecting political constraints, comprehensive transition costs, and a diverse range of low-carbon technologies like nuclear and carbon capture.

The document reports that 2022 was the deadliest year for state-based conflicts in Africa since 1989, primarily due to the war in Ethiopia. While non-state conflicts are the most common type of conflict in the region, they have generally been less severe in terms of battle-related deaths than state-based conflicts. The brief also highlights a worrying trend of one-sided violence by governments and a series of military coups in Central and West Africa between 2020 and 2023.

The document analyzes Turkey's 'niche diplomacy' in Africa, focusing on its 'Ankara consensus' for development aid, its growing role as an arms exporter (particularly drones), and its trade relations. It highlights a distinction between North African and Sub-Saharan African perceptions of Turkey, noting that while Turkey is seen as a non-colonial partner, its overall trade and aid volumes remain modest compared to major global powers. The brief suggests that Turkey's influence is currently driven more by its status as a rising donor than as a primary trading partner.

The study finds that while human-induced climate change did not significantly alter the likelihood of the overall 24-month rainfall deficit, it drastically increased drought severity through higher temperatures and evapotranspiration. In a world 1.2°C cooler, the combination of low rainfall and high evapotranspiration observed would not have led to drought; however, in the current climate, it is classified as an 'exceptional drought'. The researchers estimate that such droughts have become approximately 100 times more likely due to climate change.

The SRMI-Resilience program aims to deploy 2.16 GW of renewable energy and reduce GHG emissions by 55.01 million tons of CO2eq across Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Seychelles, Somalia, Tajikistan, and Tunisia. The initiative combines technical assistance, public investments in grid resilience, and risk mitigation instruments to unlock an estimated USD 1.8 billion in private investment. Key adaptation goals include providing 3.2 million people with electricity to power cooling systems during heat waves and upgrading grid infrastructure to withstand climate hazards like floods and cyclones.

The report assesses the economic viability of flood mitigation strategies in Colombia's La Mojana region, comparing grey infrastructure, nature-based infrastructure (NBI), and sustainable agriculture. It finds that all considered interventions are investment-worthy, with the potential to avoid over USD 1.26 billion in damages over 30 years.

The paper examines the transformation of German-African energy relations, moving from a focus on energy poverty and development aid to a complex mix of energy diplomacy, strategic resource interests, and hydrogen technology. It highlights a tension between 'green objectives' (renewables) and 'fossilist objectives' (LNG imports), while warning against 'energy colonialism' in large-scale projects. The author advocates for a transition toward 'energy justice' and a value-chain approach to hydrogen to ensure equitable benefits for African nations.

The Biftu Beri women’s village savings and loan association (VSLA) in Kumbi Kebele, Ethiopia, integrates forest conservation with economic empowerment to address climate-induced droughts and shrinking water sources. Led by Momina Adam and supported by Farm Africa, the group employs agroforestry, indigenous tree planting, and a weekly savings scheme to build climate resilience and improve household livelihoods.

The report evaluates the AU PSC's efforts to integrate youth into peace processes via the WiseYouth network and argues for a community-centred approach to the Sahel strategy to address inter-communal rivalries. It examines the 24-month transition in Guinea, emphasizing the need for regional ownership and inclusive electoral reforms. Additionally, it analyzes the conflict between the SAF and RSF in Sudan, warning that a lack of regional consensus and a proliferation of parallel peace processes may prolong the crisis. Finally, it outlines Uganda's priorities for the PSC chairship in May 2023, specifically regarding the AU-EU partnership.

The research paper examines the role of climate change literacy in Africa, highlighting a significant gap in public understanding of the human causes of climate change despite high perceptions of its impacts. It argues that increasing literacy—particularly for women and vulnerable populations—is essential for informed adaptation decisions, reducing vulnerability, and achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The paper emphasizes the need for localized climate data, early warning systems, and the integration of climate literacy into education and policy to manage risks such as climate-forced migration and economic disruptions in sectors like hydropower.

The document examines the constraints of the current international finance architecture for Africa, noting that between 2016 and 2020, the continent received only $19.5 billion in climate funding against annual adaptation needs of $30-50 billion. It proposes that the G20 can bridge this gap by developing green finance taxonomies, promoting risk sharing through multilateral development bank guarantees, and facilitating carbon pricing. The author advocates for the use of debt-for-climate swaps to alleviate debt burdens while funding nature conservation and the expansion of Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), citing the South African model. Additionally, the paper highlights the role of natural gas as a transition fuel and the importance of investing in the AFOLU sector, which contributed 56% of Africa's total emissions in 2016.

The document examines the gap in climate change literacy in Africa, noting that while perception of climate impacts is high, understanding of human causes is low. It highlights a significant gender gap in literacy and argues that enhancing public understanding, combined with improved climate services and early warning systems, is essential for informed decision-making regarding livelihoods, infrastructure, and climate-induced mobility.

The document examines how African nations have navigated the Russia-Ukraine war, highlighting a preference for non-alignment driven by historical grievances with Western leadership and strategic national interests. It details the varied voting patterns of African states at the UN General Assembly, the potential for Africa to fill Europe's energy gap through gas and critical minerals, and the risks posed by great-power competition to regional security, particularly in the Sahel.

The document analyzes Russia's strategic pivot toward Africa as a means to diversify partners and evade Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. It identifies three primary pillars of engagement: economic interests in mining, energy, and agriculture; geopolitical efforts to undermine Western influence in the Sahel and Mediterranean; and the promotion of multipolarity to challenge US-led unipolarity. While Africa is described as a 'policy tool' rather than a central priority, Russia leverages its lack of colonial history and non-conditional military support to gain influence among African states.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) 2022 Annual Results Report details the organization's progress across three impact areas: reducing climate risk, promoting sustainable resource use and resilient ecosystems, and improving health and well-being. Key achievements include contributing to the COP27 decision to establish a loss and damage fund, developing the Global Environmental Impacts of Consumption (GEIC) indicator adopted at COP15, and implementing water management master plans in Bolivia. The report highlights the use of digital tools like LEAP, WEAP, and Trase to inform policy in various regions, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Organizationally, SEI reports an increase in scientific publications, a diversification of funding sources, and the implementation of a global monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) procedure.