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The paper argues that Africa's institutional crisis stems from a mismatch between Western-imported formal institutions and local socio-cultural realities, compounded by a colonial legacy of authoritarianism and neo-patrimonialism. It identifies operational failures such as weak state capacity, toxic leadership, and political apathy. Using Botswana as a positive example, the author suggests that resilient institutions require economic diversification to reduce rent-seeking, the establishment of 'embedded autonomy' for the bureaucracy, and a new generation of ethical, visionary leaders.

The document examines the proposal by Karadeniz Holdings to provide power ships to South Africa to address a depleting reserve supply margin caused by inadequate investment in generation capacity since 1994 and delays at Medupi and Kusile. While power ships are presented as a more efficient and cheaper alternative to Eskom's diesel-powered open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs)—costing R2.00 to R2.50/kWh compared to R3.00 to R4.50/kWh—Eskom has expressed skepticism, arguing that a 310MW capacity is too small for the national grid. The author notes that power ships remain significantly more expensive than solar and wind power from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and suggests that opening the market to IPPs may offer better short- and long-term benefits.

The Bujagali Hydropower Project in Uganda serves as a case study for the use of combined risk mitigation instruments—specifically the International Development Association's (IDA) partial risk guarantee (PRG) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency's (MIGA) political risk insurance (PRI)—to attract private capital in high-risk environments. The project mobilized nearly $300 million in commercial loans and private equity, achieving a ratio of almost one U.S. dollar of private capital for every two U.S. dollars of public financing. These instruments enabled commercial banks to offer loans with maturities of 16 years and lower interest rates, which reduced the required initial electricity tariff by between 7% and 60%. The resulting levelized cost of energy (LCOE) was approximately 107 USD/MWh, significantly lower than the cost of the emergency thermal power it replaced. While effective, such complex structures have been underutilized due to high transaction costs and restrictive DFI policies, though recent World Bank Group modernizations aim to expand these tools to smaller-scale renewable energy projects like solar and wind.

The report finds that while religious radicalism in Côte d’Ivoire has not reached the scale seen elsewhere in West Africa, the country remains vulnerable due to political instability, regulatory gaps, and socio-economic marginalisation. It details how Pentecostalist 'prophets' influenced the hardline posture of former President Laurent Gbagbo during the 2010-11 crisis and notes the presence of Wahhabi Islam. Additionally, it examines the Lebanese diaspora, noting that while most view Hezbollah as a 'national resistance movement' and provide financial support, there is currently no direct threat to Ivorian national security from this community.

The report evaluates SNV's interventions in four countries, finding that a systemic approach combining user understanding, market linkages, and enabling environments is key to scaling clean cooking solutions. It proposes a revised theory of change emphasizing a trajectory from lower-tier to advanced technologies to achieve health and climate goals.

Civil society organizations gathered at the World Social Forum in Tunis in March 2015 to oppose the G8's New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa. They argue the initiative promotes corporate-led agriculture, facilitates land grabbing, and undermines the rights of small-scale farmers. The statement calls for a shift toward food sovereignty, agro-ecology, and the protection of peasant seed systems, demanding that governments suspend New Alliance commitments and prioritize human rights-based agricultural systems.

A statement by social movements and civil society organizations opposing the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa, arguing that it prioritizes corporate interests over small-scale producers and undermines food sovereignty.

The report argues that carefully designed investment contracts can bridge gaps in national legislation to ensure that large-scale agricultural investments in developing countries promote sustainable development. Drawing on research from UNCTAD and the World Bank, it identifies five key benefits—such as job creation and the integration of local farmers—and five primary risks, including land loss and poor environmental management. The document outlines a three-stage contractual process (preparation, negotiation, and monitoring) and provides specific legal options, such as 'satellite plantation' clauses and community development agreements, to ensure investors meet their social and environmental obligations.

The report analyzes the impact of large-scale agricultural investments in developing countries, identifying five key positive outcomes and five primary downsides. It argues that while domestic laws are the best foundation, investment contracts can fill regulatory gaps to ensure responsible conduct. The authors propose a three-stage contracting process—preparation, negotiation, and monitoring—and provide specific legal options to embed social, environmental, and economic safeguards into these agreements to prevent project failure and community conflict.

The document outlines a framework for institutional learning to address the climate crisis, emphasizing that traditional reports are insufficient to drive change. It presents findings from the ICF Learning for Change Dialogues, including the tension between monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and learning, the need for institutional incentives, and the challenge of aggregating micro-level project learning to the portfolio level. The guide proposes ten emerging principles for effective learning—such as framing learning as a strategic path to impact and 'failing fast'—and provides a set of dimensions (e.g., supply vs. demand, top-down vs. bottom-up) to help organisations design and evaluate their learning interventions.

The document analyzes the legal necessity of social responsibility agreements (SRAs) across various logging permits in Ghana, concluding that all permit types recognized as legal sources of timber under the EU-Ghana VPA require SRAs.

The document examines the AU Panel of the Wise (PoW) as a key pillar of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), focusing on its use of preventive diplomacy in crisis-prone elections. It argues that while the PoW can attenuate violence and promote peaceful outcomes, such interventions often prioritize immediate peace over electoral legitimacy, potentially deferring structural conflicts to future cycles. The author emphasizes that the success of preventive diplomacy depends on the timing of 'early action' and the commitment of political stakeholders, noting that long-term governance transformation is necessary to resolve deep-rooted conflicts.

The report details a three-year project (April 2012 to September 2015) funded by the UK Department for International Development to empower civil society organisations (CSOs) and indigenous people and local communities (IPLC) in West and Central Africa. The project focused on increasing access to forest legislation, creating legal knowledge networks through Legal Working Groups (LWGs), and developing diagnostic tools to analyse the recognition of six focus rights: access to information, participation in decision-making, access to justice, property rights, rights of use, and the right to a share in profits. Key outcomes included the creation of legal databases, the provision of legal training, and the drafting of legislative proposals to improve forest governance and the implementation of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) and the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR).

The Climate Development and Finance Facility (CDFF) is designed to address financing gaps for wind, solar, and hydro projects in low- and lower-middle income countries. It utilizes a three-stage approach: a Development Fund for early-stage due diligence, a Construction Fund that uses equity to avoid high-cost construction debt, and a Refinancing Fund to attract institutional investors once projects are operational. A pilot implementation requires USD 150 million in donor capital to mobilize USD 1.88 billion in private capital, aiming to install approximately 300 MW of clean energy and reduce annual CO2 emissions by around 600 ktCO2.

The Climate Development and Finance Facility (the Facility) is a proposed investment structure designed to overcome financing barriers for renewable energy projects in developing countries. It integrates three stages of support: a Development Fund for early-stage due diligence, a Construction Fund that uses equity to finance construction costs and avoid expensive early-stage debt, and a Refinancing Fund to attract institutional investors once projects are operational. The pilot targets projects between 25-75 MW in specific low- and lower-middle income countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. To launch, the Facility requires USD 150 million in donor capital, which is projected to mobilize USD 2 billion in private capital, install approximately 300 MW of clean energy, and reduce annual CO2 emissions by around 600 kt.

The document details a training program held in September 2014 in Santo Domingo, aimed at improving the Dominican Republic's implementation of the IGF Mining Policy Framework. It focuses on two areas where the country was assessed as having low implementation: socioeconomic benefit optimization and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The report outlines expert presentations on tax and non-tax benefits, community engagement, and the formalization of ASM, while recording recommendations from government officials, mining cooperatives, and civil society to improve transparency, legal frameworks, and social license.

The document analyzes the challenges of low tax bases in Africa, driven by factors such as tax avoidance by multinational corporations, over-generous fiscal incentives, and illicit capital flight. It evaluates the G-20/OECD BEPS project as a mechanism to close international tax loopholes and ensure profits are taxed where economic activity occurs. The author argues that while BEPS is a step in the right direction, African countries are under-represented in the process and must strengthen their voice through the UN Tax Committee and the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) to ensure outcomes are equitable.

The document examines the critical role of National Governing Councils (NGCs) as the link between political leadership and technical research in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It identifies significant inconsistencies in NGC size, composition, and legal status across participating states, which hinder the consistency and legitimacy of Country Self-Assessment Reports (CSAR). The brief argues that meaningful independence from government, clear legal mandates, and robust technical support from the APRM Secretariat are essential for the mechanism's success. It recommends that the Secretariat develop coherent guidelines and that civil society organisations (CSOs) hold governments accountable for the composition of these councils.

The document examines the governance of Ghana's oil discovery at Cape Three Points in 2007, focusing on the intersection of state management and civil society oversight. It details the legal frameworks established to manage revenues, such as the Ghana Stabilization Fund and Ghana Heritage Fund, while highlighting systemic challenges including political patronage, lack of transparency in the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), and the 'Dutch Disease' affecting non-oil sectors. The authors emphasize that while civil society organizations (CSOs), particularly the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas, have influenced policy and monitoring, they are hampered by funding shortages and technical skill gaps. The paper concludes that strengthening state-civil society cooperation is essential to ensure oil wealth supports sustainable national development rather than fueling corruption or instability.

The briefing explains that under the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), operators must exercise due diligence to minimize the risk of illegally harvested timber entering the EU market. While official documentation—such as permits issued by public authorities or government-accredited schemes like Indonesia's SVLK—is a common tool, the document asserts that it is not sufficient on its own for compliance. It highlights several risks that undermine the reliability of official papers, including forgery, corruption in permit allocation, the use of outdated permits, and a lack of enforcement or monitoring on the ground. To mitigate these risks, the briefing recommends that operators and Competent Authorities supplement official documents with data from NGOs, research institutes, public bodies, and satellite imagery, while maintaining detailed records of their risk assessment procedures.