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The authors advocate for the transition from global to regional value chains in Africa, emphasizing that digital transformation—specifically through blockchain, AI, and IoT—is essential to overcome high trade costs, poor infrastructure, and inefficient customs procedures. The paper highlights the AfCFTA as a critical framework for this shift, noting that while Africa currently exports raw materials with little value addition (e.g., coffee and cocoa), digital tools can enable MSMEs and women-led businesses to scale and integrate into more productive regional networks.

The report examines the political shift in the DRC following President Felix Tshisekedi's creation of the 'sacred union' coalition, which granted him a parliamentary majority. While this shift provides an opportunity for electoral reform and improved security in the east, the document highlights significant tensions over the content of these reforms, the independence of the electoral commission (CENI), and whether a proposed population census is a genuine development need or a strategy to delay the 2023 elections.

Analysis of 2020 vessel tracking and manifest data reveals that a small number of mega-traders dominate U.S. cocoa imports through opaque networks and 'cocoa-laundering' via third countries. The report highlights how 43% of cocoa from Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire passes through Europe and significant volumes from Peru and Ecuador funnel through Panama and Colombia, diverting revenue from producers. It identifies systemic obfuscation in import data, including the use of multiple company name variations by traders like Barry Callebaut to hide market dominance, and calls for U.S. legislative action to restrict imported deforestation and improve traceability.

The report uses surveys and workshops with stakeholders in Dakar to assess how climate change risks are perceived and which adaptation strategies are most acceptable. It finds that while risks are seen as immediate, climate change is a low political priority compared to public services and health. Stakeholders prefer nature-based solutions and risk governance over hard infrastructure, though administrative and financial constraints are seen as major barriers to implementation.

The LEAF Framework is a US$ 959.9 million initiative led by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to expand access to solar home systems, green mini-grids, and commercial and industrial (C&I) solar solutions across six African countries. The program seeks US$ 170.9 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to provide concessional partial credit guarantees, subordinated debt, and technical assistance to de-risk the DRE sector and mobilize local currency financing. Expected impacts include the installation of 386MW of generating capacity, the reduction of 28.8 million tCO2e over the systems' lifetimes, and providing green energy solutions to 1.18 million households and businesses.

The authors argue that traditional linear models of innovation policy in Africa often fail to reduce poverty and inequality because they focus narrowly on R&D without strong implementation or governance. They propose shifting toward Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP), which targets societal challenges like climate change, and Smart Specialization Strategies (S3), which prioritize innovation based on a territory's specific resources. Case studies of Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire reveal critical evidence gaps, particularly regarding the informal sector and sub-national data, which hinder the effective application of these frameworks.

The document examines the ongoing negotiations within the WTO's E-commerce Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) regarding services market access. It highlights a significant trade imbalance where developed countries are net exporters of the targeted services, while most developing countries are net importers. The brief discusses the 'challenging' nature of these negotiations, the ambiguity of the legal architecture for the final outcome, and the lack of gender and social inclusion considerations. It suggests that developing countries could benefit from liberalizing 'core' telecommunications and computer services to bridge the digital divide, provided that progressive liberalization and special and differential treatment—similar to the Trade Facilitation Agreement—are incorporated into the final agreement.

The document examines the role of nuclear science and technology in Africa, highlighting the use of 10 research reactors for education and medical/environmental research. It emphasizes the critical need for radiotherapy machines to combat rising cancer rates and the use of nuclear techniques in agriculture to ensure food security and manage zoonotic diseases. The brief outlines the legal framework for peaceful use, including the Pelindaba Treaty and the NPT, and identifies challenges such as public skepticism, financial instability, and safety risks. It recommends expanded continental training and continued cooperation with the IAEA and AFCONE.

The UNEP Regional Seas Programme employs a regionalized approach to ocean governance, coordinating actions across 18 Conventions and Action Plans involving over 146 countries. While it has achieved significant milestones in pollution management and biodiversity conservation, its effectiveness is hindered by political instability, funding gaps, and weak enforcement.

ClientEarth argues that the European Commission's interim findings on illegal logging rules fail to adequately account for the positive systemic impacts of the EUTR and FLEGT Regulation while overlooking critical enforcement gaps. The organization recommends harmonizing obligations across the supply chain, creating a centralized public registry for compliance data, and adopting a legal definition of 'substantiated concerns' to aid prosecutors. Regarding FLEGT, ClientEarth contends that the slow pace of licensing is a result of the necessary complexity of legal reforms in partner countries and warns that weak EUTR enforcement reduces the incentive for third countries to engage in VPA processes.

The document assesses six policy options to raise cocoa prices and farmer incomes to combat poverty, deforestation, and child labour. It concludes that most trade-based interventions, such as export price regimes or import duties, are unsustainable in the long term due to risks of over-supply, reduced consumer demand, and WTO compatibility issues. The author identifies bilateral partnership agreements as the most promising approach to create the governance and sustainability standards necessary for a comprehensive sector reform.

The report examines the legal landscape for (agro)forestry in Côte d’Ivoire, highlighting that while the state aims for 20% forest cover by 2030, land tenure insecurity remains a primary risk. It details the distinctions between land titles, land certificates, and customary rights, noting that only Ivorian individuals, the State, and public authorities can hold land titles. The analysis emphasizes that investors should prioritize contracts with land certificate holders to avoid the legal uncertainty associated with customary rights, which can lead to eviction. It also explores the potential for investors to own planted trees and benefit from carbon credits through specific agreements, though it notes that carbon regulations are still being finalized.

This report establishes the theoretical foundation for an MRV system in Senegal's waste sector as part of a project to implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It defines MRV components, outlines core GHG accounting principles such as transparency and accuracy, and categorizes MRV applications into emissions, actions, support, and other outcomes. The document emphasizes that an effective MRV system serves as a planning tool for continuous improvement and a mechanism to attract climate finance by providing high-resolution data on emission reductions.

The report evaluates the economic potential of compost and biogas in Côte d'Ivoire using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. It finds that both sectors can positively impact GDP, job creation, and GHG reduction, though they affect different economic branches differently. Biogas shows a slightly higher potential for green growth and GHG avoidance, while compost has a stronger link to agricultural and administrative employment. The study highlights a lack of clear legal frameworks and recommends integrating waste valorization into the National Development Plan and providing financial incentives for investors.

The document details a training workshop conducted from February 22 to 27, 2021, in Somone, Senegal, aimed at enhancing the skills of UCG technicians in organic waste valorization. The training covered the fundamentals of composting, the production process, and quality control to support Senegal's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) regarding carbon sequestration and soil productivity. Participants recommended establishing a priority waste valorization sector within the UCG, implementing sorting systems, and collaborating with agricultural institutions like the ENSA and APM for production and commercialization.

This guide by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) outlines a four-step process for government officials and practitioners to develop a national landscape of climate finance, drawing on CPI's experience since 2011 in tracking investments for low carbon and climate resilient actions.

The guide outlines a structured process for building a national landscape of climate finance, moving from scoping and definition to data collection and final analysis. It emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement, the use of taxonomies to categorize climate-beneficial versus harmful flows, and the application of tools like Sankey diagrams to visualize financial flows from source to end-use. The document draws on Climate Policy Initiative's (CPI) experience in countries such as India, Indonesia, and France to provide practical examples of tracking both public and private climate finance.

Between 2018 and 2020, Côte d’Ivoire implemented a series of institutional, legal, and financial measures to mainstream gender into its climate strategies, including the creation of a National Gender and Climate Change Platform and the development of a National Gender and Climate Change Strategy for 2020–2024.

Between 2018 and 2020, Côte d'Ivoire implemented several political, legal, and institutional measures to integrate gender equality into climate action. Key achievements include the creation of the National Gender and Climate Change Strategy 2020–2024, the establishment of a National Gender and Climate Change Platform, and the integration of gender as a cross-cutting theme in the revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The government also developed methodological guides for vulnerability assessments and provided national gender advisors to the Ministry of the Environment.

Between 2018 and 2020, Côte d’Ivoire implemented a series of policy, institutional, and financial measures to mainstream gender into climate action. Key achievements include the creation of the National Gender and Climate Change Strategy 2020–2024, the establishment of a National Gender and Climate Change Platform, and the integration of gender considerations into the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) funding proposal and the revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).