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The document argues that global agricultural production has declined by 1-5% per decade over the last 30 years due to climate change, necessitating an urgent transition to climate-resilient systems. It identifies critical risks, including heat stress, extreme weather, and pests, which disproportionately affect smallholder farmers and women in the tropics. The authors propose a roadmap based on five pillars: promoting resilient and low-emission technologies, expanding digital climate information, mobilizing innovative finance, strengthening farmer organizations, and delivering enabling policies. The paper highlights successful examples of 'no regret' options, such as stress-tolerant crop varieties and sustainable intensification, and emphasizes the need for context-specific, participatory approaches to scale these solutions.

The report examines the deployment of small-scale renewable energy (solar PV, wind, biogas, hydro) in East Africa, highlighting Kenya as the regional leader in market maturity and local content regulation. While off-grid solutions like solar home systems and mini-grids are expanding, the report identifies significant barriers to localisation, including a lack of local manufacturing, inadequate access to seed capital for SMEs, and fragmented institutional coordination. It recommends a regional approach to policy alignment, the development of e-learning platforms for vocational training, and the use of impact investment to build sustainable local value chains.

The memorandum, submitted by a coalition including Natural Justice, opposes amendments to the EMCA that would change the appointment of the National Environment Tribunal (NET) Chairperson from nomination by the Judicial Service Commission to election by Tribunal members. It further argues that removing automatic stay orders for environmental appeals under Section 129 would lead to irreparable environmental degradation and place an unfair financial burden on appellants.

The document highlights a critical gap between the growing youth population in Africa and the creation of formal jobs, noting that only three million formal jobs are created annually against 10-12 million new entrants. It argues that structural hurdles—including poor education quality, lack of infrastructure for SMEs, and non-recognition of tertiary qualifications across borders—perpetuate youth unemployment and drive irregular migration to Europe. While citing positive regional examples in agro-processing, tourism, and tech hubs, the author calls for long-term sustainable policies and a shift in AU-EU relations toward legal circular migration pathways rather than a primary focus on security.

The document examines Ethiopia's efforts to expand rural energy access through solar technologies under the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II). While solar lantern adoption has grown, the brief identifies significant systemic barriers—including fragmented import processes, foreign exchange shortages, and a lack of clear grid expansion plans—that hinder private sector investment and the deployment of higher-capacity systems like solar home systems and micro-grids. It recommends streamlining customs through 'Green Line' declarations, incentivizing local manufacturing, and promoting affordable financing models such as pay-as-you-go to achieve the target of increasing energy access for up to 4 million households by 2020.

The document reviews 87 cases of agricultural interventions, finding that nearly 70% had a positive impact on food security. It emphasizes that success depends more on local context and implementation—such as addressing wealth inequality and combining interventions—than on the specific type of investment. Key analyzed areas include input subsidies, value chain development, and extension services, with recommendations for using direct food security indicators and rigorous baseline assessments in future planning.

The report analyzes the ramifications of the EU's January 2016 decision to reduce AMISOM peacekeeper allowances by 20%, from US$1,028 to US$822 per month. This move triggered a rift between the African Union (AU), troop-contributing countries (TCCs), and donors, while accelerating the development of a concrete exit strategy for the mission. The EU's decision was driven by donor fatigue, shifting priorities toward the Sahel region, and internal regulations regarding the use of the African Peace Facility. TCCs, particularly Uganda and Kenya, initially threatened withdrawal, though national security interests and the desire for regional stability largely prevailed. The report highlights a critical gap between donor expectations for AMISOM to 'do more' against al-Shabaab and the TCCs' claims of severe under-resourcing and a lack of local Somali security capacity to hold liberated territory.

The document details the establishment and operation of County Climate Change Funds (CCCFs) in five Kenyan counties—Garissa, Isiolo, Kitui, Makueni, and Wajir. These funds are designed to blend domestic and international finance to support community-led climate adaptation investments, such as water infrastructure and livestock resilience. The brief highlights how legislative mandates in Makueni and Wajir ensure predictable funding by allocating 1% and 2% of annual development budgets, respectively, to climate action. It argues that this devolved approach ensures finance reaches the local level, where 70% of expenditures are earmarked for community investments, thereby improving resilience against drought.

The document analyzes the conceptual frameworks, global and regional experiences, and existing sectoral information systems in Peru to guide the creation of a national M&E system for climate change adaptation. It highlights that while Peru has strong political commitments and sectoral data, it lacks a formally approved National Adaptation Plan and a corresponding national M&E system.

In Isiolo, Kenya, Natural Justice and the community organization Vision of Hope successfully lobbied the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and the Isiolo county public health office to address a slaughterhouse causing severe odor and pollution. By utilizing access to information requests and formal complaints based on the Environmental Management and Coordination Act and the Public Health Act, the group secured a closure notice for the facility in July, demonstrating the potential for regulatory institutions to hold businesses and government accountable.

The paper argues that despite Kenya's strong economic performance as a regional hub, the 2017 elections exposed deep-seated vulnerabilities in its democratic institutions and a persistent reliance on ethnically based identity politics. While the Supreme Court's initial annulment of the election results was seen as a victory for the separation of powers, subsequent political brinkmanship by leaders Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga led to contested results and reported deaths. The author concludes that economic growth alone is insufficient to ensure stability, and that Kenya requires inclusive development and strengthened institutions to move beyond ethnic polarization.

The paper explores the intersection of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and climate goals, arguing that exponential technologies—those with rapidly falling costs and improving performance—can allow developing nations to 'leapfrog' obsolete infrastructure. By analyzing the NDCs of six priority countries, the authors map potential applications of AI, blockchain, IoT, and advanced materials across energy, transport, and agriculture sectors. While highlighting opportunities for decarbonization and financial inclusion, the document warns of risks including job displacement due to automation and the potential for energy-intensive technology lock-in.

The report finds that while executive education (ExEd) is in high demand and improves employee skills, innovation, and customer service within sub-Saharan African financial institutions, it remains overly theoretical. Graduates report increased professional mobility but dissatisfaction with pay, particularly when self-funding. The document recommends shifting toward practical, African-centered curricula and establishing partnerships with international business schools to enhance prestige and effectiveness.

The Risk, Remittances and Integrity (RRI) programme is a five-year partnership between FSD Africa and Cenfri aimed at strengthening the financial sector in sub-Saharan Africa. The programme operates through three primary streams: Risk Management, which focuses on developing inclusive insurance markets; Remittances, which seeks to reduce costs and increase the flow of funds for resilience and investment; and Integrity, which addresses illicit financial flows and the impact of AML/CFT regulations on financial inclusion.

The report finds that while Kenyan women are rarely direct perpetrators of violent acts, they provide critical 'invisible infrastructure' for al-Shabaab through recruiting, intelligence gathering, and logistics. Involvement is driven by a complex interplay of poverty, socio-political marginalisation, and personal relationships. The study highlights severe impacts on women, including sexual violence in camps and psychological trauma from terror attacks and heavy-handed counter-terrorism (CT) operations. Current P/CVE responses are criticised for being gender-neutral and overly securitised, leading to mistrust between the state and affected communities.

The document challenges the narrative that water scarcity directly causes violent conflict, asserting instead that the 'politics of water'—including corruption, marginalization, and poor state management—increases conflict risks. While Africa faces significant physical water stress, with 65% of the population experiencing occasional stress and 82% of the continent being arid or semi-arid, empirical research suggests that scarcity often leads to cooperation rather than violence. Conflict typically emerges when water is treated as a 'club good' distributed based on political weight or social networks rather than need. This is particularly evident in the disparity between urban and rural access, the prioritization of cash crops for irrigation, and the rise of informal service providers, such as gangs and militias, who exploit water needs for profit in weak states.

The paper analyzes the UN's efforts to create global frameworks for migration and refugee management via the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). It highlights that while the GCR benefits from established international law and the leadership of the UNHCR, the GCM is a more politicized, state-led process lacking a foundational legal base. The author expresses concern over the minimal participation of African states and the African Union in the GCM process, arguing that this lack of engagement may lead to a framework that favors Global North interests, such as border security and return policies, over the socio-economic needs and mobility of African citizens.

The document analyzes the divergent priorities between the EU, which focuses on stemming irregular migration and border control, and African nations, which prioritize development, employment, and legal mobility. It critiques the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) for using aid conditionality to secure readmission agreements and argues that a lack of AU consensus, combined with restrictive bilateral agreements, hinders a coherent continental approach to migration.

The document analyzes the challenges and opportunities for expanding electricity access in Tanzania, focusing on the role of the private sector and the AfDB. It highlights the financial instability of the national utility, TANESCO, and the impact of recurring droughts on hydropower. The paper argues for a shift toward renewable energy and the development of a local renewable energy value chain to support industrialization and rural access.

The document argues that 'business-as-usual' energy solutions fail the poorest populations, particularly women and those in rural Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. It proposes two primary pathways for acceleration: integrating energy services into social protection safety nets and empowering women as entrepreneurs within the energy value chain. The paper highlights the role of digitalization and mobile money in improving targeting and financial inclusion, while noting significant gaps in evidence and funding for decentralized energy projects compared to general subsidies.