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The paper argues that the New Development Bank (NDB) lacks a clear, shared definition of sustainable development and suggests that South Africa could lead the BRICS group in establishing a holistic framework. Drawing on stakeholder interviews and international best practices, the authors recommend that the NDB prioritize social and environmental safeguards, move away from coal and extractive industries, and establish formal dialogue mechanisms with civil society to ensure transparency and pro-poor outcomes.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of South Africa's water crisis, highlighting the critical role of 'ecological infrastructure' and the need to transition from a reliance on ageing surface-water dams to sustainable groundwater management and water-sensitive urban design. It details the threats to freshwater biodiversity, the systemic failures in wastewater treatment and sanitation, and the necessity of public-private partnerships in water stewardship to mitigate risks to the economy and public health.

South Africa faces a severe water crisis driven by climate change, population growth, and crumbling infrastructure. The report argues that the country must shift its focus from building new infrastructure to managing demand through water efficiency. Key opportunities for savings include improving agricultural irrigation (30-40%), reducing municipal leaks and household waste (12-30%), and increasing industrial efficiency. The document emphasizes the role of the business community in disclosing water use and investing in water-saving technologies to avoid economic instability and social unrest.

The document analyzes the trade-offs between Lesotho's water exports via the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) and its domestic needs for water, agriculture, and industry. Using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system, it finds that while climate change introduces uncertainty in precipitation, strategic investments in the Polihali Dam and the Lesotho Lowlands Water Supply Scheme (LLWSS) can simultaneously secure water transfers to South Africa and improve domestic water and food security.

The document argues that while the SADC region faces severe energy pressures and a heavy reliance on coal and hydropower, renewable energy mini-grids offer a viable complement to national grid extension, particularly for rural populations. However, most current projects remain in the pilot phase due to unsustainable business models, vague policy frameworks, and a lack of private investment. The brief recommends adopting anchor-business-community (A-B-C) models and establishing clear regulatory frameworks to scale these solutions.

The report examines Botswana's regional diplomacy from independence to 2015, highlighting a shift from the 'quiet diplomacy' of Presidents Masire and Mogae to the more outspoken, principle-driven approach of President Ian Khama. It analyzes the institutional framework of Botswana's foreign policy, the influence of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), and the country's pivotal role in the creation of SADC. The author argues that Botswana's foreign policy has been heavily shaped by presidential personalities and suggests the need for a structured national consensus on foreign policy interests.

The paper evaluates Namibia's progress toward Vision 2030 and NDP4 targets using the International Futures (IFs) model. It identifies physical capital—specifically electricity, sanitation, and transportation—as the primary constraint on economic growth. Through three scenarios (Current Path, Infrastructure Access, and Leave No Namibian Out), the author demonstrates that while heavy infrastructure investment improves health and GDP, it can detract from education spending. The analysis concludes that Namibia is unlikely to meet its aggressive GDP growth and infant mortality targets by 2030, and that deep-seated structural issues like inequality and extreme poverty will persist across all modeled paths.

The paper analyzes South Africa's role as a development partner, emphasizing its comparative advantage in Africa due to geographic and political proximity. It contrasts South Africa's 'development partner' identity with traditional 'donor' models, noting that South African aid often includes non-traditional activities like military protection and student scholarships. The author argues that while South Africa lacks a cohesive strategy and transparency in its South-South Cooperation (SSC), the UN can act as a neutral broker to help operationalize SSC principles and integrate southern perspectives into global development architecture.

The report analyzes the integration of SACU countries—Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland—into global and regional value chains. It finds that while the region is generally at the margins of GVCs, there are significant opportunities in the automotive and apparel sectors. The authors argue that South Africa can serve as a 'gateway' for the region, linking smaller member states to global networks through advanced services and infrastructure. Key barriers identified include geographical remoteness, small market scale, restrictive trade policies (particularly in agribusiness), and gaps in technical skills. The report concludes that GVC participation positively correlates with labor productivity, especially through backward linkages (imported inputs), and suggests a policy framework focused on economic densification, skills upgrading, and open regionalism.

The IMF's October 2015 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa describes a 'gloomy picture' for the region driven by falling commodity and oil prices, high energy costs, and a weak global financial environment. South Africa is highlighted as having the worst growth projection among its middle-income peers, with its economic performance hindered by critical electricity supply failures, poor export growth despite currency depreciation, and social unrest. The IMF recommends fiscal adjustments, currency depreciation, and long-term investments in productivity-enhancing infrastructure and education to counter these trends.

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 document analyzes the shift in South Africa's investment policy from bilateral investment treaties (BITs) toward the Promotion and Protection of Investment Bill (PPIB) of 2013. It highlights how the PPIB prioritizes the state's right to regulate in the public interest and replaces international arbitration with domestic dispute resolution. The author argues that this creates regulatory uncertainty and misalignment with the SADC Finance and Investment Protocol (FIP) and the SADC Model BIT, potentially hindering foreign direct investment (FDI) and regional integration.

This research paper examines the role of judicial independence within the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), arguing that the judiciary's contribution to good political governance is understated and marginalized in the mechanism's assessment reports.

The document examines how the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) evaluates judicial independence, arguing that the process relies too heavily on formal constitutional protections rather than the actual capacity of courts to issue autonomous judgements. Through analysis of reports from Uganda, Lesotho, and Tanzania, the author identifies a gap between the 'rhetoric' of separation of powers and the 'reality' of executive interference, underfunding, and selective compliance. The paper recommends shifting the APRM's focus toward 'judicial empowerment' and integrating the broader 'legal complex'—including law societies and legal scholars—into the assessment process to better understand the systemic pressures on the rule of law.

The document argues that African regional integration remains a state-centric process, largely excluding citizens and businesses due to an information deficit and a lack of organized non-governmental constituencies. While some countries like Mauritius show successful business-government integration, most of the continent suffers from low public awareness and underdeveloped civil society organizations. The author recommends public education, high-quality research into stakeholder needs, and infrastructure upgrades to ensure that opening borders provides tangible benefits to the informal sector and private enterprise.

The policy brief assesses the underperformance of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), noting that US imports from Africa remain dominated by energy commodities. It proposes a four-pillar strategy for the 2015 renewal: a clean, long-term extension of at least 10 years; the reduction of non-tariff barriers through expanded US Trade Hubs and relaxed rules of origin for least-developed countries; structural reforms including the Power Africa initiative and the development of African capital markets; and alignment with global trade frameworks like the TPP and TTIP to ensure African competitiveness.

The document highlights the vulnerability of sub-Saharan African port infrastructure to climate hazards such as sea level rise, storm surges, and extreme rainfall. It notes that while the industry is aware of climate change, this awareness is rarely translated into practical planning. The brief recommends establishing a close dialogue between climate scientists and port practitioners, reviewing port master plans, and providing designers with simple, quantified projections of climate variables to improve long-term resilience.

The document outlines the need for more inclusive, evidence-driven partnerships between African governments, extractive companies, and communities to move beyond raw material exports toward value-addition and beneficiation. It proposes the creation of Regional Mining Visions (RMVs) to set standards on social and environmental impacts and calls for strategic global partnerships with systemic players like China to enhance Africa's position in global minerals value chains.

The report examines the gap between Africa's strong rhetorical commitment to regional integration and the limited actual progress achieved. Using APRM data from 17 countries, it identifies systemic barriers including reluctance to cede national sovereignty, overlapping memberships in multiple regional economic communities (RECs), inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of private sector involvement. While some blocs like the East African Community (EAC) show more progress, most have not advanced beyond free trade areas or customs unions, and intra-African trade remains low compared to trade with external partners like the EU and China.

The document analyzes the roles of Zimbabwe as SADC chair and South Africa as chair of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (OPDSC) for 20142015. It argues that while these roles provide opportunities for leadership, the impact is constrained by SADC's consensus-based decision-making and institutional weaknesses. Key challenges include high dependency on donor funding, political instability in Lesotho, and the influence of domestic political struggles in Zimbabwe and South Africa.