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The document examines how corruption in the oil, gas, and mining sectors in Africa leads to significant wealth loss through illicit financial flows, tax avoidance, and transfer pricing. It identifies a lack of state capacity, bureaucratic discretion, and political will as primary drivers of these failures. While various international and regional initiatives exist, the author argues they are often ineffective due to low administrative capacity and a focus on 'grand' corruption over systemic issues. The paper highlights Botswana as a successful model of natural resource governance and provides twelve recommendations for technical and institutional capacity building to combat corruption.

The NAP Global Network's Targeted Topics Forums (TTFs) are a series of workshops that bring together representatives from developing countries and development cooperation agencies to exchange lessons on technical aspects of the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process. Unlike one-off workshops, TTFs use a sustained peer learning model, reconvening the same cohorts of international specialists to build a supportive community. Each forum is structured around three pillars: technical inputs from experts, relational opportunities for peer sharing, and reflexive opportunities for countries to apply inputs to their own contexts. Current focus areas include building political support, cross-sectoral integration, financing implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. The Network also provides a Country Support Hub for submitting questions and advice on the NAP process.

The document outlines the role of community protocols as interfaces between customary laws and national ABS frameworks, drawing on case studies from Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Benin, Madagascar, and Cameroon to highlight best practices in community empowerment and legal recognition.

Natural Justice is an African organisation dedicated to social and environmental justice, employing a "Litigation Plus" approach that combines legal empowerment, research, policy influence, and strategic litigation. In 2024, the organisation supported over 30 strategic lawsuits across Africa, including successful challenges against Shell's seismic testing in South Africa and the annulment of an Environmental Impact Assessment for Sosian Energy Ltd in Kenya. The organisation also focuses on securing land tenure, protecting indigenous biocultural heritage in Namibia and Madagascar, and defending environmental defenders, notably supporting 180 activists through an emergency fund, including those protesting the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Uganda. Additionally, Natural Justice engages in global policy advocacy at UN biodiversity and climate summits to promote human rights-based approaches to conservation and energy transitions.

The 'Three Ps' framework (Principles, Policies and laws, and Practicalities) outlines a community-centric approach to the Just Energy Transition in Africa. It argues that for a transition to be truly 'just,' it must move beyond simple decarbonization to address historical injustices, ensure energy democracy, and protect the land and human rights of local communities. The guide emphasizes the necessity of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), the implementation of community-owned renewable energy (CORE) models, and the provision of climate finance in the form of grants rather than loans to avoid further debt for Global South countries.

Between 2022 and 2024, the African Environmental Defenders Initiative documented 232 non-lethal attacks against environmental defenders, with 67% occurring in East Africa. Uganda was the most affected country, accounting for 42% of cases, largely driven by opposition to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The report identifies government (34%) and multinational/investment companies (20%) as the primary perpetrators. Women defenders face specific gendered threats, including the withholding of sanitary products during detention and social stigmatization. The document also details country-specific conflicts, such as conservation-linked violence in Kenya, industrial mining in the DRC, and illegal logging in Madagascar, while highlighting the role of the African Environmental Defenders Fund in providing emergency legal and psychosocial support.

The document examines the critical role of community land in Senegal for family farming and pastoralism, noting that previous reform attempts—including the 1964 law on the national domain and the 2013 National Land Reform Commission (CNRF)—have remained unfinished. It highlights the risks of large-scale land acquisition and the marginalization of customary rights, proposing five key recommendations: legal recognition of community rights, strengthening the role of local authorities, establishing local land registers, ensuring gender and intergenerational equity, and adopting a multi-stakeholder participatory approach to reform.

Natural Justice provides legal support to Indigenous peoples and local communities in Africa, specifically in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Benin, Guinea, and Madagascar. The organization focuses on challenging rights infringements related to land, climate change, and extractive projects, and facilitating fair commercial transactions for traditional knowledge. Key initiatives include the development of 'community protocols' to help communities articulate their rights and the production of accessible legal resources, such as 34 national legal reviews and the Living Convention. Natural Justice also engages in international advocacy through the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and forums like the UNFCCC and CBD.

The report argues that integrating DRE infrastructure to power both mines and local communities—termed 'inclusive mining'—can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower operational costs, and catalyse rural socio-economic development. It identifies key barriers such as complex energy regulations, limited local technical skills, and the high upfront capital costs of renewable systems. Through four case studies in Australia, Madagascar, and Mali, the document demonstrates various models for community electrification, including shared microgrids, indirect feeding into local grids, and the repurposing of end-of-life mines. The authors recommend establishing inclusive governance structures, investing in productive use of renewable energy (PURE) to stimulate demand, and embedding a gender lens to ensure equitable benefit sharing.

The document details several Team Europe-funded green energy projects in Africa, focusing on solar mini-grids and solar home systems (SHS). Key initiatives include ANKA's Angovo project in Madagascar, ENGIE Energy Access's SHS scaling in Uganda, FRES's energy-as-a-service model in Mali, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Guinea-Bissau, and projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, and Sierra Leone. These projects aim to increase electricity access for households, SMEs, and public institutions while reducing CO2 emissions and fostering local economic growth through job creation and improved services in health and education.

The report examines the potential for decentralised renewable energy (DRE) equipment to drive socio-economic development in Benin, Cameroon, and Madagascar, focusing on agricultural productive uses. It identifies significant opportunities in value chains such as cotton and cashew in Benin, cocoa and sorghum in Cameroon, and rice, fishing, and livestock in Madagascar. While solar pumps and refrigeration are the most common technologies, the report highlights barriers including high initial costs, lack of technical standards, and the absence of formal e-waste recycling systems. It recommends market development measures such as increased awareness, technical standardisation, and the integration of microfinance to accelerate adoption.

The Angovo project, implemented by ANKA in southern Madagascar, aims to install over 3.5 MWp of solar mini-grid capacity to serve 15,600 clients and approximately 70,000 beneficiaries. With a total budget of EUR 14,550,000, the project utilizes a blended finance model involving the EU, AFD, GIZ, and private investors. Beyond electricity provision, the initiative integrates e-health, e-education, and Agrigrid© programs to stimulate rural economic development and mitigate up to 5,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The SADC region exhibits significant economic disparities, with South Africa dominating both regional GDP (55.5%) and intra-regional exports (68.1%). While the region saw an average annual GDP growth of 4.7% from 2003-2013, competitiveness is hindered by poor infrastructure, corruption, and limited access to finance. The services sector is the primary driver of regional growth, though reliance on agriculture remains high in countries like Mozambique, Madagascar, and Malawi. Intra-regional trade has stagnated relative to other African regional economic communities, further hampered by severe transport inefficiencies and customs delays.

The document examines the lack of progress in implementing the SADC univisa, despite the 1998 Protocol on the Development of Tourism. It identifies a conflict between economic goals—where tourism contributes 5.8% to SADC's GDP—and security concerns held by home affairs and security agencies. While a pilot group of countries (including South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe) has worked on harmonisation, political will remains low. The study suggests using the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA pilot as a model to overcome bureaucratic resistance.

The SADC Non-Tariff Barrier (NTB) Monitoring Mechanism allows private sector actors to report trade barriers via an online database, but the resolution of these barriers is often ineffective. NTBs affect products accounting for $3.3 billion, or 20%, of regional trade, with transport-related barriers being the most persistent. Resolution is hampered by inefficient National Monitoring Committees, a lack of technical expertise, and a political preference for cooperative rather than litigious dispute settlement. The document argues that resolution depends on political will, as some states maintain barriers to protect local industry or revenue. Proposed solutions include strengthening business membership organisations, capacitating national focal points, and creating forums for facilitated dialogue between the private sector and government.

A budget vote speech delivered by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to the National Assembly on 31 May 2011. The speech outlines South Africa's foreign policy priorities, its role in regional and global governance, and the operational goals of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) developed the Climate Change and Economic Vulnerability Index (CEVI) and the Climate Change and Economic Resilience Index (CERI) to address the misalignment of climate finance. Using data from 160 countries, the indices reveal that low-income economies, particularly in Africa, face the highest vulnerability and lowest resilience. An analysis of 2021 OECD adaptation finance flows shows that funds are often misallocated, with more resilient and less vulnerable countries sometimes receiving higher per-person funding than those in the most critical need. The paper recommends that international financial institutions mainstream these indices to ensure needs-based allocation of climate support.

The document advocates for the use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) to help African coastal and island communities adapt to climate change impacts such as sea level rise and tropical storms. It provides a set of nine key recommendations for SADC stakeholders to integrate EbA into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), align biodiversity and ocean policies, and ensure the inclusion of local communities and gender equity in project design. The statement emphasizes the need for a regional SADC EbA strategy and a resource mobilisation plan to support sustainable investments across the region.

The report examines the AfCFTA's potential to create a single market of 1.2 billion people and $2 trillion GDP, highlighting its goals to boost intra-African trade and harmonise trade governance. It details key investor considerations, including the continued relevance of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), tariff phase-down schedules, and the impact of non-tariff barriers and rules of origin. The document specifically analyses the Republic of Korea's trade and investment profile in Africa, noting a heavy reliance on natural resource imports and a relatively low FDI stock compared to other global powers. It suggests that Korean firms can find opportunities in manufacturing, digital transformation, and the use of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to enter the continent. Finally, it recommends that Korea enhance its 'aid for trade' initiatives, focusing on infrastructure project preparation and support for African SMEs to foster mutually beneficial relations.

The report details a research project in East and Southern Africa aimed at shifting the role of youth from passive recipients of policy to active architects of 'systemic justice'. Through a hybrid approach of participatory futures and action research, the project engaged youth innovators and changemakers to develop 'anticipatory praxis'—a method of combining strategic foresight with intentional action. The findings emphasize that systemic justice requires reimagining deep-rooted economic, ecological, and social structures, moving beyond simple job creation toward regenerative economies and inclusive governance. The report identifies key 'leverage points' for change, such as shifting cultural narratives and embracing iterative learning, and provides recommendations for funders, policymakers, and civil society to institutionalize youth co-governance and support futures literacy.