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The report evaluates Ghana's institutional and private sector readiness for the AfCFTA, which officially commenced trading on 1 January 2021. While the Ghanaian government has established policy frameworks and institutional structures, such as the National AfCFTA Coordinating Office, the report finds that local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face significant hurdles. Key findings indicate low production capabilities, limited knowledge of the agreement's protocols, and a lack of export certificates among many firms. However, some companies like Kasapreko Company Limited and Ghandour Cosmetics Limited have successfully exported to other African markets. The report recommends the development of a public national strategic plan, increased decentralized stakeholder consultations, and financial strategies to reduce lending interest rates for local industries.

The report analyzes the value chain of wind and solar projects to identify which components are suitable for local production versus global sourcing. It argues that while highly centralized components like solar modules and wind turbines are best imported to keep costs low, significant economic opportunities exist in localizing structures, towers, and electrical subsystems. Through case studies of countries like Mauritius, Namibia, Cambodia, and the Philippines, the report demonstrates how different tariff strategies—ranging from revenue generation to industry protection—impact renewable energy deployment and suggests that international cooperation to reduce trade barriers on environmental goods can accelerate the energy transition.

The report finds that the complete removal of fossil fuel consumption subsidies across 32 modelled countries could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 6.09% by 2030. When combined with a 'subsidy swap' (reinvesting savings into energy efficiency and renewables) and a 10% energy tax, the average national emission reduction increases to 11.84%. The analysis highlights that while some countries like Venezuela see reductions over 30%, G20 nations provide the largest absolute reductions due to their economic scale. Financially, fossil fuel subsidy reform (FFSR) alone could generate USD 2.99 trillion in cumulative savings by 2030, offering a cost-effective mechanism for a 'green recovery' from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Reclaim Finance argues that ENGIE's updated climate targets lack the transparency and ambition needed for a 1.5°C pathway. The analysis highlights a continued reliance on LNG, the use of biomass as a 'false solution' for coal conversion, and a lack of detailed asset-wise phase-out plans for coal plants.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) emphasizes that advancing gender equality is critical for a climate-resilient future, as women are disproportionately affected by climate change yet act as key agents of change. The GCF mandates gender mainstreaming across all interventions through its Governing Instrument and Gender Policy, requiring every project to include a Gender Action Plan. The Fund has committed to providing $10 billion annually in support designed to optimize co-benefits between climate action and gender equality. Specific examples of this approach include supporting women-led agricultural enterprises in Ghana, argan tree cooperatives in Morocco, clean energy enterprises in Mongolia, and off-grid renewable energy SMEs in Kenya and Rwanda via the KawiSafi Ventures Fund.

The paper analyzes how international lending influences African countries' integration into global value chains. It finds that Chinese lending, which focuses heavily on transport and communication infrastructure, increases the overall intensity of GVC participation. In contrast, World Bank lending, which prioritizes social sectors like education and health, helps countries move toward higher value-added, upstream positions in production networks. The study emphasizes that reducing trade costs through infrastructure is key to initial GVC access, while human capital investments support economic upgrading.

The document examines nuclear developments in Algeria, Egypt, and Libya, noting that while all three operate research reactors for medical and industrial use, their ambitions for nuclear power plants vary. Egypt is the most advanced, currently constructing four reactors at Al Dabaa with Russian support. Algeria and Libya have expressed long-term interests in nuclear energy, though these remain largely discursive or stalled by political instability and cost. The author argues that these pursuits are often driven by 'techno-nationalist' prestige rather than purely economic or environmental needs, especially given the viability of solar energy and the region's water scarcity.

The report details SEforALL's efforts over a 100-day period to accelerate the clean energy transition. Key activities include the launch of the 'Be Bold' campaign, coordination of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy and its Energy Compacts, and supporting the COP26 Energy Transition Council. The organization also highlights research on sustainable cooling, a youth summit, and specific technical assistance for energy access in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, alongside a new healthcare electrification partnership with USAID and Power Africa.

Reclaim Finance argues that Engie is failing its climate ambitions by converting coal power plants to gas and biomass rather than transitioning to sustainable renewables. The document highlights specific conversions in Chile and a proposed gas project in Italy as evidence of a lack of strategic vision, while noting that Engie's current SBTi-certified target of 2°C is insufficient compared to the required 1.5°C trajectory.

The Noor Solar Power Station, a large-scale concentrated solar power plant in Morocco, implemented a Social Development Plan and local content targets to benefit surrounding communities. While the project successfully created jobs and improved infrastructure, it faced challenges regarding water availability concerns and ineffective communication with local residents due to language and literacy barriers.

In 2014, Morocco implemented a fossil fuel subsidy reform to reduce budget vulnerability and support its climate goals, including a target of 52% renewable capacity by 2030. The government ended gasoline and fuel oil subsidies and reduced diesel subsidies, lowering spending from 42 billion dirhams in 2011 to 10.7 billion dirhams in 2016. These savings were reinvested into renewable energy projects, which reached 2,696 MW of capacity (34% of total installed capacity) by 2019. To ensure a just transition, the government maintained butane subsidies to protect poor and rural communities from rising food and energy costs, although the lack of viable alternatives to butane remains a challenge.

The report finds that while there is broad stakeholder interest and significant latent potential for green projects in Ghana—particularly in renewable energy, green housing, and water infrastructure—the green bond market is currently nascent with no prior issuances. Key barriers include a shallow debt capital market, a lack of formal issuance guidelines, limited technical capacity to identify eligible project pipelines, and a mismatch between issuer and investor expectations regarding pricing. The study suggests that government leadership, such as a sovereign green bond issuance planned for 2021/22, and the development of a dedicated green segment on the Ghana Stock Exchange are critical for catalyzing the market. It also emphasizes the need for credit enhancements and technical assistance to bridge the gap between speculative project ideas and bankable green bonds.

The report finds that the EU is planning a 35% increase in gas import capacity through pipelines and LNG terminals, costing an estimated €87 billion. This expansion is argued to be unnecessary for security of supply and contradictory to the EU's climate goals, creating a significant risk of stranded assets and emissions lock-in. While public financing from the EIB and EU grants has historically catalyzed these projects, the report notes a shift toward phasing out such support, though private finance and initiatives like the Three Seas Initiative continue to pose risks of further fossil gas entrenchment.

The report explores four international business models—municipal ownership in Germany, state-owned enterprise (SOE) transition in Denmark, public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Morocco, and cooperatives in the United Kingdom—to identify pathways for increasing renewable energy deployment in South Africa. It argues that while the current private-sector-led model (REIPPPP) has increased capacity, it is insufficient to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target or offset the decommissioning of 24,100 MW of coal plants. The authors suggest that a combination of centralized and decentralized public ownership models can address political opposition from trade unions and parties while scaling up green energy. Key recommendations include reforming Eskom into a 'green utility,' conducting a policy gap analysis, and investigating the financial feasibility of non-private ownership models.

The submission argues that the UNCITRAL Working Group III's draft work plan must better facilitate the participation of developing states and ensure the inclusion of critical cross-cutting issues in ISDS reform. The authors propose moving to an opt-out participation model for intersessional work, providing translation services for non-English speaking delegations, and increasing transparency regarding drafting processes and expert roles. Additionally, they call for the explicit inclusion of cross-cutting issues—such as regulatory chill, exhaustion of local remedies, and the calculation of damages—which they claim have been notably absent from recent agendas and working papers.

This policy brief examines the supply and demand side barriers to financing climate-smart urban infrastructure, focusing on the role of National Development Banks (NDBs). It introduces a 12-dimension 'City Maturity Model' to help city officials improve their strategic, financial, and operational capacities to attract green investment. The brief highlights that while NDBs are well-positioned as intermediaries, only 4% of Public Development Banks are specifically mandated to finance local governments. It provides recommendations for city officials to engage national policymakers, strengthen revenue capture, and build technical expertise, supported by case studies from Cape Town, Chefchaouen, and Belo Horizonte.

The TFSC programme, managed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), has committed EUR 242.6 million (37.2% of its total budget) as of December 31, 2020. This includes the approval of two sub-projects in Egypt and Ecuador. The AFD identifies ongoing challenges regarding the financing of climate adaptation, geographical scope for multi-country operations, and environmental and social (E&S) documentation requirements.

Reclaim Finance argues that Engie's plan to exit coal is a 'non-annonce' because it prioritizes selling assets or converting them to gas and biomass instead of ensuring full closures. The organization warns that converting to gas or biomass fails to align with climate science and risks creating stranded assets. Furthermore, the document claims that selling plants does not reduce global CO2e emissions and that Engie's current 2°C target is insufficient to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Reclaim Finance argues that Engie's coal exit plan is insufficient because it allows for the conversion of plants to gas or biomass and the sale of assets to other companies, which does not guarantee actual emission reductions or protect workers.