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This research paper examines the risk of stranded assets in Africa's extractives sectors as the global economy transitions toward low-carbon energy and a circular economy. It analyzes the economic threats to fossil-fuel-dependent nations, the potential for 'premature deindustrialisation', and the opportunities presented by the rising demand for critical minerals. The author argues for a 'just transition' that prioritizes social and developmental goals through economic diversification and improved governance to avoid the 'resource curse'.

This policy brief provides an overview of local procurement regulations for the mining and petroleum sectors across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It distinguishes between demand-side policies, which encourage companies to buy locally, and supply-side policies, which support local supplier capacity. The document highlights a regional trend toward state intervention to create backward linkages from extractive activities to the wider economy, noting that while most SADC countries have some form of local procurement language, the depth of regulation varies significantly, ranging from vague 'best effort obligations' to specific, measurable targets.

This case study examines the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG), a hybrid public-private partnership established in 2000 to facilitate trade and infrastructure development in Namibia and neighboring SADC countries. The WBCG coordinates a network of roads and rail—including the Trans-Kalahari, Trans-Caprivi, Trans-Cunene, and Trans-Oranje corridors—to connect the Port of Walvis Bay and the Port of Lüderitz to landlocked markets.

This report summarizes a conference held on June 9-10, 2011, at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg. The event focused on the evolving economic, political, and security relationships between India, South Africa, and the broader African continent, emphasizing South-South cooperation, trade synergies, and joint efforts toward reforming global governance institutions like the UN and IMF.

This case study by Mike Muller examines the political economy of water resource development and management within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It argues that a disconnect exists between local/national priorities and regional agendas, largely because the latter have been driven by donor preferences for environmental conservation over infrastructure development. The author highlights that while some bilateral projects have succeeded, the broader region has suffered from 'economic water scarcity' due to a lack of long-term finance for infrastructure, a gap recently being filled by new financiers like China and Brazil.

This fact sheet from the South African Institute of International Affairs outlines Russia's diplomatic and economic ties with Mozambique and Zimbabwe, highlighting cooperation in education, mining, and military sectors.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) introduces two new indices—the Climate Change and Economic Vulnerability Index (CEVI) and the Climate Change and Economic Resilience Index (CERI)—to provide a quantitative basis for the allocation of climate finance. The author argues that current climate finance, particularly OECD adaptation funding, is misaligned with the actual vulnerability and resilience of recipient countries, often favoring middle-income nations over the most vulnerable low-income economies, particularly in Africa.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) outlines a strategic roadmap for implementing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) withinS within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The authors argue that while SADC has strong foundational payment systems, it faces systemic risks due to policy fragmentation and a lack of regulatory harmonisation, specifically regarding the AU Malabo Convention. The document proposes a 'Triple-A' agenda—accelerate, anchor, and assert—to drive inclusive digital transformation, leveraging lessons from India's 'security-by-design' and Brazil's 'brownfield' approach to digital sovereignty.

SEforALL partnered with the ICTP to provide technical training on geospatial data management and application to energy planners from nine African countries. The program aimed to address a capacity gap in government planning units to better inform electrification and clean cooking strategies. Participants from Madagascar, Malawi, and Rwanda are currently applying these skills to develop national data governance and clean cooking plans.

This executive summary, published by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), updates the 2018 'Chilling Prospects' study by analyzing cooling access across 52 climate-exposed countries. It advocates for a needs-based approach to sustainable cooling to protect vulnerable populations, ensure food and medicine security, and align with the Kigali Amendment and the Paris Agreement.

This fact sheet by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) outlines various donor-funded financing programs available for renewable energy manufacturing and clean energy innovation, primarily targeting Africa and other developing regions.

The executive summary of 'Energizing Finance: Taking the Pulse 2021' analyzes the financial requirements to achieve universal energy access (SDG7) in Ghana, Mozambique, and Vietnam. It focuses on decentralized solutions, estimating the capital needed for electricity (Tier 1) and clean cooking (Tiers 2-4), while identifying critical affordability gaps and regulatory barriers that hinder private sector investment.

The executive summary of 'Energizing Finance: Understanding the Landscape 2021' analyzes energy finance commitments in 20 developing 'high-impact countries' (HICs) for 2019. It finds that investments for both electricity and clean cooking are critically insufficient to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), with electricity finance declining in 2019 and clean cooking investment stagnating. The report emphasizes the need for climate-resilient infrastructure, a shift away from fossil fuels, and a more comprehensive, multi-technology approach to clean cooking to ensure a just energy transition.

This annex provides a comparative analysis of electrification data for 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits, triangulating government reports, household surveys, utility data, and industry sales to identify trends and socioeconomic patterns of access.

The CHAPOSA project investigated charcoal production and forest depletion in the supply areas of Lusaka (Zambia), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Maputo (Mozambique) between 1989 and 1998. The report finds that woodland cover is reducing in all three regions due to charcoal production and agricultural expansion, with the most severe depletion occurring around Maputo. While charcoal provides a critical income source for the rural poor and an affordable energy source for the urban poor, the current system is largely unregulated, with state licensing and fee collection being highly ineffective. The report recommends a coordinated policy approach: enforcing fiscal systems to fund forest management, while simultaneously providing rural agricultural support and expanding urban electricity access to reduce dependence on charcoal.

This policy brief examines the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of sugarcane and jatropha biofuel production in Malawi, Mozambique, and Swaziland. Using an ecosystem services framework, the study analyzes trade-offs between biofuel feedstock production and other services like food security, carbon sequestration, and poverty alleviation, while also exploring the feasibility of ethanol for household cooking in urban Mozambique.

This fact sheet describes an interdisciplinary project running from October 2013 to October 2015, funded by the UK National Environmental Research Council (NERC) through the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme. The project aims to understand the impacts of biofuel production and use on ecosystem services, human wellbeing, and poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically focusing on sugar cane and jatropha feedstocks.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute provides a generic framework for institutional capacity development (CD) in developing countries. It integrates traditional institutional development, governance, and micro-economic approaches to define capacity as a combination of functions, resources, and structures. The document outlines the process of CD, strategies for sustainability, and provides generic capacity areas and indicators to monitor progress, alongside specific examples from Tanzania, the Philippines, Mozambique, and Madagascar.

This document is the front matter (foreword and table of contents) of a report titled "Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa," published by the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI) and the Stockholm Environment Institute. It describes the origins of the book, which grew from a 2009 Sida study on gender aspects of agricultural programmes and a subsequent 2011 seminar and "writeshop." The report aims to provide a guide and inspiration for designing agricultural development efforts that empower both women and men by sharing successful approaches and analytical frameworks.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute outlines practical approaches and metrics for governments to track and report finance dedicated to locally led adaptation (LLA) to climate change, emphasizing the need to measure both the quantity of funds reaching the local level and the quality of local agency in decision-making.