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The document examines the precarious security environment leading up to Mozambique's 2014 elections, highlighting the need for a negotiated ceasefire and disarmament of Renamo to ensure long-term stability. It argues that while President Guebuza's commitment to the election timetable is a positive sign of democratic maturity, the risk of post-election violence remains high unless security guarantees and confidence-building measures are established.

The document examines the challenges facing state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Africa, highlighting how their proximity to state power often leads to politicised board appointments and regulatory failures. Using data from APRM reviews of six SADC countries, it argues that SOEs must be treated as professional companies, with merit-based appointments and clear legal mandates, to drive broader economic development and good corporate governance across the continent.

The document examines the transition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Africa from simple philanthropy to a strategic, integrated business approach. Using data from the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), it contrasts the 'first-generation' philanthropic approach seen in less developed economies like Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia with the more 'second-generation' systematic approaches in South Africa and Mauritius. It highlights a gap between advanced conceptual frameworks and actual practice, noting that mandatory labour and environmental regulations are often ignored. The author argues for a 'third-generation' CSR model where businesses partner with society to solve overarching problems, while cautioning that CSR should remain fundamentally voluntary to avoid overburdening companies.

The document examines the state of corporate governance in Africa, noting that while it is generally underdeveloped and embryonic, a distinctively African approach is emerging. This approach, exemplified by South Africa's King Code, emphasizes socio-economic outcomes and the principle of ubuntu over purely financial or shareholder-centric metrics. The author highlights significant barriers to implementation, including a lack of professional skills (particularly accountants), poor institutional environments, and the prevalence of small, family-owned businesses. The briefing recommends that governments reform the business climate, nurture independent corporate governance infrastructure, and encourage cross-border cooperation to support business growth without imposing unrealistic regulatory burdens.

The report examines corporate governance across six SADC countries, finding a significant gap between the adoption of formal legal frameworks and their practical implementation. While South Africa and Mauritius possess sophisticated systems, others struggle with rudimentary architectures, corruption, and poor infrastructure. The author argues for a principles-based approach to governance that facilitates rather than restricts business growth, particularly for small and medium enterprises.

The report by Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) details over 100 incidents of violence against environmental defenders across 27 countries. It identifies a systemic pattern of criminalization, physical attacks, and state repression linked to large-scale extractivist projects. The document advocates for legally binding international norms for transnational corporations and the recognition of environmental defense as a fundamental human right.

The document examines the evolution of democratic governance in Africa from the OAU era to the AU era, focusing on the APRM and ACDEG. It argues that while the continent has shifted from 'politics of the bullet' to 'politics of the ballot', significant challenges remain, including 'illiberal democracies' and slow implementation of governance reviews. The author advocates for stronger synergies between the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), increased domestic funding for National Programmes of Action (NPoAs), and a balanced role for non-state actors to prevent 'state capture' of these initiatives.

The policy brief examines the impasse in negotiations for the SADC EPA, which were set to end on 1 October 2014. It identifies four primary obstacles: the EU's demand for a ban on export taxes, the restrictive nature of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause, the slow activation of agricultural safeguards, and the technical complexity of rules of origin. The author proposes compromises, such as shifting the MFN clause to a percentage-based liberalisation model and inverting the burden of proof for agricultural safeguards, to ensure the agreement is politically viable and supports African industrialisation and sovereignty.

The document examines the critical role of dryland forests in Southern Africa, highlighting their vulnerability to deforestation and climate change. It proposes a 'nexus approach' to overcome the marginalisation of the forestry sector by demonstrating its interdependencies with water, energy, and food security. The author argues that integrated landscape management and multi-sectoral policy coordination can identify win-win solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation, such as agroforestry and payment for watershed services.

The report identifies diverse strategies used by developing countries to protect tropical forests, ranging from national-scale policies in Brazil and India to community-led projects in Madagascar and Kenya. It highlights the effectiveness of REDD+ programs, payments for ecosystem services (PES), and governance reforms, while noting that success is often linked to broader socioeconomic development and the use of remote sensing technology for enforcement.

The report analyzes diverse strategies used by developing nations to protect tropical forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It categorizes successes into those driven by planned policies (e.g., Brazil, India), those that yielded positive results despite deviating from economic theory (e.g., Mexico, Costa Rica), and those resulting from socioeconomic shifts (e.g., Central Africa, El Salvador). Key mechanisms identified include REDD+, payments for ecosystem services (PES), governance reforms, and industry moratoria.

The report examines diverse strategies for reducing tropical deforestation and increasing forest cover across several developing nations. It categorizes successes into those driven by integrated policy frameworks (e.g., Brazil, India), those where outcomes were positive despite deviating from economic theories (e.g., Mexico, Costa Rica), and those influenced heavily by socioeconomic shifts (e.g., Central Africa, El Salvador). Key mechanisms discussed include REDD+, payments for ecosystem services (PES), community-based management, and industry moratoria.

The report examines diverse strategies used by developing tropical nations to combat deforestation and restore forests, categorizing successes into policy-driven reductions, payment for environmental services, and socio-economic shifts. It highlights the 'forest transition' curve and emphasizes that combining environmental action with social and economic development is key to sustainable success.

The 4PCCD project (2011-2013) implemented a participatory urban planning tool in Maputo, Mozambique, to identify local priorities for climate action. The project demonstrated that involving citizens from informal settlements can accelerate climate policy development and empower communities to present collective visions to government and private sectors. However, the findings indicate that meaningful community consultation and scientific climate impact assessments require sufficient allocations of time and financial resources.

The paper examines the shifting landscape of Africa's extractive sector, noting the rise of emerging economies like China and Brazil and the increasing pressure on companies to demonstrate social and developmental obligations. It suggests that European firms can gain a competitive edge by embracing local processing, reskilling workers affected by mechanization, and improving transparency. Furthermore, it discusses how a projected decline in EU material demand by 2030 could shift global supply chains and allow for more technical, less geo-economic cooperation between the EU and Africa.

The 4PCCD project (2011-2013) implemented a Participatory Action Plan Development methodology in Maputo, Mozambique, to integrate local community knowledge into climate adaptation planning. By establishing a Climate Planning Committee (CPC) in the Chamanculo C bairro, the project empowered residents to develop a Community Plan for Climate Change Adaptation focused on drainage, waste management, and infrastructure to combat recurrent flooding. The project demonstrated that municipalities can accelerate climate policy development by engaging local communities, though it highlighted the need for sufficient time and funding for meaningful consultation and detailed scientific impact assessments. While formal long-term partnership commitments were not fully proven within the project's lifetime, the initiative fostered new networks between residents, the National Fund for the Environment of Mozambique (FUNAB), and other institutional actors.

The report identifies Mozambique as highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly regarding agriculture, coastal areas, and disaster risk. It finds significant gaps in technical capacity, research funding, and the integration of CCD into university curricula. While some research exists at institutions like Eduardo Mondlane University, there is a lack of international publication and a need for transdisciplinary approaches to knowledge co-production.

The document outlines a framework for transitioning African governance toward the 2030 SDGs, emphasizing the need for National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs) and integrated planning. It identifies current gaps, such as poor policy implementation and a dearth of data, and proposes capacity-building strategies and the establishment of Communities of Practice (CoP) to foster knowledge sharing across the continent.

The paper argues that South Africa's regional policy exhibits an inconsistent and weak linkage between its stated normative values and its economic diplomacy. While South Africa positions itself as a normative leader in Africa, its historical ties to liberation movements and a focus on regional state-building have limited its use of economic resources as tools for political reform. The author concludes that South Africa has not integrated its economic drivers with its normative drivers, often failing to sacrifice economic interests to defend the political anchors of its external identity.

The policy brief examines the emerging architecture of extractive governance in Africa, focusing on the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) and its implementing agency, the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC). It highlights a critical gap between the economic contributions of the mining and oil sectors and the local socio-economic realities. The author argues that for these home-grown initiatives to succeed, they must leverage research from institutions like SAIIA's Governance of Africa's Resources Programme (GARP), coordinate better to avoid duplication with other bodies like the AfDB's African Natural Resources Centre, and form strategic partnerships with established global mechanisms such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Kimberley Process (KP).