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Mozambique faces significant development hurdles despite high economic growth, primarily due to a severe domestic skills shortage and uncompetitive business environment. The report suggests that the government should leverage regional resources and liberalise foreign labour regulations to facilitate skills transfer and economic growth.

The document finds that while trade among BRICS nations has grown, intra-BRICS FDI remains low and lacks strategic policy direction. Most BRICS countries rely on traditional investors from the EU, US, and Japan, though China, India, and Brazil have increased resource-seeking investments in Africa. The briefing recommends collaborative research, comparative studies of investment frameworks, and improved statistics to foster sustainable, development-oriented FDI within the bloc.

Carlsberg Malawi Ltd. (CML) faces significant operational challenges in Malawi, primarily driven by foreign exchange shortages that hinder the import of essential inputs and compromise brand standards. The company also contends with high levels of corruption, poor transport infrastructure, and unfair competition from duty-evading competitors. To mitigate these issues, CML has implemented internal anti-corruption measures, invested approximately MK100 million annually in in-house training to address domestic skill gaps, and is seeking to increase domestic sourcing and exports to reduce reliance on foreign currency.

The Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) initiative, launched by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), aims to provide sustainable solar lighting to un-electrified rural areas. In India, the program has reached approximately 500,000 people across 1,860 villages in 22 states. The model relies on local entrepreneurs who manage solar charging stations or DC micro grids, offering lighting via a fee-for-service rental model or through loan-financed enterprises. To ensure sustainability, TERI established 'Energy Enterprises' (Uttam Urja Shops) for after-sales support and product sales, with support from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) to create over 400 such shops. The initiative has evolved its financing from initial grants to market-based equity and investment models and has expanded its scope to include mobile phone charging, vocational training for women, and conservation activities through various public-private-people partnerships.

The document argues that while public and private funding for climate-resilient development is increasing, it remains insufficient to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius. It highlights the need for a more equitable international climate finance architecture, specifically calling for the inclusion of least developed countries and small island developing states in the design of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The brief emphasizes that climate change should be treated as an economic concern managed by national ministries of finance and planning, and that public finance must be used strategically to unlock the private sector, which is expected to provide over 85% of the necessary funding.

The policy brief argues that the Mozambique Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MEITI) is largely ineffective because it only monitors payments already made to the state, whereas the most substantial revenue losses occur earlier during fiscal regime negotiations and tax base declarations. The author highlights that secrecy in contracts and mispricing practices lead to far greater losses than the small discrepancies found in MEITI reconciliation reports. The document recommends that the EITI broaden its scope to monitor all stages of the extractive process and improve transparency regarding fiscal regimes and production values.

The document argues that the global energy system is unsustainable and unjust, driven by neoliberalism and extractivism. It details the environmental and social harms of fossil fuels, nuclear power, and certain 'clean' alternatives, while warning against 'techno-fixes' and corporate-led transitions. It advocates for a decentralized, democratically controlled system that prioritizes basic human rights to energy and a just transition for workers.

The document analyzes the Mozambican legal framework for public procurement, concluding that while the current regulation does not expressly prioritize sustainability, there are several entry points for reform and interpretation to promote sustainable public procurement (SPP). It examines the roles of procurement authorities, the various contracting modalities—including public tenders, limited tenders, and direct contracting—and the criteria used for awarding contracts, suggesting shifts from 'lowest-price' to 'lowest-cost' or 'conjugated' criteria to better account for environmental and social impacts.

The document describes a planned conference, 'The APRM +10: Reviewing a Decade of Peer Learning and Projecting a Future of Governance in Africa', to be held in Addis Ababa in May 2013. It seeks to evaluate the APRM's progress since its 2003 establishment, specifically focusing on the implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs) and the role of civil society in holding member states accountable. The briefing highlights the tension between the voluntary nature of the APRM and the compulsory nature of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), while calling for better synergies between the APRM and other AU organs, such as the Pan African Parliament and the Peace and Security Commission.

The Stockholm Environment Institute is launching a project to analyze the 'new fossil fuel economy,' specifically focusing on how new investments in extraction and trade infrastructure create political and economic dependencies that hinder climate stabilization. The initiative aims to develop new GHG accounting frameworks from a supply perspective, assess equity considerations for supplying countries, and evaluate the social and environmental impacts of unconventional oil, gas, and coal development. Planned case studies include coal infrastructure for Asian markets in Mongolia and Mozambique, oil shale in Estonia, Jordan, Morocco, and the Western U.S., and oil sands in Venezuela's Orinoco basin.

The document examines the environmental and social challenges of transport in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the rise in urban air pollution, high road fatality rates, and increasing traffic congestion. It argues that current policies favor automobiles over vulnerable populations and recommends an 'avoid, shift, improve' strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve accessibility and safety for all citizens.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) argues that traditional cookstove projects often fail because they focus on installation numbers rather than sustainable market transformation. SEI advocates for a user-centered design approach, combining qualitative ethnographic data with quantitative choice experiments to understand the social, cultural, and economic drivers of energy decisions. The briefing highlights the need for business models that enable local replication and examines the role of carbon finance and innovative fuel sources, such as ethanol micro distilleries in Ethiopia, to reduce reliance on biomass.

The paper examines the intersection of WASH investments and disaster risk reduction, arguing that disconnected public and private investments often increase vulnerability, particularly in poor urban areas. It identifies four critical building blocks for resilience: access, siting, mitigation/adaptation, and sharing. The authors argue that social learning—the process of sharing knowledge across stakeholders—is essential to trigger strategic innovation and effective PPPs. The document highlights how structural flood protections can paradoxically increase risk and advocates for 'green infrastructure' and ecosystem-based assessments to ensure long-term sustainability.

Malawi relies heavily on traditional biomass for energy, leading to deforestation and land degradation. The country faces energy insecurity due to a total dependence on imported refined petroleum. While Malawi has long-term experience with sugarcane ethanol and is exploring Jatropha-based biofuels, production is under-utilized due to weak institutions and infrastructure. Transitioning to modern bioenergy, including cogeneration from agricultural residues and improved cookstoves, is proposed to diversify the energy mix and reduce climate vulnerability.

The study maps rural poverty and food insecurity at the district level across Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe from 2003 to 2013. It finds that while CPWF-LBDC research sites are generally located in poor areas, they are not always in the poorest districts. The report emphasizes that female- and child-headed households are the most vulnerable across all four countries and argues that poverty indices should be a primary factor in selecting sites for AWM interventions to effectively reduce food insecurity and poverty.

The document analyzes Zambia's energy sector and the incentives provided by the government to attract private investment in renewable energy. It details a framework of fiscal incentives (tax exemptions on dividends, import duties, and corporate tax), financial incentives (grants from the Rural Electrification Fund and government-backed loan guarantees for ZESCO), and other support services provided by the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and the Office for Promoting Private Power Investment (OPPPI). While stakeholders report a generally positive trend and increased interest in projects, the report notes a lack of transparency regarding the actual costs of these incentives and a need for greater legal clarity regarding which renewable energy technologies qualify for support.

The document examines Malawi's use of predominantly fiscal investment incentives, such as tax breaks and industrial rebates, to attract investment. It highlights a tension between the government's need for tax revenue to manage public debt and the private sector's demand for incentives. The author argues that these incentives result in significant revenue loss and may not be the primary driver of investment decisions, suggesting a shift toward improving the overall domestic business environment.

The policy brief highlights the significant potential of Africa's coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes, to act as carbon sinks. It argues that these 'Blue Carbon' sources are currently undervalued and under-accounted for in international frameworks like the UNFCCC. The author recommends that African nations advocate for the expansion of IPCC guidelines and the integration of coastal sinks into REDD+ and NAMA frameworks to attract conservation financing and meet national emission targets.

The Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance (ACCRA) project, running from January 2011 to January 2013 with a value of £184,250, aims to enhance the adaptive capacity of poor communities in Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Uganda. The project has influenced national policies, produced 27 publications, and facilitated capacity building for government officials through field visits and training. Phase 2 of the project focuses on 'flexible and forward looking decision-making' and the evaluation of a tailored ACCRA game for district government contexts.

The report critiques 'sustainable intensification' as a productivist ideology that prioritizes high-tech solutions—specifically genetically modified (GM) crops and chemical inputs—over agro-ecological practices. It argues that this approach is driven by international donors and agribusinesses, often ignoring the expertise of small farmers and failing to deliver promised yield increases. The document contrasts this model with 'food sovereignty' and the recommendations of the IAASTD report, advocating for a shift toward agro-ecology, land rights, and the reduction of food waste and livestock consumption in the West.