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The report examines urban flooding in five cities across Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, highlighting the vulnerability of informal settlements to climate-exacerbated rainfall and poor urban planning. It compares the maturity of South African cities in integrating EbA into policy against the more response-oriented, 'grey' infrastructure bias in Kenyan cities. Key findings emphasize that collaborative, whole-of-society governance and the integration of green and grey infrastructure are most effective for long-term resilience.

The report argues that a significant 'urban services divide' exists in the global South, where over 1.2 billion people lack reliable access to housing, water, sanitation, energy, and transport. This divide creates a cycle of poverty and environmental degradation. To break this cycle, the authors propose seven transformations: prioritizing the vulnerable in infrastructure design, partnering with alternative service providers, improving local data through community engagement, supporting informal workers, innovating financing and subsidies, promoting transparent land management, and creating diverse governance coalitions. The report emphasizes that these shifts can yield cascading economic and environmental benefits, including reduced GHG emissions and improved public health.

The document examines how Covid-19 restrictions in Kenya disproportionately affected the informal sector, which comprises 83.6% of the employed population. It argues that a compromised fiscal social contract—characterized by poor healthcare delivery, corruption, and limited transparency—discourages tax compliance among informal workers. While the government implemented some tax reliefs, the authors contend that true fiscal legitimacy requires systemic reforms in accountability, access to fiscal information, and sustainable debt management to ensure an inclusive system.

The report examines the mechanism of Common African Positions (CAPs) used by the African Union to articulate collective interests on the global stage. While highlighting successes such as the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Position on Asset Recovery, it identifies critical weaknesses including a lack of member state ownership, over-dependence on external funding, and a disconnect between AU headquarters in Addis Ababa and multilateral diplomatic hubs. The author argues that for CAPs to be effective, the AU must move toward more inclusive, participatory processes and ensure that member states, rather than AU bureaucracy, drive the advocacy and implementation of these positions.

FSD Africa reports that between 2012 and 2020, it reached over 5.47 million people and 3.2 million MSMEs through financial inclusion and capital market projects. Key achievements include catalysing £1.53 billion in long-term capital, supporting 27,000 jobs, and effecting approximately 130 regulatory changes. The organization is now transitioning to 'FSD 2.0', shifting focus toward 'sustainable futures', jobs, and basic services, with a particular emphasis on green finance and Covid-19 recovery.

The study examines the failure of traditional cookstove replacement efforts and uses a pilot project in peri-urban Kenya to identify user archetypes—motivated by money, convenience, or health—to better align stove design and services with user needs.

The 1972 Stockholm Conference marked the beginning of global environmental cooperation, introducing the concept of sustainable development and leading to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Despite Cold War tensions and conflicts between industrialized and developing nations, the conference produced the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan, which provided the first global principles for environmental law. Its legacy includes the democratization of environmental policy through NGO participation and the establishment of foundational treaties on marine pollution and biodiversity.

The document examines the slow adoption of cleaner cookstoves in peri-urban Kenya, arguing that a combination of service design, behavioral insights, and social-ecological systems thinking is necessary to better align stove development with user needs. Based on a study of advanced biomass pellet cookstoves near Nairobi, it recommends tailoring interventions to specific user archetypes, stabilizing the biomass pellet fuel supply chain through subsidies, and establishing localized technical support and repair networks.

The document argues that Africa is experiencing a growing economic divergence from the rest of the world, with GDP per capita projected to be less than one quarter of the global average by 2040. While human well-being indicators like life expectancy have improved, the continent's growth is constrained by an unproductive economic structure dominated by low-end informal services and a slow demographic transition. To ignite a 'growth revolution', the author advocates for a 'bottom-up' approach focusing on basic infrastructure, reducing fertility rates, and transitioning toward manufacturing and productive agriculture. The brief emphasizes that leveraging the fourth industrial revolution, renewable energy, and the African Continental Free Trade Area, alongside accountable leadership, is essential to reversing commodity dependence and achieving sustainable prosperity.

The document examines the adoption of the Mimi Moto advanced biomass cookstove in peri-urban Kenya, identifying two distinct user archetypes: 'money savers' and 'convenience seekers'. While both groups experienced declines in satisfaction due to inconsistent fuel availability, 'convenience seekers' showed higher overall usage. The study highlights a systemic gap where stakeholders focus on initial awareness and onboarding rather than the long-term 'using' phase, recommending stabilized fuel infrastructure and tailored after-sales support to improve adoption.

The document details how Kurawa Industries Limited illegally expanded its salt pans in Magarini Sub County, Kilifi, causing saltwater seepage that killed the coconut crops of the Mwangi family. Despite efforts by Natural Justice to secure accountability through Access to Information requests to NEMA and inquiries with the Department of Physical Planning, the company operated without the required permits. The case highlights how COVID-19 lockdowns in Kilifi County have further hindered the agricultural assessment needed for compensation and increased the family's vulnerability by restricting access to water.

FSD Africa is adapting its operations to the COVID-19 pandemic by curtailing travel, closing its Nairobi offices to visitors, and shifting technical support to virtual delivery. The organization intends to review its strategy to address pandemic-related challenges and explore how the financial system can help mitigate current and future disasters.

The document traces the evolution of e-commerce in the WTO from the 1998 Work Programme to the 2017 Joint Statement Initiative (JSI). It analyzes how existing WTO rules like GATS and TRIPS apply to digital trade and details the ongoing negotiations among 83 members. Key challenges identified include the digital divide between developed and developing nations, disagreements over data flows and localization, and the lack of consensus on whether to create new rules or revise existing ones.

The document argues that while Africa has seen improvements in health indicators, it is falling further behind the rest of the world in average income and economic productivity. It identifies a 'unproductive structure' of economies dominated by low-end services and a slow demographic transition as primary barriers. To ignite a 'growth revolution' by 2040, the author advocates for a 'bottom-up' approach prioritizing basic infrastructure, a reduction in birth rates to achieve a demographic dividend, and the revitalization of the manufacturing sector to support agriculture and high-value services.

The report advocates for the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) in South African municipalities to address the dual crises of COVID-19 economic devastation and climate vulnerability. It highlights that while national green recovery plans exist, they often require high skills and long lead times. In contrast, NBS—particularly urban tree planting and the removal of invasive alien plants—can provide immediate, low-skill employment for vulnerable populations while mitigating urban heat islands, managing flood risks, and improving public health. The document identifies significant barriers to implementation, including municipal funding shortages, difficulties in quantifying the economic value of natural assets, and rigid public procurement processes.

The report finds that while social media engagement alone achieves limited results in promoting police accountability in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, it serves as a valuable tool for documenting misconduct and mobilising the public. Analysis shows a general net negative sentiment towards police in all three countries, though the nature of engagement varies: Kenyans and Ugandans frequently tag official police handles, whereas Tanzanians rely more on activist profiles due to a more repressive environment. The study highlights that police responsiveness on social media directly correlates with improved public sentiment, though overall response rates remain very low.

Natural Justice submits a memorandum on the Public Participation Bill, 2019, arguing that the Bill's current framework is too narrow. The organization proposes amendments to guarantee that information provided to the public is not only timely but also "accurate, complete, relevant", and accessible. Key recommendations include the explicit inclusion of "minorities and marginalised groups" to comply with Article 56 of the Constitution of Kenya, the establishment of mandatory reasonable timelines for public involvement and decision communication, and the requirement that civic education must precede public participation to empower citizens.

The YEG pilot provided approximately $1,200 in grants and smartphones to 1,035 youth in Nairobi's Mathare slum, testing two payment cadences: lump sums and monthly payments. Interim results show that transferring funds via mobile money is highly feasible and that recipients significantly invest in self-employment and education. While pre-installed business apps saw low usage, general internet access via smartphones improved market reach. Gender differences emerged, with men investing more in productive assets and women prioritizing education and informal savings groups. Lump-sum recipients reported higher investment rates and savings compared to those receiving monthly payments.

The document outlines the ESIA process and technical specifications for the Lokichar-Lamu Crude Oil Pipeline, a joint venture between the Kenyan government and a consortium including Tullow Oil, Africa Oil Turnana, and Total Oil. The pipeline is designed to transport heavy crude oil from the Lokichar basin to a marine export terminal at the Port of Lamu. It details the stakeholder engagement process, the construction methodology involving trenching and backfilling, and key technical parameters such as a length of approximately 820 km and the inclusion of 16 intermediary stations.

Natural Justice argues that the Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is unconstitutional because it imposes strict liability on organizers for damages caused during public meetings. The organization contends that such provisions threaten the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression under the Constitution of Kenya, suggesting that only the individual found culpable should be required to provide compensation.