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This policy brief examines the role of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) in Africa, highlighting how centering decision-making at the community level can address the severe economic and social costs of climate change. While many African nations have integrated adaptation goals into national policies, the document identifies significant governance and financial barriers that hinder the effective implementation of LLA, particularly within food systems.

The State of Green Banks 2025 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the global landscape of green banks, focusing on their role in bridging a USD 7.4 trillion annual climate funding gap. Based on survey data from 51 public financial institutions, the report identifies four primary models for green banks—standalone de novo banks, enhanced public development banks (PDBs), green facilities within PDBs, and country platforms—and evaluates their suitability for different economic contexts, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs).

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the increasing trend of offshore oil and gas extraction in 2024, highlighting that the vast majority of new discoveries, project approvals, and startups are located in the oceans. It argues that this shift toward deepwater development contradicts climate goals to limit warming to 1.5°C and poses significant risks to marine biodiversity and the global atmosphere throughout the project lifecycle.

This research paper proposes a comprehensive trade and sustainable development agenda for the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) within the multilateral trading system. It outlines a five-part plan to leverage the World Trade Organization (WTO) for green industrialization and suggests adopting partnership models, such as those used by the EU, to reduce commodity dependence and enhance renewable energy production.

This policy brief argues that Africa must transition from a reliance on international financial institutions to a model of economic, mineral, and energy sovereignty to unlock the full potential of its mining sector. The authors propose a 'resource leverage strategy' to exchange mineral access for technology transfer and local beneficiation, while advocating for the creation of independent African financial institutions and standardized resource reporting to reduce dependency on the Global North.

The report by the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) analyzes the landscape of bilateral and multilateral agreements between African states and global powers to secure critical minerals essential for the green energy and digital transitions. It examines the strategies of twelve key actors—including China, Russia, the EU, and the US—highlighting a trend toward resource diplomacy driven by national security concerns and the need to diversify supply chains away from dominant suppliers.

This briefing by RMI analyzes the state of the global energy transition entering 2025, highlighting record growth in cleantech and falling costs despite ongoing challenges in methane reduction and energy efficiency.

This guide by the Global Climate and Health Alliance provides a framework for the climate and health community to help governments integrate health considerations into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), specifically for the 'NDCs 3.0' due in 2025. It outlines seven criteria for health-inclusive NDCs, practical steps for government implementation, and strategies for civil society to advocate for health-centric climate policies.

This research paper by Global Energy Monitor analyzes India's steel industry, arguing that its current strategy of expanding coal-based capacity before implementing decarbonization—a "build now, decarbonize later" approach—risks creating massive stranded assets and locking in high emissions. The document details the industry's heavy reliance on blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) and coal-based direct reduced iron (DRI) production, while evaluating the potential and limitations of green hydrogen, scrap-based production, and renewable energy integration to meet India's 2070 net-zero goal.

This policy brief examines the foreign and development relations between Africa, the European Union (EU), and Germany, arguing that these relationships are still characterized by 'coloniality'—the persistence of unequal power dynamics and colonial logic. The author analyzes how EU and German policies in security, raw material acquisition, and development aid often marginalize African agency, prioritize European economic interests, and employ 'saviourism' through top-down interventions. The document provides specific case studies from Mauritania, Mali, South Sudan, Namibia, and Zambia to illustrate these dynamics and concludes with recommendations for genuine decolonization, including respecting African demands on trade and resource beneficiation.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how a potential US slowdown in clean technology investment and deployment under a Donald Trump presidency could create market opportunities for emerging economies, specifically China, Brazil, and India.

The ninth FOCAC Beijing Summit (2024) marked a re-calibration of China-Africa relations, with China pledging USD 50.7 billion over three years. African leaders demonstrated increased agency, shifting focus from raw aid to value-added trade, technological transfer, and green energy. Key outcomes include a USD 1 billion deal to rehabilitate the Tazara railway and a strategic increase in Chinese security assistance via the Global Security Initiative. The summit highlights a growing ideological and geopolitical divide, as China offers an alternative governance model to Western liberal democracy and aggressively pursues the African EV and digital markets.

This policy brief argues for the adoption of progressive tax instruments—including Financial Transaction Taxes (FTT), net wealth taxes, property taxes, and Resource Rent Taxes—to combat extreme poverty and economic inequality, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights the regressive nature of current African tax structures and provides a case study for South Africa, suggesting that a combination of these taxes could generate hundreds of billions of rands to fund social protection and basic income guarantees.

This report outlines the potential and challenges of the global bioeconomy, emphasizing the need for an integrated, equitable, and sustainable approach to financing and governance to support a low-carbon, nature-positive economy.

This policy brief analyzes the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the UK Critical Minerals Strategy (CMS), evaluating their potential to support African industrialization. It argues that both frameworks are primarily driven by domestic energy and economic priorities, focusing on reducing dependency on China and mitigating geopolitical risks. The author contends that current capital allocations and the emphasis on domestic processing capacity are insufficient to attract private investment for African value addition and beneficiation, suggesting a need for a shift in political and commercial relations to align with African industrialization goals.

A statement of solidarity delivered by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) at the 16th Annual Conference of the Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC), calling for African solidarity to address debt crises and reform global economic governance.

This policy brief examines China's dominant role in Africa's critical minerals sector, highlighting the tension between increased investment and the lack of local value addition. It argues that while China's infrastructure-led approach and state support provide a competitive edge, African nations must shift from exporting raw materials to developing domestic processing and refining capabilities to avoid the 'resource curse' and benefit from the global energy transition.

This policy brief examines the global race to secure critical minerals for green and digital industrial revolutions, detailing the strategies of the US, EU, UK, Canada, and China. It argues that African countries can leverage their mineral wealth through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by adopting a 'climate-resilient developmental regionalism' approach to build regional value chains and achieve sustainable structural transformation.

The report "Financiando uma Bioeconomia Global Sustentável" (September 2024) analyzes the current and future interaction between finance and the bioeconomy. It advocates for a sustainable, equitable, and nature-positive bioeconomy as a cornerstone for a low-carbon global economy, emphasizing the role of the G20, international cooperation, and innovative financial instruments to bridge investment gaps and protect biodiversity.

This technical brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) summarizes key findings from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (Working Group II) regarding gender, equity, and justice in climate change adaptation. It translates technical scientific data into accessible messages and illustrative examples, specifically contextualized for African geographies, to help practitioners implement more inclusive and effective adaptation strategies.