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The Production Gap Report 2025 finds that governments are collectively planning more fossil fuel production than in 2023, with 2030 projected levels exceeding 1.5°C-consistent pathways by over 120%. While some countries are developing net-zero aligned scenarios, most continue to expand production and provide substantial financial support for fossil fuels, undermining Paris Agreement commitments.

The report examines the intersection of Africa's blue economy and climate change, highlighting vulnerabilities in fisheries, maritime transport, and tourism. It argues for a transition toward renewable ocean energy, the expansion of blue carbon initiatives, and the implementation of integrated, regional governance to mitigate economic risks and environmental degradation.

The report advocates for 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) as a mechanism to ensure a just energy transition. By requiring corporations to match their electricity consumption with carbon-free generation on an hourly and local basis, 24/7 CFE incentivizes a diverse portfolio of energy resources beyond just wind and solar, including next-generation 'clean firm' technologies. This approach is presented as a way to create high-quality, permanent jobs for dislocated fossil fuel workers, reduce local air pollution, and enhance grid resilience. The document aligns 24/7 CFE with the G20's Just and Inclusive Energy Transition (JIET) Compact and provides best practices for corporate buyers to maximize social and economic benefits through community engagement and equitable hiring.

Deforestation in the Congo Basin risks reducing regional rainfall by up to 40%, which could lead to cumulative cocoa yield losses of 3.06 million tonnes across nine African countries by 2050. This supply shock is projected to drive cocoa prices to USD 68.1 per kilogram by 2050, with deforestation accounting for 40.2% of that price. EU importers could face cumulative additional costs of USD 256 billion by 2050. The report argues that investing in forest conservation, particularly community-led restoration, is more cost-effective than inaction, offering avoided costs of USD 1.8 to USD 6 for every dollar invested.

Africa's nitrogen fertilizer consumption is 5.5x below the global average, leaving 50 million small family farmers at a disadvantage due to high costs and price volatility of imported 'gray' fertilizers. The report argues that Distributed Green Ammonia (DGA) production—which is modular, smaller, and compatible with intermittent renewable energy—can provide a cheaper, more resilient local supply. It highlights emerging technologies such as novel Haber-Bosch systems, plasma catalysis, chemical looping, and direct electrochemical conversion. A commercial modular plant by TalusAg in Naivasha, Kenya, is cited as a proof of concept producing fertilizer over 50% cheaper than imports. Scaling these solutions requires cheap clean electricity, demand aggregation through partners like One Acre Fund, and access to local currency debt to mitigate currency volatility.

The report identifies a significant 'take-off' in solar panel imports to Africa, with imports from China rising 60% to 15,032 MW in the 12 months to June 2025. This growth is widespread, with 20 countries setting new import records and 25 countries importing at least 100 MW. The report suggests this surge may be driven by distributed solar, potentially replacing expensive diesel generation and significantly increasing electricity supply in several countries, such as Sierra Leone and Chad.

The document argues that Africa's energy transition is occurring along two simultaneous tracks: centralised infrastructure and decentralised, bottom-up systems. It contends that current climate finance is too narrow, focusing almost exclusively on sovereign borrowers and large projects while ignoring the retail layer of the transition. To address this, the author proposes a dual mandate that combines infrastructure finance with consumer and trade finance. The document suggests that National Development Banks (NDBs) should act as refinancers and risk aggregators to provide local-currency credit, blended guarantees, and capital recycling mechanisms to support households, MSMEs, and informal trade networks.

The report examines the role of intellectual property rights (IPR) in accelerating the adoption and development of green technologies across Africa. It highlights that while patents are often prohibitively expensive for African innovators, non-patent mechanisms like utility models, trademarks, and geographical indications (GIs) offer more accessible pathways for incremental innovation and market growth. The document analyzes the IPR landscapes of Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria, noting that while these countries are emerging as greentech hubs, their legal frameworks often lack explicit provisions for green technology. It further discusses the influence of global agreements like the Paris Agreement and TRIPS, and regional initiatives such as the AfCFTA, arguing that harmonizing IPR systems and reducing registration costs are critical to unlocking Africa's potential in the global green economy.

The statement argues that unsustainable sovereign debt and unfair global tax rules are stripping public budgets of funds for education, healthcare, and climate resilience, thereby hindering the potential of Africa's youth. It highlights that Sub-Saharan Africa's youth NEET rate of 21.9% in 2023 exceeded the global average, putting young people at risk of poverty and forced migration. To address this, the authors demand the conclusion of a robust UN Tax Convention to curb illicit financial flows and the establishment of a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt to provide a human-rights-based system for resolving debt crises.

The Youth For Tax Justice Network and AFRODAD argue that unsustainable sovereign debt and unfair global tax rules hinder the potential of Africa's youth, demanding a UN Tax Convention and a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt to prioritize people and the planet over creditors.

The report argues that allowing African exporters to use Article 6 carbon credits to reduce their EU CBAM liabilities would address equity concerns, retain climate finance within Africa, and provide policy flexibility. It notes that current CBAM regulations only permit deductions for explicit carbon prices (taxes or ETS), making Article 6 credits ineligible. The document highlights the significant economic risks CBAM poses to African GDP and the specific challenges African nations face in implementing traditional carbon pricing due to their emissions profiles and administrative constraints. It concludes with recommendations for the EU to amend its regulations to include high-integrity international credits, specifically those from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Africa, to align with the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC).

This fact sheet from the Institute for Economic Justice examines the structural causes of the African debt crisis, the impact of high interest rates on public services, and the limitations of G20 initiatives. It argues that the crisis is rooted in a 'rigged global system' and calls for systemic reform and debt cancellation through movements like Jubilee 2025.

The document examines the evolving relationship between Tanzania and China, highlighting Tanzania's role as a 'first-mover' in several strategic initiatives. Central to the analysis is the December 2024 establishment of the Tanzania Investment Centre China (Hunan) Investment Cooperation Platform, which is anchored in the 'Hunan Model'—a Chinese strategy to deepen Africa ties through trade exhibitions, industrial clusters, and agricultural 'green lanes'. The author argues that Tanzania's unique position as a founding member of both the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), combined with its historical ties to China, allows it to shape cross-regional economic policy in Africa. The briefing also details other key collaborations, such as the Tazara Railway and the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School, and provides policy suggestions to ensure the Hunan Model serves African development interests.

The document analyzes the institutional strain on BRICS caused by its expansion, noting that while the bloc's global influence has grown, its consensus-based governance struggles with divergent member interests. It evaluates Brazil's 2025 presidency, which attempted to prioritize institutional development but saw most structural reforms deferred in the Rio Declaration. The authors contrast the informal nature of the broader bloc with the formal success of the New Development Bank (NDB) and propose six targeted, low-bureaucracy improvements—including a shared document repository and standardized onboarding—to improve operational effectiveness without sacrificing the group's flexible identity.

RMI and UNDP have launched a Climate Risk and Resilience Toolkit to protect rural African solar minigrids from climate hazards. The toolkit provides a five-step Resilience Assessment Framework and operational guidance to ensure continuous energy for critical services and agricultural productivity. It emphasizes an integrated approach that combines technical infrastructure hardening—such as elevating panels to prevent flood damage—with community-level resilience through climate-smart agriculture and disaster preparedness. While integrating these measures increases capital and operational costs, which some developers pass to users via higher tariffs, the guide argues that such resilience is essential for sustainable energy access in climate-vulnerable regions.

The essay examines the rise of Captain Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso, analyzing the socio-political drivers of his popularity—such as the 'youth bulge', failure of previous civilian regimes, and the threat of violent religious extremism—against the actual outcomes of his rule. The author contends that military governance is fundamentally unsuitable for state administration and that under Traoré, Burkina Faso has seen a decline in security, a shrinking of civic space, and an increase in human rights violations. The text further questions the efficacy of shifting foreign alliances from France to Russia, noting that terrorism-related fatalities remain high despite the deployment of the Russian Africa Corps.

The document analyzes the effects of Executive Order 14257, which introduced a 10% universal tariff and higher country-specific tariffs (11% to 50%) on imports to the U.S. While mineral-exporting nations may find relief through exemptions for critical minerals, countries like Lesotho and Madagascar face severe economic risks, particularly in textiles. The authors discuss the precarious future of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and advocate for a coordinated continental strategy via the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area to mitigate these trade disruptions.

The research paper examines whether South Africa has eclipsed Nigeria as Africa's dominant power. While Nigeria maintains significant demographic and resource-based weight, the author argues that South Africa has leveraged multilateral institutions, a diverse economy, and a value-driven foreign policy to achieve greater global visibility and influence. The analysis highlights Nigeria's internal security challenges and strategic drift as factors that have diminished its international standing, while noting that South Africa faces its own domestic vulnerabilities, including energy crises and high unemployment.

The report identifies a significant gap in the integration of climate action within Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), noting that while high-level executive interest exists, bureaucratic capacity and policy coherence are lacking. It highlights contradictions between Nigeria's climate commitments, such as its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targeting a 45% emissions reduction by 2030, and its continued state-led investment in oil exploration. The document argues that the FMITI must align industrial and trade policies with environmental goals, leveraging carbon markets and public-private partnerships to transition away from fossil fuel dependence. It recommends the development of a new 'green' industrial policy and draws on South Africa's experience with the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) as a model for coordinated national strategy and international funding.

The 2025 Utility Roundtable highlighted the need for African power utilities to move beyond dependency on foreign aid by adopting new financing strategies, addressing structural inefficiencies like commercial losses, and strategically integrating renewable energy into fragile grids through regional collaboration and private sector engagement.