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The report examines the systematic violence in Nigeria's North-Central region, specifically Benue and Plateau states, where armed herder militias have targeted farming communities. It attributes the persistence of this violence to state failure, operational deficiencies in security agencies, and a lack of political will to enforce laws like Benue's Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law. The author highlights specific massacres in 2023 and 2025 as evidence of a campaign of forced displacement and killing. To resolve the crisis, the document recommends moving beyond symbolic presidential gestures toward technological surveillance, the establishment of state-level policing, a nationwide disarmament programme, and the prosecution of sponsors behind the attacks.

The Green Guarantee Group (GGG) argues that while guarantees are highly catalytic for mobilizing private climate finance in EMDEs, they remain underutilized due to regulatory barriers, high currency risks, data gaps, and institutional fragmentation. The report proposes clarifying the supervisory treatment of guarantees under the Basel Framework, developing local currency risk markets, expanding the Global Emerging Markets Risk Database (GEMs) to include guarantee performance, and strengthening national and regional guarantee platforms. These measures aim to support the goal of mobilizing USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for EMDEs.

The document outlines a strategic framework for negotiating protocols under the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UN FCITC). It identifies two 'early protocols'—cross-border services and tax dispute resolution—and several 'possible protocols' including the digital economy, illicit financial flows, high-net-worth individuals, and environmental challenges. The report argues that the UN FCITC can provide a more inclusive and effective alternative to OECD-led frameworks, particularly for developing countries, by establishing global standards for taxing the digital economy, combating tax evasion, and coordinating climate-related fiscal policies.

The report outlines a strategic framework for negotiating protocols under the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UN FCITC). It identifies two 'early protocols'—taxation of cross-border services and the resolution of tax disputes—and several 'potential protocols' covering the digital economy, illicit financial flows, high-net-worth individuals, environmental taxation, information exchange, mutual assistance, and harmful tax practices. The document argues that the UN FCITC can provide a more inclusive and effective alternative to OECD-led initiatives, which often disadvantage developing nations. Key recommendations include establishing a global digital services tax, creating a global asset register for beneficial ownership, implementing a global minimum tax on the super-rich, and developing a coordinated multilateral environmental tax architecture to support net-zero goals.

The report outlines a strategic framework for negotiating protocols under the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, focusing on enhancing tax revenue and fairness for developing countries. It details two preliminary protocols—cross-border services and tax dispute resolution—and several potential protocols covering the digital economy, illicit financial flows, high-net-worth individuals, environmental taxation, information exchange, mutual administrative assistance, and harmful tax practices. The document argues for a shift away from OECD-led standards, which it claims often disadvantage developing nations, toward a more inclusive UN-led multilateral architecture.

Africa's freshwater ecosystems host at least 3,281 fish species, most of which are endemic, supporting millions of people through fisheries and providing critical ecosystem services. However, approximately 26% of these species are threatened with extinction due to damming, pollution, over-abstraction of water, invasive species, and climate change. The report highlights the critical role of the African Great Lakes and major river basins, the economic potential of the aquarium and recreational angling trades, and the urgent need for integrated management through initiatives like the Freshwater Challenge and the use of eDNA monitoring.

The document argues that while Africa possesses immense renewable energy potential, over 600 million people lack electricity, and only 2% of global renewable energy investments in the last two decades have gone to the continent. It identifies critical barriers to private sector engagement, including currency mismatch, regulatory instability, and inadequate grid infrastructure. Using Nigeria as a case study, the report highlights the success of off-grid solar solutions compared to the struggling privatised on-grid sector. It recommends institutionalising predictable policies, expanding innovative finance like green bonds and blended finance, and investing in grid-compatible infrastructure and local technical capacity to accelerate the energy transition.

The report confirms that the FP211 Hardest-to-Reach programme is classified as ESS Category I-2 and has established an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS). This system, which includes a Land Acquisition and Resettlement Policy and Guidance on Indigenous Peoples, is disclosed in English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic. The ESMS is available at Acumen's offices in Kenya and Nigeria, as well as at the Nationally Designated Authority offices in the target countries. An updated version of the ESMS was released on June 30, 2025, to provide more detail on investing strategy and safeguarding roles, and to include Liberia in the programme scope.

The report argues that the UK must implement mandatory methane regulations to maintain international leadership and comply with EU import requirements. It recommends a layered approach combining prescriptive measures (such as quarterly leak detection and repair), a phased transition to OGMP 2.0 Level 5 measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV), and the establishment of an emissions intensity standard for both domestic and imported fossil fuels.

The report argues that rapid declines in battery costs have made near-continuous solar power (24/365 generation) an economic reality in sunny regions. In cities like Las Vegas, achieving 97% reliability for a constant power supply is now cost-competitive at $104/MWh, which is cheaper than new coal and nuclear power. The analysis demonstrates that a relatively small amount of storage—approximately 17 kWh of battery for every 1 kW of stable 24-hour power—is sufficient for most sunny locations. This shift allows solar to support 24/7 clean energy contracts for energy-intensive industries and significantly reduces the need for expensive grid expansions by allowing more capacity to be installed behind existing connections.

Osomobegbe Global Ventures Limited (OGV), founded in 2019 by Osomobegbe Eugene, addresses post-harvest losses in Nigeria through the deployment of solar drying solutions. The company utilizes locally sourced materials to create dryers for vegetables, proteins, and fruits, extending product shelf life up to a year. OGV operates through three primary pillars: the installation of solar dryers, the operation of fee-based solar drying centres for small-scale producers, and the provision of training programmes for youth and farmers. While the company has scaled from supporting 300 to nearly 4,000 smallholder farmers, it faces challenges including funding limitations, workforce retention among youth due to financial constraints, and bureaucratic hurdles in accessing government contracts. OGV aims to install 1,000 solar dryers and support 10,000 farmers within the next five years.

The document details the growth of Kiru Energy, a Nigerian cleantech startup founded by Chibunna Ogbonna in 2017. It tracks the company's evolution from portable solar kits to residential rooftop installations and battery inverters, achieving a revenue of 15 million Naira and installing over 250 kilowatts of solar energy. The text outlines the financial trajectory of the firm, from a USD 5 logo investment to a USD 10,000 grant from the Clean Technology Hub in 2020. It further analyzes systemic barriers to scaling renewable energy in Africa, including unpredictable policies, forex fluctuations, and a fragmented innovation landscape where companies work in silos. Ogbonna advocates for better alignment between policymakers and the startup ecosystem to foster innovation and attract investment to a region often perceived as unstable.

Solaris is a Nigerian clean energy startup founded in 2021 that provides solar booths, energy bulbs, and micro-energy kits to rural and urban communities. The company employs a 'energy as a service' model and a lease-to-own system for youth entrepreneurs. Despite facing gender bias, funding hurdles, and bureaucratic delays in importing components, Solaris has deployed over ten solar solutions and sold more than 3,000 Pico kits. The company focuses on youth capacity building, having trained over 50 individuals in solar system design and maintenance, and plans to establish a green technology hub incorporating waste management.

The document details the journey of Dozie Igweilo and his company, QuadLoop, which addresses energy poverty and e-waste in Nigeria. By sourcing materials from formal and informal waste networks, QuadLoop produces the IDunnu solar lantern—composed of 70% e-waste—and offers a Battery-as-a-Service model for other solar firms. The case study highlights the company's iterative product design process, its reliance on personal savings and a USD 10,000 Shell Foundation grant, and its commitment to local youth employment. It also identifies systemic barriers to African innovation, including high electricity costs, expensive international shipping, and high customs duties on components like printed circuit boards.

The document outlines how the shift to renewable energy creates socio-ecological risks through expanded critical mineral mining and the rise of oil and gas decommissioning. It highlights environmental degradation, such as water pollution in China and orphan wells in the US, and explains how these issues can escalate into regional conflicts or local violence, as seen in Papua New Guinea. The author argues that current approaches often separate human rights from environmental impacts and recommends integrating these perspectives, increasing data transparency on site locations and health impacts, and sharing decommissioning best practices between experienced and novice nations.

The document analyzes the resurgence of military coups in West Africa between 2020 and 2023, specifically in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon. It argues that these events are not a uniform trend but are driven by a 'crisis of the democracy norm' initiated by 'pouvoiristes'—politicians who manipulate democratic systems to maintain power, such as by transgressing presidential term limits. The author distinguishes between the 'junta building' model seen in the Sahel (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), which leverages sovereigntist ideology and Russian alignment, and a 'supervisory junta' model in Guinea and Gabon. The paper concludes that geopolitical polarization has weakened Western influence on democratic norms, and that sustainable democracy requires supporting the 'culture of democracy' and a free press rather than just institutional 'hardware'.

Nigeria faces a substantial annual climate financing gap of $15.8 billion, with tracked inflows of $1.9 billion remaining low relative to its economy. The document argues for a Country Platform for Climate Action (CPCA) to coordinate government, private sector, and international efforts, citing the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) in South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Senegal as models. While JETPs have mobilized $46.5 billion across four countries, they are criticized for narrow focuses on energy systems and inadequate local engagement. A proposed Nigerian CPCA would expand this scope to include resilience, industrial growth, and social equity, while balancing geopolitical relationships with the EU, US, China, and India to meet a $1.9 trillion energy transition target by 2060.

The document addresses the significant underfunding of climate-smart agrifood systems, which contribute approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that while public and private capital have roles, concessional capital is essential for the 'missing middle'—investments with high social and environmental impact but sub-commercial returns. The playbook proposes five 'investment plays': deploying system-level approaches, supporting natural capital restoration, strengthening shared infrastructure, expanding technical assistance for innovation, and scaling local financial intermediaries. It includes a four-step framework for investor action: diagnosing the landscape, identifying financing gaps, designing instruments, and integrating partnerships.

The document examines the critical role of African IFIs in bridging the continent's infrastructure gap to enable the AfCFTA. It highlights a significant annual financing need of $130–$170 billion, with transport being the most deficient sector. While IFIs like the AfDB, AFC, and Afreximbank have invested billions, the author argues that financing still relies too heavily on governments with limited fiscal space. The brief recommends establishing a results-oriented coordination model and a dedicated agency to improve project bankability to better attract private institutional investors.

The 2025 Climate Litigation Lab, hosted by Surge Africa and partners, addressed the systemic use of SLAPP suits by corporations and governments to intimidate climate activists in Africa. The event resulted in the launch of an Africa-specific SLAPP Toolkit and the development of strategies for legal advocacy, strategic communications, and regional solidarity to protect environmental defenders.