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SAO Energy deployed a mesh-grid in Omolege, Nigeria, using a "keymaker" business model where high energy consumption at a Primary Health Centre offsets tariffs for 96 surrounding households. While the project improved healthcare services, such as enabling nighttime births, it faced challenges including 6-month customs delays and low residential energy consumption due to declining community income. The pilot aims to expand to 200 households and eventually scale to 100 health centres and 30,000 households across Ondo and Kwara states.

The report details a surge in EU gas infrastructure projects, including 30 fast-tracked LNG terminals and extensive pipeline networks, driven by the 'gas panic' after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It warns that the proposed 227.2 bcm/y of additional LNG capacity would increase the EU's maximum import capacity by 136%, potentially costing €53.5 billion and emitting up to 950 million tons of CO2 annually. The document argues that these uncoordinated efforts, led by countries like Germany, Greece, and Italy, conflict with the EU's 'Fit for 55' climate goals and the European Climate Law. Additionally, it critiques the 'European Hydrogen Backbone' initiative, stating that repurposing methane pipelines for hydrogen is technically risky and economically unjustified, further entrenching fossil fuel use.

The report provides a comprehensive stocktake of the WTO Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce as of December 2022. It highlights a shift toward a less ambitious agreement for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), focusing on resolved trade facilitation issues while deferring controversial market access topics. The document analyzes the impact of increasing national digital regulation, the rise of flexible Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs), and the revitalized WTO Work Programme's focus on the digital divide. It details the structural changes in the December 2022 consolidated text (INF/ECOM/62/Rev.3), including the removal of the 'Market Access' section and the creation of an 'Annex' for low-support proposals. While 10 articles have reached 'clean' or 'convergent' status, significant gaps remain regarding cross-border data flows and source code. The report concludes that 2023 will be a critical year for finalizing a simplified agreement.

The report provides a comprehensive stocktake of the WTO's Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce at the end of 2022. It highlights a shift toward a less ambitious 'light' agreement focusing on minor facilitation points, while more contentious issues like market access and data flows remain unresolved. The document notes the rise of flexible Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs) and an increased focus on the digital divide within the broader WTO work programme. By December 2022, 87 WTO members participated in the JSI, though participation from African countries and Least Developed Countries remains marginal. The report details the progress of various technical small groups, noting that 10 articles have reached a 'cleaned' or 'convergent' state, while others, such as source code and cryptography, face persistent divergences.

The document examines how African nations have navigated the Russia-Ukraine war, highlighting a preference for non-alignment driven by historical grievances with Western leadership and strategic national interests. It details the varied voting patterns of African states at the UN General Assembly, the potential for Africa to fill Europe's energy gap through gas and critical minerals, and the risks posed by great-power competition to regional security, particularly in the Sahel.

The document discusses the critical need to reduce anthropogenic methane emissions, particularly from the oil and gas sector, to limit global warming. It details a transition from 'bottom-up' estimation methods to 'top-down' monitoring using ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne instruments. The authors advocate for globally recognised testing standards, integrated observing systems, and robust reporting protocols to support smart regulation. It highlights that the oil and gas industry could eliminate nearly 75% of its global methane emissions using existing technologies at little to no cost, and notes emerging regulations in regions including North America, Europe, Nigeria, and Colombia.

The document highlights a shift in African gas extraction toward countries that have not historically exploited fossil fuels, noting that 84 percent of new pre-production reserves are located in recent entrants. It argues that these developments, largely destined for export, will increase gas production by a third by 2030 but will fail to address local electrification needs while exacerbating climate change and environmental risks.

The document argues that Nigeria's insecurity is primarily driven by economic failure, poverty, and the rent-seeking practices of the political elite. It details regional security threats—ranging from jihadist violence in the North-East to oil theft in the South-South—and links them to a lack of state capacity, evidenced by failed infrastructure projects and mismanagement of COVID-19 relief. The author contends that high unemployment (33%) and multidimensional poverty (affecting 63% of the population) create a cycle where poverty drives crime, which in turn discourages investment. The paper concludes that without a shift toward selfless leadership and growth-oriented policies, the 2023 elections are unlikely to break this cycle of instability.

The author contends that Nigeria's security crises are fundamentally linked to its economic situation, where systemic poverty—exacerbated by political mismanagement and state failure—drives citizens toward crime. The paper details regional security threats, from jihadist violence in the North-East to oil theft in the South-South, and identifies specific failures such as the ineffective fuel subsidy regime, lack of infrastructure investment, and high youth unemployment. It concludes that without a shift toward selfless leadership and growth-oriented policies, the 2023 elections are unlikely to break this cycle of instability.

This research paper analyzes Nigeria's foreign policy under President Buhari, arguing that a persistent conflict between regional aspirations and domestic policy instincts has hindered the country's economic and diplomatic goals. The author highlights how domestic measures, such as land border closures and a delay in ratifying the AfCFTA, contradicted Nigeria's stated goals of regional integration and economic growth.

The document analyzes the foreign policy of Nigeria under President Buhari, highlighting a lack of coherence between domestic goals and regional aspirations. Key issues discussed include the 2019 land border closures, which aimed to curb smuggling but increased food inflation and harmed regional trade; the delayed ratification of the AfCFTA due to domestic productivity concerns; and the decline of the oil sector caused by insecurity and poor governance, which deterred foreign direct investment. It also evaluates the role of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in managing relations with Nigerians abroad amidst increasing economic migration.

The pilot project in Bassa, Nigeria, utilized Okra's mesh-grid technology to create a 'Hub-and-Spoke' topology, allowing high-powered prosumers and businesses to share excess renewable energy with low-powered residential households. This configuration reduced the average CAPEX cost per connection from an initial estimate of $642 to $450 and enabled the energization of 46 more households than originally planned. The network currently maintains over 99% up-time, though the actual Average Revenue per User (ARPU) of ₦3,500 Naira is ₦500 lower than the ₦4,000 Naira target. Following the pilot's success, Creeds Energy is seeking funding for a 1,000-household scale-up across 18 additional locations.

The document examines the 2023 Nigerian elections, highlighting the role of ethno-regional configurations over ideology and the specific platforms of the APC, PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP. It assesses how different winners would impact domestic security, economic policy—specifically regarding oil and fuel subsidies—and Nigeria's energy relationship with Europe.

The document analyzes how host governments treat foreign rebel groups, finding a global trend toward increased suppression and decreased support since the mid-1990s. It identifies leadership transitions and US-led 'naming and shaming' after 9/11 as primary drivers of anti-rebel cooperation. The analysis concludes that joint counterinsurgency operations are more effective at destroying rebel bases than unilateral actions.

The report outlines a strategy to transform food systems in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria, requiring an average additional public investment of USD 10 billion per year from 2023 to 2030. This investment, split between donors (USD 5.8 billion) and countries (USD 4.2 billion), aims to reduce undernourishment to under 3% by 2030, double the incomes of 29 million small-scale producers, and transition 248 million people to healthier diets while meeting greenhouse gas emission goals.

Ethiopia is not on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with poverty and hunger projected to increase due to conflict, pests, economic slowdown, and climate change. The report argues that sustainable food system transformation is possible within a decade if public investment is increased by USD 4.6 billion and targeted toward interventions that provide multiple development outcomes. It highlights a critical funding gap where long-term investments for Sustainable Development Goal 2 are significantly underfunded compared to short-term emergency food assistance, which increases the country's vulnerability to future shocks.

The report identifies significant binding constraints in Liberia's cocoa value chain, including low productivity, poor logistics, and weak governance. It proposes a shift from a commodity-based sector to a high-value industry through the adoption of climate-smart tools, improved quality control, and the creation of innovation platforms. Key policy recommendations include establishing revolving funds for the private sector and women, expanding the mandates of regulatory bodies like LACRA and the CDA, and leveraging regional technology transfers from Nigeria.

The Forest Territories Facility (FTF) is a proposed USD 160 million programme targeting 15 countries in Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. Managed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the facility aims to maintain the extent and functionality of tropical forests through four paradigm-shift pathways: protecting biodiversity, promoting inclusive sustainable forest management, intensifying agriculture to achieve 'zero deforestation', and stabilizing land use. The programme employs a programmatic approach, combining national-level regulatory support with local landscape-based pilot projects. Funding is requested primarily from the Green Climate Fund (USD 120 million), utilizing a mix of grants and senior loans over a 20-year lifespan.

The report identifies a significant financing gap of USD 10 billion per year needed to achieve sustainable food system transformation in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria. It argues that current funding is overly skewed toward short-term emergency assistance rather than long-term agricultural development. By investing in on-farm productivity, social protection, and climate-resilient infrastructure, the report projects that undernourishment could drop below 3% and the incomes of 29 million small-scale producers could double by 2030, all while meeting nationally determined contribution goals for greenhouse gas emissions.

The document examines the clash between the rural African donkey market, where the animal is a vital workhorse for the poor, and the lucrative Chinese market for ejiao (donkey-hide glue). It highlights how explosive demand in China has led to donkey shortages, illicit smuggling, and severe welfare abuses, which in turn diminish the socio-economic mobility of rural Africans, particularly women and girls. The author argues that the current unregulated trade risks damaging China-Africa relations and suggests implementing sustainability certifications, breeding programs, and a distinction between medicinal and wellness-based ejiao consumption to ensure a sustainable supply chain.