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The project aimed to advance long-term finance (LTF) in Sub-Saharan Africa by creating an LTF scoreboard and website to close information gaps for investors and policymakers. Key outputs included the finalisation of the scoreboard, hosted by the African Development Bank, and the completion of LTF landscape diagnostics for Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.

The Nigeria Green Bond Programme, running from January 2018 to March 2023, focused on developing Nigeria's green bond market through guidelines, verifier training, and investment pipelines. Key achievements include the issuance of ₦32.83 billion in corporate green bonds and ₦25.69 billion in sovereign green bonds, with support provided to five issuers and 928 capital markets beneficiaries.

The SEC Nigeria Digital Transformation Programme (August 2020 – March 2025) aims to modernise the ICT infrastructure of the Nigeria Securities and Exchange Commission to improve regulatory efficiency, agility, and transparency. Key goals include implementing digital regulatory services, enhancing information security, and streamlining processes through tools like e-prospectuses and e-filing. The programme is supported by a developing Digital Transformation Strategy and funding commitments from various partners for the deployment of digital infrastructure and software.

The Catalysing Climate Resilience (CCR) programme, funded by the FCDO and managed by FSD Africa, aims to build climate resilience in Africa through a three-part strategy: seeding new solutions via the Triggering Exponential Climate Action (TECA) venture launcher, accelerating growth through the Catalyst Fund, and developing the broader innovation ecosystem. The programme focuses on products and services that enable vulnerable households and businesses to adapt to climate change. Reported outcomes include the support of 70 start-ups, the creation or protection of 2,164 jobs, and the mobilisation of $11 million in public and private finance for resilience solutions.

The project, implemented by Strategic Impact Advisors (SIA), began with a landscape survey of delivery mechanisms and mobile financial services in Nigeria, resulting in a May 2021 report and implementation roadmap. Phase II involves developing four concept notes—focused on community savings groups, payment segmentation for government and humanitarian flows, and foundational ID ecosystems—to drive the adoption of digital wallets in an open-loop payment ecosystem.

CGAP and FSD Africa are collaborating to create a conceptual framework and research methodology to examine the nexus between climate and financial inclusion. The project aims to provide guidance to financial inclusion stakeholders on using financial services to reduce the impact of climate risks for vulnerable populations. This framework is currently being tested in Nigeria, with plans for CGAP to extend the research to at least one additional country. Current progress includes the development of a draft conceptual framework and the hiring of a research firm.

The Neo Insurers Training Initiative (NITI) in Nigeria, supported by IFC, focuses on training incumbent insurance companies to implement digital solutions and innovation hubs. The program involves two selected companies validating Insurtech models for agriculture and health insurance products and contributing to the review of the NAICOM regulatory sandbox.

BimaLab West Africa is an initiative supported by FSD Africa and hosted by insurance regulators to create an Insurtech ecosystem. The program aims to extend insurance access to underserved communities, provide regulatory support for innovators, and bridge the protection gap. Between 2021 and 2022, the program accelerated 20 insurtechs and saw 20 solutions pitched to investors, with three winners receiving £51,000 from GIZ.

FSD Africa is assisting the Lagos State Government (LASG) to address inadequate flood risk management by integrating private financial sector instruments into disaster risk reduction and financing. The initiative focuses on creating a Flood Resilience Finance Framework and Policy and supporting specific financial transactions for resilient infrastructure and risk transfer. The program aims to benefit 500,000 people with increased climate resilience and 50,000 people with improved employment opportunities, while attracting commercial capital for infrastructure and climate risk underwriting.

FSD Africa is providing technical assistance to Nigeria's National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to improve its regulatory and supervisory frameworks. The project focuses on promoting insurance market innovation and developing a risk-based capital (RBC) framework to align with international standards. Key deliverables include a diagnostic report, a legal framework report, and the review of regulatory sandbox and web accelerator regulations, alongside ongoing capacity building through RBC working sessions.

The Risk, Resilience and Regulatory Lab (R3LAB) is a collaborative platform for African insurance regulators aimed at improving supervisory skills and fostering innovation. It provides capacity-building programs, peer exchange, and learning toolkits to address regulatory gaps. A key output includes 'insurance innovation portraits' for eight countries, which identify barriers to innovation and propose action plans based on six assessment areas, including infrastructure, finance, and the regulatory environment.

In 2019/2020, Nigeria received an average of USD 1.9 billion annually in climate finance, representing only 11% of the USD 17.7 billion needed to meet its conditional NDC target. Public finance dominated the landscape, accounting for 77% of flows, primarily through concessional debt. Mitigation finance (USD 1.1 billion) outweighed adaptation finance (USD 663 million), despite the country's high vulnerability to climate risks. Energy systems received the largest share of investment (41%), with a strong focus on solar technologies, while sectors like waste and industrial processes remained severely underfunded. The report highlights a significant contradiction between climate finance goals and continued heavy investment in fossil fuels, noting that a single LNG project received USD 2.77 billion—more than the total tracked climate finance for the period.

The document outlines Africa's objectives for COP27, focusing on the African Group of Negotiators' (AGN) demands for increased climate finance and the recognition of the continent's special circumstances. It highlights a tension between the African Union's (AU) support for natural gas as a transition fuel and the goals of renewable energy activists. The brief also details the roles of specific 'climate champion' countries and the impact of global geopolitical tensions, such as the US-China standoff and the Russia-Ukraine war, on climate negotiations.

The document examines the 'digital geopolitics' affecting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, contrasting the commercially-driven US model, the state-centric Chinese model, and the human-centric EU model. It warns that without strategic agency and home-grown innovation, Africa risks 'digital recolonisation' or the adoption of 'authoritarian tech'. The authors recommend that SADC and the African Union (AU) harmonise data sovereignty frameworks, strengthen rights-centred implementation, and increase influence in international standard-setting bodies like the ITU to ensure digital transformation aligns with African contextual needs.

The paper examines the 'digital Grand Canyon' in Africa, identifying infrastructural, financial, and regulatory barriers to internet connectivity. It highlights the disproportionate impact of the digital divide on women and youth and proposes a combination of top-down government strategies and bottom-up market initiatives to foster inclusion. The authors argue that the AfCFTA framework should be used to harmonise digital trade rules, encourage diverse infrastructure financing, and implement comprehensive digital upskilling to ensure the continent's participation in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

In 2024, Global Witness documented 146 land and environmental defenders murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. The report identifies mining as the deadliest industry and highlights the disproportionate targeting of Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers. It examines specific crises in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Palestine, while critiquing the failures of state protection mechanisms and the rise of criminalization. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of mandatory corporate due diligence, and the formal recognition of defenders' roles in climate solutions ahead of COP30.

In 2024, 146 land and environmental defenders were murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. Mining remains the most lethal sector, followed by logging and agribusiness. The report highlights systemic failures in state protection, high levels of impunity, and the criminalization of activists. It specifically examines the precarious situation of indigenous and peasant communities in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, and Chile, while also addressing the environmental destruction and land expropriation in occupied Palestinian territories. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the guaranteed safe participation of defenders in COP30.

The document examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of palm oil, noting that emissions range from -0.3 to over 20 kgCO2e/kg CPO, with an average of approximately 6 kgCO2e/kg CPO. The primary drivers of these emissions are land-use change (LUC), particularly the conversion of tropical forests and peatlands, and the degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME). The report highlights that emissions are highly spatially heterogeneous, with peat-based production being significantly more carbon-intensive than mineral-soil production. Mitigation strategies focus on preventing further deforestation and peatland development, managing water tables in existing peatlands, and implementing POME treatment technologies such as biogas capture and composting. The document also compares production characteristics across key regions, noting that Southeast Asia has the highest yields and production volumes, while West Africa has the lowest.

The report analyzes the GHG emissions of maize production, noting an average on-farm emission of 0.6 kgCO2e/kg maize. It identifies land-use change, nitrogen fertilizer application, and tillage practices as primary emission drivers. The document highlights significant regional variability, with high emissions intensity often correlating with low yields in countries like Nigeria. Proposed mitigation efforts include preventing habitat conversion, adopting no-till or strip-till farming, and optimizing nitrogen fertilizer use through nitrification inhibitors.

The report identifies a significant gap between the climate goals of WAEMU member states and their financial capacity to implement them. While there is interest in green bonds, the market is hindered by underdeveloped regional financial infrastructure, a lack of technical expertise in green eligibility and reporting, and a dominance of sovereign debt that crowds out corporate issuers. The document recommends strengthening regulatory frameworks, providing technical assistance for project pipeline development, and utilizing risk-mitigation tools like guarantees to attract a more diverse investor base beyond commercial banks.