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The report finds that while there is interest in Green Bonds in the WAEMU region, the market is in a nascent stage due to underdeveloped financial infrastructure, a lack of government focus on climate regulatory frameworks, and limited technical capacity among stakeholders. It identifies energy, agriculture, and clean transportation as priority sectors and recommends sustained capacity building, the development of regional guidelines, and the use of technical assistance and risk-transfer instruments to attract investors.

The report assesses how climate change exacerbates gender inequalities in three infrastructure sectors: WASH, coastal/marine ecosystems, and ports. It finds that women and girls bear a disproportionate burden of inadequate WASH services and are largely excluded from formal employment and decision-making in the blue economy and port operations. The document proposes a Gender Action Plan for Climate Fund Managers (CFM) to improve access, amplify women's voices in planning, create formal employment opportunities, and implement robust gender-disaggregated monitoring.

The report highlights the high energy and feedstock intensity of the EU's plastic production industry, noting its significant reliance on Russian fossil fuels. It argues that reducing plastic production, particularly packaging, is a critical but overlooked lever for enhancing EU energy security and meeting climate goals.

The Green Affordable Housing Finance instrument uses a two-pronged approach—a Guarantee Facility and an Enabling Environment Facility—to unlock local private finance for sustainable housing. It addresses the 'chicken-and-egg' problem where a lack of mortgage finance for low-income households disincentivizes developers from building affordable homes. The instrument will be piloted in Kenya in 2023, targeting the mobilization of USD 48 million in local loans during the pilot and over USD 400 million long-term. It requires all supported homes to be IFC EDGE certified, ensuring at least 20% reductions in embodied energy, energy use, and water use.

The report finds a massive gap between Africa's annual climate finance needs (USD 277 billion) and actual flows (USD 29.5 billion). While international public finance dominates, private sector contribution is low at 14%. Finance is heavily concentrated in a few countries and sectors, with energy receiving the most investment, while agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) remains underfunded. The report recommends scaling up concessional finance, improving data tracking, and catalyzing private investment to meet 2030 goals.

Africa requires USD 277 billion annually to meet its 2030 climate goals, yet only USD 29.5 billion was tracked in 2019/2020. International public finance dominates the landscape, while private sector contributions remain low at 14%. The report highlights significant investment gaps, particularly in Southern Africa, and a critical need to shift funding from fossil fuels toward renewable energy and adaptation, especially in the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector.

The document argues that Africa faces an annual financing gap of over $100 billion to preserve its natural capital, which is critical for global climate and biodiversity goals. It proposes a 'triple bottom line' approach—combining financial returns, environmental impact, and community benefits—applied through landscape financing, restorative agriculture, and sustainable supply chains. The paper identifies green bonds, carbon credits, and impact investing as key financial mechanisms and calls for stronger regulatory frameworks, such as the adoption of Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) guidelines, to attract private capital and prevent 'nature-washing'.

The report examines how global shocks have exacerbated chronic fiscal and current account imbalances in five Sub-Saharan African nations. It highlights severe liquidity and solvency risks, particularly regarding external debt in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya. The authors argue that while some countries used debt monetization and financial repression to manage short-term costs, these practices inhibit long-term financial market development and fuel inflation. The document recommends strengthening public debt management, diversifying funding sources, and transitioning toward market-conform policies to avoid debt distress and encourage private sector credit.

The report assesses the private debt landscape in Africa, noting that while the market is growing, it remains heavily dominated by Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), primarily in hard currency. It highlights a significant gap in local institutional investor participation due to regulatory constraints, risk aversion, and a lack of local currency vehicles. The study provides detailed analysis of focus markets—Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Morocco—and uses South Africa as a reference for a more developed financial sector. Key recommendations include the introduction of credit enhancement facilities, improved data transparency, and the creation of local currency investment vehicles to reduce foreign exchange risk for borrowers and attract domestic pension funds.

Malawi is not on track to meet its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals due to climate change, economic shocks, and high poverty. The report argues that an additional annual public investment of USD 543 million is required to end hunger, double smallholder incomes, and transition 14 million people to healthier diets while meeting climate commitments. Key priorities include on-farm investments in irrigation and livestock, nutrition education, and building climate resilience for vulnerable groups, particularly women.

Nigeria is not on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with poverty and hunger projected to rise without significant intervention. The report identifies a massive financing gap, estimating that an additional USD 4.9 billion in annual public investment is required from 2023 to 2030 to achieve a sustainable food system transformation. This includes USD 2.3 billion from external donors and USD 2.6 billion from domestic resources. Key priorities include increasing agricultural productivity, integrating climate resilience, and transitioning to healthier diets through nutrition education and social protection. The report highlights a critical underfunding of long-term agricultural investments compared to short-term emergency food assistance.

The document analyzes China's strategic efforts to increase its presence in West Africa, contrasting the deep, multi-sectoral engagement in Ghana with the more recent and technology-focused growth in Senegal. It attributes these differences to the length of diplomatic relations and the lingering influence of former colonial powers, particularly France.

The policy brief examines the role of nuclear science and technology in Africa's development and the necessity of integrating women and youth into the field. It highlights that while women currently represent only 30% of experts and trainees, frameworks like Agenda 2063 and the Maputo Protocol provide a basis for their inclusion. The document identifies challenges such as a lack of sustainable human resource development and the need for updated expert databases. It recommends enhancing STEM education, increasing government commitment, and leveraging the roles of the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to foster a more inclusive nuclear sector.

The document outlines a strategy for transforming Nigeria's food systems amidst rising hunger and poverty. It utilizes a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to estimate the costs of ending hunger, doubling small-scale producer incomes, and transitioning to healthier diets while integrating climate mitigation and adaptation. The report highlights that population growth, from 206 million in 2020 to a projected 263 million by 2030, will increase food demand and environmental pressure, necessitating significant external aid and global solidarity to achieve sustainable goals.

The document examines the tension between Africa's significant natural gas resources and the global shift toward net-zero emissions. It argues that while gas provides short-term revenue and energy security, long-term investments face high risks of becoming stranded assets due to declining global demand and the falling costs of renewable energy. The paper advocates for leveraging climate finance to scale up renewables and green hydrogen, which it presents as more sustainable pathways for economic diversification and energy access.

The document advocates for a de-siloed approach to climate change and global health, emphasizing that public health is both a prerequisite for and a critical indicator of the Paris Agreement's success. It highlights the significant health co-benefits of mitigation in energy, food, and transport sectors, while noting that the healthcare sector itself contributes 4.9% of global emissions. The submission calls for the Global Stocktake to monitor public health implications across sectors, track the healthcare sector's progress in mitigation and adaptation, and address the severe lack of climate finance directed toward health resilience.

Africa's climate finance needs are estimated at USD 250 billion annually, yet only USD 29.5 billion was mobilized in 2020. The report identifies critical barriers—financial, governance, project-level, and infrastructure-related—across the energy, transport, buildings, and AFOLU sectors. It argues that bridging this gap requires 'climate finance innovation,' defined as using financial instruments to overcome barriers in novel contexts. The document details a toolbox of solutions, including blended finance, capital market instruments like YieldCos and Green Bonds, and results-based finance, while providing case studies such as TerraFund and Acorn to demonstrate how these tools can catalyze private investment.

FSD Africa's Capital Markets team works to address financing gaps in Africa by developing enabling policies, market infrastructure, and innovative financial products. The report highlights the mobilization of approximately GBP 320 million through bond issuances, including pioneering green and gender bonds in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco. It details the Africa Regulatory Support Programme (ARSP) and the African Local Currency Bond Fund (ALCB Fund) as key mechanisms for reducing currency risk and increasing private sector investment. Moving forward, FSD Africa is concentrating its efforts on five priority countries—Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria—with a strong emphasis on green capital markets and natural capital finance.

The document explores the evolving relationship between Korea and Africa, focusing on how Korea's carbon-neutrality goals and technological expertise can support Africa's climate resilience. It identifies key areas for partnership, including renewable energy, green minerals for batteries, smart city development, and climate-resilient agriculture, while emphasizing the need for these initiatives to be African-led and aligned with the AU's strategic framework.

The document analyzes the AfCFTA's potential to industrialize Africa and create a market of 1.3 billion consumers. It highlights a decline in Korea-Africa trade since 2011 and suggests that Korea leverage its strengths in capital goods, specifically the automotive and shipping sectors, to integrate into emerging African regional value chains. The authors recommend that Korea pursue formal economic partnership agreements with African regional economic communities, focusing on asymmetric trade liberalization and supporting Africa's green energy transition.