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This research paper examines the role of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in advancing South Africa's developmental agenda and its strategic focus on the African continent. It analyzes the alignment between South Africa's normative goal of African primacy and its actual resource allocation, noting that while budgets face restrictions, strategic investment in African missions remains a priority to support economic diplomacy and the National Development Plan.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the state of youth policy in Africa, drawing on African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Country Review Reports. It argues that while youth policies are becoming more common, they are often hindered by poor design, inadequate data, and weak state implementation capacity. The author emphasizes the need for evidence-based strategies and partnerships with non-state actors to effectively integrate young people into developmental agendas.

This policy brief describes the outcomes of two workshops held during the 2016 SIPRI Forum on Security and Development. The workshops used two contrasting climate scenarios—Radical Emissions Reduction (RER) and High-end Climate Change (HCC)—to analyze risks to security, development, and the implementation of four specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): food security (SDG 2), gender equality (SDG 5), clean energy (SDG 7), and inequality (SDG 10).

This research paper analyzes the state of constitutionalism and civil liberties across Africa by examining African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Country Review Reports for 12 countries. It categorizes these nations based on Freedom House rankings and identifies systemic challenges to freedom, including executive dominance and securitization.

This briefing note examines the gendered impacts of petroleum and kerosene subsidy reform in Nigeria. It argues that without targeted compensation, reform may disproportionately harm women by increasing living costs, increasing reliance on biomass fuels (which impacts respiratory health), and reducing economic opportunities. The authors recommend a 'precautionary principle' to design compensation policies that specifically benefit women and suggest using subsidy savings to improve clean energy access.

This document introduces a project by Financial Sector Deepening Africa and Creative Metier to improve financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa by enhancing leadership capacity through executive coaching. It notes that while the region's financial sector has grown rapidly, formal financial account ownership remained low at 34% as of 2014.

This case study describes a partnership between the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the telecommunications company MTN to develop a security and intelligence system for operations in volatile markets.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, details 'Stage 3' of the Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system. It focuses on 'Step 7: Developing a credible narrative,' providing a framework for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes to synthesize evidence, test their Theory of Change (ToC), and articulate their contribution to systemic financial sector changes and poverty reduction.

This guidance paper, the seventh chapter of a larger series by FSD Africa, outlines how Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes can embed an Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system into their operations. It argues that traditional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in isolation cannot capture the complex interactions between evolving programmes and dynamic market contexts, necessitating a system that integrates results measurement into every stage of the programme cycle, from strategy development to independent evaluation.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, details the first stage of implementing an Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes. It focuses on establishing a clear purpose through the development of evaluable Theories of Change (ToC) and the formulation of strategic impact measurement questions to track systemic change and poverty reduction.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, outlines a framework for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes to develop an Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system. It specifically focuses on Stage 2a of the IOM process: measuring what change has happened. The document provides a methodology for moving beyond traditional project-level monitoring toward capturing systemic market changes, combining bottom-up project data with top-down sector tracking to bridge the evidence gap between direct outputs and long-term financial inclusion outcomes.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, provides a framework for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes to assess why changes occur in the financial sector and the extent to which their interventions contributed to those changes. It focuses on Stage 2b of the Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system, detailing methods for assessing causality and establishing a research agenda to bridge knowledge gaps in financial sector development and poverty reduction.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines landholding systems in Africa, drawing on African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) reports. It argues that while weak property rights hinder economic development, universal formal titling is often impractical due to institutional capacity constraints. The author proposes a gradual approach that leverages informal rights regimes and improves state administrative capacity to enhance tenure security.

This document is an official contribution from Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) to the second session of the UN open-ended intergovernmental working group (IGWG) in October 2016. It advocates for a legally binding international treaty to hold transnational corporations (TNCs) and their executives accountable for human rights violations and environmental crimes, proposing the creation of a World Court on TNCs and Human Rights and a Public Centre for control. FoEI argues that the treaty must prioritize human rights over trade and investment agreements, specifically calling for the restriction of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms that undermine public health and environmental protections.

Friends of the Earth International's 2016 submission to the UN Intergovernmental Working Group advocates for a legally binding treaty to hold transnational corporations and their financiers civilly and criminally liable for human rights and environmental violations. The document proposes the creation of an international court, the primacy of human rights over investment treaties (including ISDS), and the establishment of a public monitoring center to prevent corporate capture of the regulatory process.

The executive coaching market in Nigeria's financial sector is in a nascent stage, characterized by a severe shortage of internationally accredited coaches (estimated at 10-20) and low awareness among senior executives. While the consolidated banking landscape provides a strategic opportunity for influence, growth is hindered by a lack of accredited training, cultural norms regarding leadership infallibility, and a lack of transparent data on the business impact of coaching. The report recommends strengthening local accreditation routes, leveraging institutions like Lagos Business School, and creating local case studies to stimulate demand.

The 2016 GreenCape report details the growth of South Africa's utility-scale renewable energy sector via the REIPPPP, which procured over 6,300 MW. It highlights a sharp decline in wind and solar PV costs, the importance of local content requirements for industrialization, and the Western Cape's emergence as a greentech hub. The report also identifies expansion opportunities across the SADC region and other African nations like Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, while noting infrastructure constraints at Eskom.

This report from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the activities and challenges of the African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) leading into 2016. It focuses on the AU's shifting emphasis toward human rights, the upcoming 2016 elections for the PSC and AU Commission, and the council's mixed success in managing conflicts in Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, and Burkina Faso. The document also explores the persistent linguistic divide between anglophone and francophone member states and the evolving partnership between the AU and the United Nations.

This report examines Botswana's foreign policy within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), analyzing the transition from the consultative 'quiet diplomacy' of past administrations to the more outspoken and pragmatic approach of President Ian Khama. It details the institutional frameworks governing Botswana's external engagements and the historical influences of the Front Line States and the country's landlocked geography.

This primer by Friends of the Earth International describes the structure, governance, and operational mechanisms of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a multilateral fund under the UNFCCC designed to support climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. It details the role of Accredited Entities, National Designated Authorities, and the influence of the private sector and civil society, while highlighting concerns regarding the accreditation of banks with poor human rights and environmental records.