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The document examines how host governments can stimulate direct local employment in mining to drive socioeconomic growth and maintain a social licence to operate. It outlines a five-step process for developing local employment policies: assessing the sector's role in national development, evaluating labour supply and demand, setting goals, formulating policies, and monitoring outcomes. The report categorizes interventions into regulatory 'stick' policies—such as employment quotas, mandated training, and visa restrictions—and facilitative 'carrot' policies, including bidding preferences, fiscal incentives, and support for training facilities. It emphasizes the need for context-specific strategies that address gender inequality and the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, while warning that automation and technological trends may shift future workforce requirements.

The document examines the shift in international investment governance as countries move toward 'new-generation' model investment treaties. It highlights how states are revising their models to correct problematic language, integrate sustainable development goals, and limit the use of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). The text details specific national approaches from Canada, the Netherlands, India, Nigeria, and Brazil, while noting a general trend toward more transparent, consultative processes in drafting these agreements.

The report analyzes local content policies (LCPs) used by mineral-rich nations to increase the use of domestic labor, goods, and services in the mining sector. It details various policy instruments—ranging from mandatory quotas and ownership requirements to government incentives and voluntary business initiatives—and examines their practical application in countries such as Norway, Chile, Ghana, and Brazil. The document argues that LCPs often fail when implemented as blanket provisions without clear objectives or sufficient industrial capacity. It identifies critical prerequisites for success, including institutional readiness, a favorable business climate, and a long-term vision that transcends political cycles. The report concludes that effective LCPs require a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures, robust monitoring through key performance indicators, and strong partnerships between governments, mining firms, and local suppliers to ensure sustainable economic diversification.

The report examines downstream beneficiation—the domestic processing of raw materials—noting that policies are often driven by political goals rather than economic analysis. It identifies key prerequisites for success, including guaranteed market demand, infrastructure, and inexpensive energy, while arguing that proximity to raw materials is increasingly less important than proximity to consumers. The document analyzes five policy options: incentives, prescriptive measures, negotiations, bidding, and government-led investments, highlighting that without a strong business case, these can lead to inefficient 'white elephant' projects. It concludes with recommendations for governments to use market and cost-benefit analyses, including considerations for environmental externalities and the risk of stranded assets in the oil and gas sector due to global decarbonization targets.

The report examines the phenomenon of Boko Haram members deserting the group in the Lake Chad Basin, identifying push factors such as military losses by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and internal factional rivalry between Shekau and al-Barnawi. It argues that current interventions—limited to detention, judicial processing, and narrow de-radicalisation—are insufficient. The author advocates for a 'third generation' of context-sensitive DDRR that integrates security and development, emphasizing the need for gender- and age-sensitive eligibility criteria to include women and children. The report also highlights the necessity of demobilising community vigilante groups and improving state-community relations to undermine recruitment. It recommends that the Lake Chad Basin Commission lead a regional strategic framework supported by the African Union to harmonise DDRR approaches across Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.

The paper examines the role of women in the renewable energy sectors of Rwanda and South Africa, highlighting a systemic disconnect between gender-equality policies and their practical implementation in large-scale infrastructure projects. In Rwanda, while national gender strategies are strong, private sector integration remains low. In South Africa, the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme is praised for its structure but lacks specific gender-based targets and monitoring. Key barriers identified across both contexts include limited access to STEM education for women, a lack of gender-responsive financing for women-owned businesses, and a 'tick-box' approach to gender targets by developers. The document proposes a three-tier toolkit focusing on political mandates, financial mechanisms, and educational pipelines to foster a more inclusive energy value chain.

The paper examines how African countries attempt to move beyond the export of raw minerals through resource-based industrialisation, specifically focusing on the role of Chinese investment. It analyzes tools such as export restrictions, local content requirements, and fiscal policies, concluding that these measures often fail due to inadequate infrastructure, energy shortages, and a lack of human capital. The author argues for a shift toward 'product space diversification'—developing capabilities that allow for a broader variety of exports—rather than focusing solely on downstream mineral processing (beneficiation).

Friends of the Earth International calls for an immediate transition from a pollutant-heavy energy system to a decentralized, people-led model. The statement rejects 'false solutions' like carbon capture and argues that developed nations must take primary responsibility for emissions reductions and financial transfers to the Global South to ensure a just transition.

Friends of the Earth International calls for an immediate global shift away from 'dirty energy'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and large-scale hydroelectricity—toward community-led, decentralized energy systems. The statement emphasizes that the Global North must take primary responsibility for emission cuts and financial support for the Global South to achieve climate justice and prevent irreversible planetary tipping points.

Friends of the Earth International calls for a transition from 'Dirty Energy'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and large-scale hydropower—to decentralized, people-centered community energy. The statement criticizes 'false solutions' like BECCS and carbon offsets, highlighting the disproportionate responsibility of the global North for emissions and the need for a just transition that includes significant financial flows to the global South.

The report examines food fortification in Mexico, focusing on the mandatory addition of micronutrients to wheat and maize flour. It highlights a 'double burden of malnutrition' where high obesity rates coexist with widespread micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron and zinc. While legislation (NOM-247-SSA1-2008) mandates fortification, the report finds that the legal framework lacks details on external monitoring and enforcement, effectively leaving the industry to self-regulate. Analysis of available government data from COFEPRIS shows variable compliance, with a concerning drop in folic acid compliance in maize flour from 100% in 2015 to one-third in 2017. The report also criticizes the 'bad fortification' of ultra-processed 'junk foods' used by the industry to mislead consumers about the health benefits of unhealthy products. It concludes with recommendations for the Mexican government to strengthen monitoring protocols, introduce penalties for non-compliance, and ensure that industrially produced tortillas and breads are made from fortified flour.

The report examines the state of food fortification in Mexico, specifically focusing on the mandatory enrichment of wheat and corn flours to combat 'hidden hunger' and micronutrient deficiencies. While Mexico has legislation (NOM-247-SSA1-2008) requiring the addition of iron, zinc, folic acid, and B vitamins, the document argues that a lack of clear government oversight and reliance on industry self-regulation have led to variable compliance. It highlights a significant drop in folic acid compliance for corn flour between 2015 and 2017 and criticizes the 'bad fortification' of ultra-processed 'junk food' used to mislead consumers. The report concludes with recommendations for the Mexican government to update legislation with specific monitoring protocols, sanctions, and nutritional specifications for end-products like tortillas and bread.

The Green Aggregation Tech Enterprise (GATE) is a proposed guarantee facility designed to mitigate demand and payment risks for mini-grids in Sub-Saharan Africa. By guaranteeing a baseline level of revenue, GATE aims to transform mini-grids into a bankable asset class, shifting their financing from donor grants to private debt. The instrument will be piloted in Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, and the DRC, with a phased implementation pathway moving from a proof-of-concept (2018-2019) to full commercialization by 2028-2030. Financial modelling suggests that at scale, GATE can be sustainable and catalytic, potentially mobilizing US$ 1.725 billion in private investment by 2030 and providing electricity to millions of households and businesses.

The document examines the 'EU migration crisis' and the resulting 'containment compact,' where the EU provides aid and arms to African states to restrict migration. It argues that this approach ignores primary drivers: Africa's youth bulge and income inequality. While the EU faces labour shortages and Africa has a surplus, the current policy focuses on border fortification rather than pragmatic labour mobility agreements. The author contends that without a 'migration safety valve,' both regions face potential political and economic backlash.

The document argues that Nigeria is becoming a global hub for minigrid development and outlines four key recommendations to accelerate market growth: improving finance affordability, providing partial grants and operational subsidies, establishing a finance consortium to spread risk, and coordinating demand stimulation through development programs.

The report argues that most low- and lower-middle-income African states are decades away from a demographic dividend due to high youth dependency ratios and slow demographic transitions. While the global working-age to dependent ratio peaked in 2012, Africa's is forecast to peak shortly after 2070. The author suggests that aggressive roll-out of modern contraception, eliminating gender inequality in education, and improving basic infrastructure could advance this dividend. A modelled 'Demographic Dividend' scenario suggests that by 2063, Africa could have 418 million fewer people but a GDP in purchasing power terms US$1.7 trillion larger than under the current trajectory, significantly reducing extreme poverty and narrowing the income gap with the rest of the world.

The report finds that while armed conflict fatalities in Africa are generally declining, the continent remains vulnerable due to structural drivers including poverty, youth bulges, and poor governance. It notes a shift from rural armed conflict toward urban political protests and riots. The analysis identifies a core group of countries at the highest risk of armed conflict and argues that inclusive economic development and improved governance are the only long-term solutions for stability.

The document examines how digitalization is restructuring global value chains and the risks it poses to developing nations, such as increased technological divides and value capture by advanced economies. It contrasts the digital industrial policies of the EU (market-friendly) and China (interventionist) to propose a dual-track policy framework for developing countries: 'enabling markets' (focusing on infrastructure, ecosystems, and mitigating disbenefits) and 'digital catch-up' (focusing on technology linkage, learning, and economic leverage). The authors highlight specific instruments like payment interoperability, data localization, and fiscal incentives, while warning of implementation hurdles such as ministerial silos and international trade agreement constraints.

The authors created the CACAO database, which uses a 110x110 km grid to map conflicts, climate data, and socio-economic variables across Africa. Initial descriptive analysis shows that conflicts often overlap with areas rich in natural resources and populated regions, while the relationship with temperature and precipitation changes is more complex and requires further spatial and temporal analysis.

The document examines how green bonds support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically highlighting six goals that receive direct benefits from green investment. It emphasizes that climate action is a crosscutting theme necessary for the success of all SDGs and calls for increased climate risk disclosure across all thematic bond labels to ensure long-term sustainability.