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The authors advocate for the transition from global to regional value chains in Africa, emphasizing that digital transformation—specifically through blockchain, AI, and IoT—is essential to overcome high trade costs, poor infrastructure, and inefficient customs procedures. The paper highlights the AfCFTA as a critical framework for this shift, noting that while Africa currently exports raw materials with little value addition (e.g., coffee and cocoa), digital tools can enable MSMEs and women-led businesses to scale and integrate into more productive regional networks.

The document highlights the critical role of cold storage in Rwanda's horticulture sector, where a lack of reliable electricity—with only 23 percent of the rural population having access in 2018—contributes to significant food losses, such as an estimated 56 percent of tomatoes. An FAO assessment indicates that achieving the government's export target of 46,000 tonnes of horticulture products by 2024 could create a market potential for solar cold storage of up to USD 6,105,000, assuming a 75 percent adoption rate.

SEforALL reports on its leadership in organizing Ministerial Thematic Forums to secure Energy Compacts, its advocacy for eradicating energy poverty within the G20, and its technical support for national energy transitions in countries such as Nigeria and Rwanda. The organization also highlights the launch of practitioner tools for mini-grid emissions and sustainable cooling, alongside diplomatic engagements with the UAE and the US to accelerate the global energy transition toward SDG7.

The document examines the public-private incorporated joint venture (JV) model in agriculture, highlighting its potential to combine private sector innovation with public interest objectives. It warns of 'in-built conflict of interest' and risks such as lack of real oversight and the failure of dividends to materialize. To mitigate these, it recommends detailed JV agreements covering funding, board decision-making, 'reserved matters', and clear exit strategies, while cautioning against including investment contract-type incentives within the JV agreement itself.

The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) developed the HealthyNDCs Scorecard to analyze and rank 40 NDCs from 66 countries, assessing how health is incorporated into climate commitments and the level of climate ambition. The document serves as a guide for a Twitter campaign to pressure governments to set ambitious emissions targets and embed health protections into their national climate plans. GCHA identifies specific countries as failing to consider health or lacking ambition, while others are praised for leadership in this area.

The document argues that African states must shift from a strategy of blocking new negotiations to one of active participation to avoid becoming 'rule takers' in the global trade system. It specifically recommends narrowing the TRIPS waiver proposal to focus solely on COVID-19 vaccines to secure broader support and suggests that African states prioritize a few key development outcomes from the stalled Doha Round while engaging in Joint Statement Initiatives (JSIs) on e-commerce and investment. The brief also emphasizes the need for the African Union to coordinate common policy positions and the establishment of regional vaccine production hubs in countries like South Africa, Senegal, Algeria, and Tunisia.

The assessment finds that the Kakono Hydropower Plant (HPP) is the most sustainable and cost-effective energy option for northwestern Tanzania, demonstrating high climate resilience and the highest net societal benefits. Compared to a utility-scale diesel plant and a gas-solar PV portfolio, the HPP offers the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and the most attractive net present value (NPV), particularly when environmental and social externalities are internalized. While the HPP causes some habitat loss and carbon emissions during construction and reservoir operation, these are offset by significant employment generation and the avoidance of high fossil fuel emissions. The report concludes that the HPP is a viable investment for multilateral banks like the African Development Bank, provided that mitigation strategies for GHG emissions and habitat loss are implemented.

The document argues that African nations must align their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-term Low Emissions Strategies (LTSs) with a cohesive vision for carbon neutrality by 2050. It highlights the necessity of integrating COVID-19 green recovery plans with these climate goals and emphasizes that current global mitigation and adaptation pledges remain insufficient to meet IPCC recommendations. For Africa, the briefing identifies climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and youth inclusion as critical priorities for the COP26 agenda.

The report examines the state of women's entrepreneurship in Africa, contrasting the 'market women' in the informal sector with a small cadre of successful formal entrepreneurs. It criticizes South Africa's proposed Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill, arguing that enforced numerical parity is an ineffective approach to empowerment. Instead, the author advocates for improving general business environments, prioritizing girls' education, and reforming laws regarding property and inheritance rights to support all entrepreneurs.

Cooking poverty affects 3.83 billion people across 71 countries, causing over four million deaths annually. The report argues that the current 'clean cooking' sector is fragmented and underfunded, with an annual funding gap of approximately $10 billion. It proposes a shift toward the term 'cooking poverty' to better reflect the scale of the crisis and suggests a 'Playbook' to centralize sector knowledge. Key recommendations include merging electrification and cooking efforts, utilizing carbon markets for small business finance, and adopting an incremental approach to transition households from unimproved to modern cooking.

The document argues that deaf, blind, and deafblind individuals in sub-Saharan Africa faced heightened health risks, economic instability, and systemic exclusion from vital information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on consultations in Cameroon, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, the authors find that government responses often relied on a 'charity model' rather than a rights-based approach, ignoring the agency of disabled persons. Key barriers included the use of non-transparent masks hindering lip-reading, a lack of Braille information, and the loss of informal livelihoods. The brief emphasizes the critical role of self-organized disability organizations in championing rights and calls for research into the cultural and political structures of discrimination to improve future disaster preparedness.

The assessment examined the awareness and challenges of transport planners in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as other African regions, regarding the needs of disadvantaged groups and climate change risks. Using a mixed-method approach involving a regional survey, focus groups, and interviews, the study aims to inform a Guidance Framework for inclusive climate-resilient transport planning in Africa.

The document argues that transport is a critical driver of development but a major source of emissions, accounting for 23% of energy-related CO2. It defines sustainable transport as safe, affordable, and efficient mobility that minimizes environmental impacts. The report details the evolution of international policy from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides examples of successful interventions, such as Jakarta's BRT system and various cities' shifts toward active mobility (cycling and walking). It specifically notes the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for structural changes in urban transit, though it warns that 30 major economies continue to provide significant subsidies to fossil fuels over clean energy.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) emphasizes that advancing gender equality is critical for a climate-resilient future, as women are disproportionately affected by climate change yet act as key agents of change. The GCF mandates gender mainstreaming across all interventions through its Governing Instrument and Gender Policy, requiring every project to include a Gender Action Plan. The Fund has committed to providing $10 billion annually in support designed to optimize co-benefits between climate action and gender equality. Specific examples of this approach include supporting women-led agricultural enterprises in Ghana, argan tree cooperatives in Morocco, clean energy enterprises in Mongolia, and off-grid renewable energy SMEs in Kenya and Rwanda via the KawiSafi Ventures Fund.

The report analyzes government energy-related spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that a significant portion of recovery funds still supports fossil fuel-intensive sectors. It proposes five core principles for a 'fossil-free recovery': ending public funding for fossil fuel production, reforming fossil fuel subsidies and taxes to raise revenue, 'swapping' those funds into clean energy (access, efficiency, transport, and power), incentivizing private investment in clean electricity, and ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities.

The document analyzes the gap between the digital goals of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the actual capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia. It argues that while paperless trade and 'single window' systems aim to increase efficiency, low literacy rates and language barriers (reliance on English) create 'SPS-Plus' burdens that exclude many small-scale traders. The author recommends integrating digital skills training and AI-powered translation of trade requirements into local languages to ensure SMEs can benefit from the energy and economic transition toward a digital economy.

The document analyzes the vulnerability of sub-Saharan African food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a heavy reliance on global imports and a lack of fiscal capacity for social protection. It details how governments primarily used interventionist market, trade, and production policies, while highlighting severe disruptions in input supply, labor, and logistics. The authors argue for a shift toward more agile governance, investment in infrastructure, and the effective implementation of regional trade agreements to build future resilience.

The report details SEforALL's efforts over a 100-day period to accelerate the clean energy transition. Key activities include the launch of the 'Be Bold' campaign, coordination of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy and its Energy Compacts, and supporting the COP26 Energy Transition Council. The organization also highlights research on sustainable cooling, a youth summit, and specific technical assistance for energy access in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, alongside a new healthcare electrification partnership with USAID and Power Africa.

The document argues that women's political representation is vital for the durability of peace, as it can lead to increased social welfare spending and improved perceptions of governance. It highlights that while global representation in national parliaments slightly increased to 25.5% by January 2021, women still face systemic barriers including poverty, patriarchal stereotypes, and violence. The briefing suggests that international bodies should implement gender quotas, establish participation benchmarks for 'free and fair' elections, and ensure women's rights are guaranteed in peace agreements.

The document examines the potential for "debt-for-climate" swaps as a mechanism to provide budgetary relief to developing countries while funding climate mitigation and adaptation. It argues that while these swaps are not a universal solution and must supplement general macroeconomic stabilisation, they offer mutual benefits for debtors and creditors. The authors propose a selection framework based on economic need, emissions potential, climate ambition, and governance capacity. Applying these criteria, the paper identifies several Small Island Developing States (SIDS)—including Dominica, Granada, Samoa, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tonga—as well as Bhutan and Rwanda, as promising candidates for such initiatives. However, the authors note a trade-off: while these countries are highly suitable, their low emissions mean the global impact on emissions would be smaller compared to including larger emerging economies.