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The report analyzes how rigid gender norms, lack of capital, and limited asset ownership prevent women from benefiting from agricultural commercialization in Sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights that women often perform the bulk of the labor but lack control over the resulting income, which can lead to poor product quality and reduced household nutrition. The document provides a strategic framework for interventions, ranging from professionalizing traditional 'women's crops' to redistributive actions that challenge male-dominated chains. Case studies from Kenya (SHEP) and Zimbabwe (ZOPPA) demonstrate that combining gender awareness training with technical capacity building and organic certification can improve income parity and market access for women farmers.

The report argues that climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is only effective when it addresses gender inequalities that make women more vulnerable to climate change and hinder their adoption of sustainable practices. It highlights that women often face barriers such as insecure land tenure, limited capital, and restrictive social norms. Through case studies in countries like Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda, the document demonstrates that successful interventions require a combination of enhancing women's agency (through training and knowledge networks), reforming institutional structures (securing land and credit rights), and transforming gender relations (encouraging male support and shared decision-making). Specific examples include the use of biogas digesters to reduce women's domestic workloads and the implementation of 'climate analogue' visits to share adaptation strategies.

The report argues that MDBs fail to deliver genuine climate finance due to flawed accounting methodologies that allow fossil fuel-related projects, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and waste-to-energy incineration, to be counted as climate action. It highlights a systemic bias toward mitigation over adaptation and a preference for loans over grants, which exacerbates debt in the Global South. Specific analysis of the AIIB and ADB reveals transparency gaps, the inclusion of high-emitting projects in climate portfolios, and a failure to integrate gender equality and human rights into climate finance principles.

The document identifies a significant global trend toward expanding coal-fired power capacity, with 1,199 new plants proposed across 59 countries. China and India are the primary drivers of this expansion, accounting for 76% of proposed new capacities. The analysis also highlights a shift in the global coal trade from Atlantic to Pacific markets, prompting infrastructure expansions in countries like Australia.

The document describes country platforms as a mechanism for governments to coordinate national and international finance, moving away from fragmented, project-based approaches toward structured, country-led plans. It highlights the role of Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) and emphasizes that success depends on institutional capacity, strategic coordination among various actors, and flexible implementation tailored to the specific country context.

The paper argues that while women are central to agriculture and climate adaptation in Africa, they are often excluded from decision-making and resources due to sociocultural norms and policy gaps. It proposes seven enabling factors—ranging from flexible finance and resource control to confronting restrictive norms—to move beyond simple participation toward gender-transformative locally led adaptation (LLA). The authors recommend that funders provide patient, flexible funding of at least five years and invest in long-term relationships with women-led organizations to foster structural social change and climate resilience.

The report attributes the 2022 West African floods to a combination of anthropogenic climate change, which significantly increased the likelihood and intensity of rainfall in the Lake Chad and Lower Niger basins, and systemic vulnerabilities including poor water management, rapid unplanned urbanization, and socioeconomic instability. In the Lake Chad region, climate change made the seasonal rainfall event approximately 80 times more likely and 20% more intense. In the Lower Niger basin, the 7-day maximum rainfall event became about twice as likely and 5% more intense. The human toll was exacerbated by the release of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon and the proximity of settlements to floodplains.