Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the impact of various global carbon tax scenarios on Africa's energy transition and economic future, specifically highlighting the 'Sustainable Africa' scenario.

The April 2026 Peace & Security Council Report examines key African Union (AU) initiatives, including a UN resolution on slavery reparations, the integration of governance intelligence into security actions via the APRM-PSC interface, the precarious stability of South Sudan ahead of 2026 elections, and a review of Angola's tenure as AU chair.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the critical lack of connecting infrastructure in Africa and its impact on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It highlights significant gaps in road and air transport, the financial deficits in infrastructure funding, and the role of external investment from China.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the projected impacts of a 'Demographics and Health scenario' on Africa by 2043. It compares this scenario against a 'Current Path' baseline, forecasting improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH), disease burden, infant mortality, life expectancy, and overall economic prosperity.

This research paper examines the implementation challenges of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), focusing on the economic disparities between member states and the resulting risks for Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the barriers to agricultural transformation in Africa, focusing on the critical link between formal land ownership, access to credit, and food security.

This research paper outlines the 'Demographics and Health Scenario' for Africa, a model designed to accelerate the continent's demographic transition and enhance its demographic dividend through targeted interventions in fertility, mortality, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies details the progress and structure of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) negotiations, including the three phases of legal protocols, tariff liberalisation targets, and the implementation of supporting systems like the Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes extreme poverty trends in Africa using a US$2.15 threshold. It highlights a divergence where the percentage of people in extreme poverty is declining, but the absolute number continues to rise due to rapid population growth, high inequality, and modest economic growth.

This report assesses the role and effectiveness of community peace accords in seven Kenyan counties: Tana River, Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, and Turkana. It examines the transition from top-down, state-led agreements to community-led processes, highlighting that sustainable peace depends on local ownership, inclusive design, and the integration of traditional customs. The study identifies key drivers of conflict, including resource scarcity, historical marginalisation, and political competition under devolution, while providing policy recommendations to improve the coordination, funding, and legal frameworks supporting these accords.

The February 2026 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the declining influence of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the gap between AU normative frameworks and electoral realities, the limited impact of informal consultations on post-coup transitions, and the critical economic necessity of improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure across Africa.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) briefing outlines its Innovation Challenges model, which identifies and scales locally-led resilience solutions across agriculture, urban informality, and humanitarian technology. Since 2014, the GRP has invested over US$45 million into 102 solutions across more than 30 countries, supporting over 7 million people.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics, written with Africa Climate Insights, examines the critical shortfall in climate adaptation finance for Africa and developing nations. It argues that public finance must remain the primary driver of adaptation due to the 'less bankable' nature of adaptation projects compared to mitigation and the high debt distress in African economies.

The 'Progressing National SDG Implementation 2024' report, produced by a coalition of civil society organizations, analyzes Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports submitted to the United Nations in 2024. It identifies slow progress across many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly regarding the climate crisis, poverty, and social inequality, while highlighting the roles and barriers faced by multi-stakeholder partners, civil society, youth, academia, and parliaments.

An address by Dirco Deputy Minister Alvin Botes detailing South Africa's strategic foreign policy approach amidst a shifting geopolitical landscape. The speech emphasizes non-alignment, the role of multilateralism through BRICS+ and the G20, and the necessity of addressing regional security and climate change to protect national interests.

The March 2025 Peace & Security Council Report analyzes critical instability in South Sudan and Sudan, the African Union's (AU) struggles to manage post-coup transitions in several member states, and the shortcomings of AU election observer missions in 2024. It calls for the Peace and Security Council (PSC) to adopt more risk-based, high-level engagement strategies and improve internal coordination to prevent the fragmentation of states and the entrenchment of military juntas.

This policy brief examines how African youth are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to decentralize peacebuilding, shift early warning systems toward data-driven analysis, and challenge traditional conflict narratives. While youth act as key knowledge creators, the document warns that digital divides, gender gaps, and underdeveloped policy frameworks risk marginalizing these contributions and reinforcing existing power hierarchies.

This policy brief examines the opportunities and challenges associated with Somalia's admission to the East African Community (EAC) in March 2024. It analyzes the strategic, economic, and security implications for both Somalia and the bloc, highlighting the tension between the political will for integration and the institutional, legal, and security fragilities within Somalia.

This policy brief examines the foreign and development relations between Africa, the European Union (EU), and Germany, arguing that these relationships are still characterized by 'coloniality'—the persistence of unequal power dynamics and colonial logic. The author analyzes how EU and German policies in security, raw material acquisition, and development aid often marginalize African agency, prioritize European economic interests, and employ 'saviourism' through top-down interventions. The document provides specific case studies from Mauritania, Mali, South Sudan, Namibia, and Zambia to illustrate these dynamics and concludes with recommendations for genuine decolonization, including respecting African demands on trade and resource beneficiation.

The ninth FOCAC Beijing Summit (2024) marked a re-calibration of China-Africa relations, with China pledging USD 50.7 billion over three years. African leaders demonstrated increased agency, shifting focus from raw aid to value-added trade, technological transfer, and green energy. Key outcomes include a USD 1 billion deal to rehabilitate the Tazara railway and a strategic increase in Chinese security assistance via the Global Security Initiative. The summit highlights a growing ideological and geopolitical divide, as China offers an alternative governance model to Western liberal democracy and aggressively pursues the African EV and digital markets.