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This research paper examines the role and challenges of youth climate activism in Africa, highlighting the disproportionate impact of climate change on young Africans despite the continent's low global emissions. It discusses the motivations of youth activists, the barriers they face—including financial constraints and political repression—and the gap between tokenistic representation and meaningful policy inclusion in forums like COP28.

The December 2023/January 2024 edition of the Peace & Security Council Report evaluates the African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) performance in 2023, highlighting a trend toward discussing thematic issues over sensitive country crises. It examines the challenges of consensus-based decision-making, the upcoming 2024 AU chairship and PSC membership elections, and the potential impact of the UN's New Agenda for Peace on African security architecture.

This background note provides energy production and demand forecasts for Africa and the global community up to 2043, based on the International Futures (IFs) forecasting platform. It details the transition of energy sources, the growth of African energy demand driven by population increases, and the status of fossil fuel reserves and renewable energy projects across the continent.

This background note from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes Africa's energy export and import trends under a 'Current Path' forecast up to 2043, highlighting the contrast between a few major energy exporters and a majority of countries dependent on imports.

A rapid assessment by FSD Africa and FCDO Sudan analyzing the collapse of agri-food and payment systems in Sudan due to ongoing conflict, proposing targeted resilience-building interventions to combat acute food insecurity affecting over 20 million people.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the challenges of formalising the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector in West Africa and the Sahel. It argues that punitive crackdowns often increase fragility and criminal capture, recommending instead a supportive formalisation approach that addresses land rights, gender inequality, and the creation of decentralised service centres to reduce vulnerability to organised crime and violent extremist groups.

This policy brief examines the challenges of formalizing artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in West Africa and the Sahel. It argues that repressive measures often increase vulnerability to criminal capture and instead advocates for a holistic, support-based approach to formalization that addresses land rights, gender marginalization, and regional coordination to mitigate the influence of organized crime and violent extremist groups.

The November 2023 Peace & Security Council Report examines the diplomatic implications of the first Saudi-Africa summit, the coordination between the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the UN Security Council's A3 members, the precarious state of South Sudan's transition toward elections, and the AU's efforts to integrate youth into peacebuilding and economic integration via AfCFTA.

This special edition of the Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the resurgence of military coups and unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs) in Africa, specifically focusing on a 'third wave' since 2019. The report analyzes the drivers of these coups, the role of 'constitutional coups' (manipulating term limits), the impact of civil-military relations, and the effectiveness of African Union (AU) and regional sanctions.

The July 2023 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the outcomes of the fifth mid-year coordination meeting between the African Union (AU) and regional economic communities (RECs). It highlights systemic coordination failures in peace-making, the challenges of AU institutional reforms, and the potential of new initiatives like the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT) to deter unconstitutional changes of government. The report also discusses the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of the UN mission (MINUSMA) from Mali.

This research paper analyzes the evolving energy relations between Germany and Africa, noting a shift from traditional development cooperation toward a broader approach combining energy diplomacy, foreign policy, and technical cooperation. The author highlights a tension between Germany's commitment to a 'just transition' and its strategic interests in securing both renewable energy (particularly green hydrogen) and fossil fuel imports to ensure energy security.

This report analyses the development trajectories of the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan) up to 2040. It identifies systemic barriers including governance failure, conflict, and climate-induced food insecurity, while modelling an 'Integrated Development Push' scenario to demonstrate how coordinated reforms in governance, agriculture, and human capital could significantly reduce extreme poverty and boost regional GDP.

This report examines the relationship between the African Union (AU) and civil society organisations (CSOs) over the last 20 years, focusing on governance, peace, and security. While the AU has established institutional frameworks to facilitate engagement, the report finds that CSO participation remains unpredictable and often restricted, particularly in political processes and high-level summits. It highlights the critical technical and research contributions of CSOs while identifying systemic barriers, including shrinking civic space in member states and bureaucratic hurdles within AU organs like ECOSOCC.

The report examines the complex interplay of governance, peace, and security in the Horn of Africa, highlighting a shift from interstate to intra-state conflict. It analyzes how structural drivers—including climate change, demographic pressures, and technological advances—interact with political instability and geopolitical competition from global and Middle Eastern powers. The document evaluates the effectiveness of multilateral bodies like IGAD, the AU, and the UN, noting their struggles to maintain relevance amidst hardening state sovereignty and institutional fragility.

This report analyzes the demographic trends and development prospects for the Horn of Africa countries—Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan—up to 2040, focusing on population growth, fertility rates, the potential for a demographic dividend, and urbanization patterns.

This special report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes poverty and income inequality in the Horn of Africa, forecasting trends through 2040. It highlights significant disparities in multidimensional and monetary poverty across the region, the impact of conflict and governance on economic stability, and the role of income inequality in poverty reduction.

This policy brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute discusses the intersection of climate change adaptation and conflict risk, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected countries, and proposes a three-step approach to integrate conflict risk considerations into project design.

The May 2023 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) responses to crises in Sudan and Chad, the slow adoption of structural vulnerability assessments, the complexities of the AU-EU partnership, and the challenges facing the 'Silencing the Guns' initiative.

This research paper examines the evolution of German-African energy relations, tracing the shift from a primary focus on development cooperation and energy poverty to a more complex framework involving energy diplomacy, technology-driven cooperation, and strategic geopolitical interests. The author analyzes the tensions between 'green' and 'fossilist' objectives, the risks associated with the roll-out of hydrogen diplomacy, and the trend toward the financialization of development through multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) has issued a call for concept notes for its 'From Knowledge to Action' program, which provides grants to African organizations to support locally-led, inclusive, and climate-resilient actions by mobilizing indigenous and local knowledge.