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The SE4All Finance Committee report identifies a global annual investment need of over $1 trillion to meet 2030 sustainable energy goals, noting a significant funding gap of $654-862 billion. It argues that while capital is abundant, it is not automatically allocated to sustainable energy due to perceived risks, particularly in emerging markets. The report proposes four key investment themes—green bonds, DFI risk-sharing structures, new insurance solutions, and aggregation models—which could collectively catalyze an additional $120 billion in annual investment by 2020. It emphasizes the need for improved project preparation, the use of dedicated project preparation funds, and the strengthening of the governance and creditworthiness of power utilities in developing countries to create a pipeline of bankable projects.

The paper assesses the escalating poaching crisis of African elephants, driven by ivory demand in Asia, particularly China. It proposes a strategic framework prioritizing targeted demand reduction and reinforced anti-poaching efforts, while cautioning that domestic trade bans are only effective as complements. The author emphasizes the need for range states to coordinate the simultaneous disposal of ivory stockpiles to remove incentives for criminal syndicates and to increase the 'use value' of elephants for local communities through eco-tourism and payment for ecosystem services (PES) to prevent habitat conversion.

The document examines the revival of the Indian Ocean as a commercial and geo-strategic hub, driven by the strategic visions of China, India, and Indonesia. It details China's 'maritime Silk Road', India's focus on security and the 'cotton route', and Indonesia's 'global maritime fulcrum'. The brief highlights South Africa's 'Operation Phakisa' and its goal to expand its blue economy. It concludes that Africa must coordinate its maritime strategies through the AU and IORA to avoid further militarisation and to leverage economic opportunities from these emerging power strategies.

Civil society organizations gathered at the World Social Forum in Tunis in March 2015 to oppose the G8's New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa. They argue the initiative promotes corporate-led agriculture, facilitates land grabbing, and undermines the rights of small-scale farmers. The statement calls for a shift toward food sovereignty, agro-ecology, and the protection of peasant seed systems, demanding that governments suspend New Alliance commitments and prioritize human rights-based agricultural systems.

A statement by social movements and civil society organizations opposing the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa, arguing that it prioritizes corporate interests over small-scale producers and undermines food sovereignty.

The Olkaria III project, a 110 MW binary geothermal plant, is the first privately funded geothermal project in Africa. It succeeded by utilizing a phased expansion strategy and a mix of public and private financing. Key enablers included the Kenyan government's provision of exploratory data and wells, a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with USD-pegged tariffs, and long-term, low-cost debt from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). The project achieved a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) 13% lower than the average for similar Kenyan projects, demonstrating that public-private models can be more cost-effective than purely public ones.

The document examines the conflict between mining, oil, and gas extraction and the conservation of protected areas (PAs) and World Heritage (WH) sites in Africa. It highlights that 32% of African natural WH sites are 'in danger' and argues that extractive activities are incompatible with WH status. The author calls for the implementation of 'no-go zones' in WH sites and the adoption of strict operational guidelines and biodiversity offsets where mining in other PAs is unavoidable. It emphasizes the role of the private sector as a custodian of the environment, noting that financial institutions and international standards (such as the Equator Principles) are increasingly driving corporate compliance to avoid investor stigma and protect shareholder value.

The document analyzes FDI inflows into the SADC region from 2003 to 2014, noting a heavy reliance on natural resources. It argues that the slump in commodity prices in 2014 necessitates a move away from 'dated ideological' policies like beneficiation toward global value chain integration and improved regional infrastructure to attract more diversified investment.

This research paper examines the role of judicial independence within the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), arguing that the judiciary's contribution to good political governance is understated and marginalized in the mechanism's assessment reports.

The IISD Handbook on Mining Contract Negotiations for Developing Countries (Volume 1) outlines a strategic framework for host governments to move from a 'win-lose' to a 'win-win-win' negotiating paradigm involving the state, companies, and local communities. It emphasizes the critical importance of the pre-negotiation phase, including resource valuation, interdepartmental coordination, and the establishment of a 'social license to operate.' The guide analyzes the legal interplay between domestic law, investment contracts, and international treaties, while cautioning against stabilization clauses that may hinder future sustainable development regulations. It also provides detailed advice on maximizing economic linkages through local purchasing, employment, and downstream processing, as well as managing social and environmental risks, including climate change adaptation.

The document details a training program held in September 2014 in Santo Domingo, aimed at improving the Dominican Republic's implementation of the IGF Mining Policy Framework. It focuses on two areas where the country was assessed as having low implementation: socioeconomic benefit optimization and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The report outlines expert presentations on tax and non-tax benefits, community engagement, and the formalization of ASM, while recording recommendations from government officials, mining cooperatives, and civil society to improve transparency, legal frameworks, and social license.

The document analyzes the challenges of low tax bases in Africa, driven by factors such as tax avoidance by multinational corporations, over-generous fiscal incentives, and illicit capital flight. It evaluates the G-20/OECD BEPS project as a mechanism to close international tax loopholes and ensure profits are taxed where economic activity occurs. The author argues that while BEPS is a step in the right direction, African countries are under-represented in the process and must strengthen their voice through the UN Tax Committee and the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) to ensure outcomes are equitable.

The document examines the critical role of National Governing Councils (NGCs) as the link between political leadership and technical research in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It identifies significant inconsistencies in NGC size, composition, and legal status across participating states, which hinder the consistency and legitimacy of Country Self-Assessment Reports (CSAR). The brief argues that meaningful independence from government, clear legal mandates, and robust technical support from the APRM Secretariat are essential for the mechanism's success. It recommends that the Secretariat develop coherent guidelines and that civil society organisations (CSOs) hold governments accountable for the composition of these councils.

The document examines how the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) evaluates judicial independence, arguing that the process relies too heavily on formal constitutional protections rather than the actual capacity of courts to issue autonomous judgements. Through analysis of reports from Uganda, Lesotho, and Tanzania, the author identifies a gap between the 'rhetoric' of separation of powers and the 'reality' of executive interference, underfunding, and selective compliance. The paper recommends shifting the APRM's focus toward 'judicial empowerment' and integrating the broader 'legal complex'—including law societies and legal scholars—into the assessment process to better understand the systemic pressures on the rule of law.

The document argues that African regional integration remains a state-centric process, largely excluding citizens and businesses due to an information deficit and a lack of organized non-governmental constituencies. While some countries like Mauritius show successful business-government integration, most of the continent suffers from low public awareness and underdeveloped civil society organizations. The author recommends public education, high-quality research into stakeholder needs, and infrastructure upgrades to ensure that opening borders provides tangible benefits to the informal sector and private enterprise.

The document analyzes the strategic efforts of the US government (via USAID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and companies like Monsanto to introduce GM crops into African markets. It argues that these actors bypass national precautions by promoting 'harmonized' regional biosafety policies through bodies like COMESA and ECOWAS. The report highlights the failure of GM projects, such as the virus-resistant sweet potato in Kenya, and the socio-economic risks of the 'Green Revolution' model, citing South Africa's experience where GM adoption has allegedly increased food insecurity and wealth inequality. It advocates for the adoption of the African Union's Model Law on Biosafety and a shift toward agro-ecology to ensure food sovereignty.

The report argues that USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are aggressively promoting GM crops in Africa by influencing biosafety legislation and bypassing national regulations through Regional Economic Communities (RECs). It highlights the contrast between the 'precautionary approach' of the Cartagena Protocol and the 'promotional approach' of US-funded programs like the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Programme (ABSP) and the Programme for Biosafety Systems (PBS). The document uses case studies from South Africa, Kenya, and Malawi to illustrate how GM adoption can lead to corporate consolidation and increased food insecurity, while criticizing philanthropic projects like Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) as 'Trojan horses' for private agribusiness interests.

The paper critiques the 'liberal peace paradigm' in Africa, suggesting that external peacebuilding often reinforces autocratic governance by focusing on state-building and technical capacity rather than addressing systemic inequality and patronage networks. It argues that current conflicts are driven by the collective denial of individual rights to maintain power configurations, and that peacebuilding must shift toward a rights-based approach to be effective.

The report details two workshops held in 2014 to map dairy livestock systems and their environmental context in Tanzania's Morogoro region. It identifies a range of production systems from nomadic to zero-grazing and highlights critical environmental pressures, including water scarcity in the dry season and land conflicts between crop farmers and pastoralists. The document explores scenarios for increasing milk yields, concluding that improvements can be achieved through better education and resource efficiency rather than increased resource consumption, provided that water catchments are protected and fodder markets are developed.

The report details a 2014 assessment of dairy systems in Tanzania's Tanga region. It identifies a contrast between the intensive zero-grazing systems prevalent in the mountainous Lushoto district and the extensive grazing systems dominant in the lowland Handeni district. The study maps feed sources, infrastructure, and environmental risks, concluding that while dairy production is in early development and not yet a primary local environmental concern, future growth requires improved fodder preservation, better breeding, and enhanced extension services.