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The Islamic Finance Toolkit provides a comprehensive overview of Shariah-compliant financial systems, detailing key contracts, the global industry landscape, and specific strategies for integrating Islamic finance into African economies. It identifies significant underdevelopment in Africa—where the region holds only 1% of global Islamic banking assets despite housing 27% of the world's Muslim population—and offers a framework of eleven recommendations covering legal, tax, and regulatory reforms to unlock the potential of Sukuk, Takaful, and Islamic fintech.

The document examines the link between armed conflict and forced displacement in Africa, noting that the number of forcibly displaced people more than doubled from 11 million in 2013 to 25.7 million in 2019. It assesses the African Union's (AU) 'Silencing the Guns' initiative, arguing that while infrastructure like the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) and the Panel of the Wise exists, implementation is hindered by a lack of conceptual coherence and poor governance. The brief highlights that governance deficiencies, corruption, and the illicit trade of firearms—with over 40 million civilian-held firearms in Africa—drive conflict and displacement. It recommends that the AU move from early warning to early action, improve interdepartmental coordination, and address the structural root causes of conflict to facilitate durable solutions like repatriation.

The sardinella fishery in West Africa faces overfishing and excessive capacity, driven in part by capacity-enhancing subsidies for fuel and water access. The document argues that WTO subsidy prohibitions, combined with improved management and transition periods for small-scale fishers, could improve the region's environmental and economic sustainability and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The document analyzes how subsidies for industrial and artisanal sardinella fishing in West Africa contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and evaluates how different WTO subsidy prohibition options—targeting IUU fishing, overfished stocks, and overcapacity—could affect the region's food security, economy, and stock recovery.

The report analyzes how WTO rules targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overexploited stocks, and overcapacity would affect the sardinella fishery in West Africa. It finds that most industrial and artisanal fleets in the region, particularly those from Senegal, Mauritania, and the EU, rely on subsidies—especially fuel and access subsidies—to remain economically viable. The document argues that while removing these subsidies would likely lead to stock recovery and long-term profitability, it could cause short-term socio-economic hardship for artisanal fishers. It recommends a phased approach, prioritizing the removal of industrial subsidies first, and emphasizes the need for improved monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) to prevent a shift toward IUU fishing.

The report examines how subsidies for industrial and artisanal fishing in West Africa contribute to the overexploitation of sardinelle stocks and analyzes how potential WTO disciplines on subsidies—specifically those targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overfished stocks, and overcapacity—could improve sustainability while posing short-term socio-economic risks to local communities.

The report finds that the production of fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) for aquaculture is driving the collapse of fish stocks and compromising food security in India, Vietnam, and The Gambia. It establishes links between these unsustainable practices and major European retailers and aquafeed companies, arguing that current certification by the Marine Ingredients Organisation (IFFO) acts as a 'sustainability smokescreen'. The document recommends a total phase-out of wild-caught fish in aquafeed in favor of sustainable alternatives and a shift toward farming omnivorous or herbivorous species.

The report argues that the production of fish meal and fish oil (FMFO) for aquaculture is precipitating the collapse of fish populations and threatening food security in regions like India, Vietnam, and Gambia. It maps supply chains linking unsustainable and often illegal fishing practices to major European retailers and global aquafeed companies, while critiquing the Marine Ingredients Organisation (IFFO) for providing a 'smoke screen' of sustainability through its certifications. The document recommends a transition away from wild-caught fish in aquafeeds toward sustainable alternatives and the cultivation of species that do not require FMFO.

The report argues that the production of fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) for aquaculture is precipitating the collapse of fish stocks and compromising food security in the Global South. Investigations in India, Vietnam, and The Gambia reveal rampant illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, including the capture of juvenile fish and the use of illegal nets. The report establishes links between these unsustainable practices and major European aquafeed companies and retailers. It further critiques the Marine Ingredients Organisation (IFFO) certification as a 'sustainability smokescreen' and warns that the industry's reliance on finite wild-fish resources poses a systemic risk to the aquaculture sector's long-term viability.

The assessment finds that green finance for forests is severely insufficient, totaling under USD 22 billion since 2010, and represents only 1.5% of total climate mitigation commitments from developed countries and multilateral institutions. While some domestic initiatives and Green Climate Fund projects show progress, private sector investment remains dominated by traditional 'grey finance' with few mandatory safeguards to prevent deforestation in commodity supply chains.

The August 2019 Peace & Security Council Report examines the African Union's (AU) struggle to define 'unconstitutional changes of government' in the context of popular uprisings in Algeria and Sudan. It highlights the risks of increasing foreign military presence, particularly in the Horn of Africa, and the resulting rivalry between global powers like the US and China. The report also advocates for the inclusion of women in Sudan's peace process and warns of potential political instability in Côte d’Ivoire ahead of the 2020 elections. Finally, it discusses the limited access civil society organizations have to AU and regional economic community structures.

The briefing argues that empowering forest-linked communities is essential for forest protection and is most effectively achieved through tiered organizational structures that aggregate strength-in-numbers. While some progress has been made in recognizing indigenous and local community rights, overall empowerment in rural areas remains constrained by land fragmentation, gender inequality, and insufficient access to finance. The document highlights successful innovations in business development and policy advocacy from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) and warns that while digital technologies offer new market opportunities, they may also facilitate commercial land acquisition that threatens community assets.

The report examines the complex relationship between the African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), specifically the application of 'subsidiarity'—the principle that regional structures should lead in their own jurisdictions. It highlights systemic failures in North Africa due to the inactivity of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), tensions between the AU and SADC over elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the AU's successful re-assumption of leadership in the Central African Republic. The document also notes the East African Community's (EAC) internal trade disputes, ECOWAS's struggle to adapt to violent extremism in the Sahel, and the general lack of civil society engagement within the AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The report argues that industrial aquaculture is unsustainable due to its heavy reliance on wild-caught fish for feed, which threatens marine ecosystems, undermines food security in the Global South, and creates a massive animal welfare crisis. It highlights that nearly 20% of wild fish catches are processed into FMFO, often targeting keystone forage species and juveniles. The document criticizes the lack of transparency among aquafeed companies and the inadequacy of current certification schemes like the MSC and IFFO. To address these issues, it recommends a transition toward herbivorous species, alternative proteins like insects and algae, and stricter governance to eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The report argues that industrial aquaculture is fundamentally broken due to its dependence on wild-caught forage fish, which threatens marine ecosystems, food security in vulnerable coastal regions, and animal welfare. It highlights a lack of transparency among major feed producers and critiques existing certification systems, recommending a transition toward herbivorous species and sustainable alternative proteins.

The report argues that industrial aquaculture's reliance on fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) is unsustainable, plundering marine ecosystems and undermining food security in the Global South. It highlights the exploitation of forage fish and 'trash fish', the lack of transparency among major aquafeed companies, and the failure of certification schemes to prevent the use of food-grade fish for animal feed.

The report details how developing countries approach investment treaty negotiations, highlighting a trend toward renegotiating outdated agreements and the use of model treaties. It identifies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and investment authorities as the primary leads in negotiations and provides a detailed mapping of ratification processes across various nations.

The document outlines how human-induced climate change is warming and acidifying oceans, causing sea level rise, and melting high mountain frozen lands in Africa. These changes threaten fisheries, coastal infrastructure, and water security. It argues that while adaptation and disaster risk reduction are essential and cost-effective, urgent global greenhouse gas mitigation is the primary way to limit long-term damage.

The report evaluates Italy's transposition of EU IUU and Control Regulations, finding that while enforcement activities are active, the legal framework contains gaps in the definition of 'serious infringements' and the application of immediate enforcement measures. It highlights a trend toward decriminalization of certain fishing offenses, though it notes the successful use of environmental criminal law to prosecute severe ecosystem damage. The document also identifies a lack of public transparency regarding inspection and sanction data and raises concerns about Italian trawlers operating illegally off West Africa.

The document examines the shift in Africa's debt structure toward non-concessional and domestic loans, identifying drivers such as commodity price shocks and fiscal deficits. It assesses the debt-carrying capacity of various African nations using IMF and World Bank frameworks, noting that several countries are in debt distress or at high risk. The briefing details current coping mechanisms, including the issuance of long-term Eurobonds and novel financial products, and recommends enhancing domestic revenue mobilization, economic diversification, and the establishment of autonomous debt management offices.