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The G20 Compact with Africa (CwA), initiated in 2017, aims to boost private investment and infrastructure in Africa through reform agendas in macroeconomic, business, and financing frameworks. While CwA countries often show stronger growth and trade performance, a direct causal link to investment flows remains unproven, and foreign direct investment to Africa rose only by $4.5 billion between 2017 and 2023. To enhance the initiative, the author recommends that South Africa's G20 presidency facilitate the admission of interested countries such as Angola, Kenya, and Zambia, and elevate the African Advisory Group (AAG) to a permanent G20 working group. Additionally, the note suggests spotlighting critical minerals and energy investment, improving investment grades to reduce Africa's $75 billion risk premium, and implementing 'country platforms' to increase private sector engagement in reform agendas.

The statement argues that large-scale forest biomass energy is not carbon neutral and actively harms the climate, biodiversity, and human rights. It claims that current carbon accounting erroneously labels biomass as zero-emission, which masks the actual greenhouse gas releases and encourages deforestation. The document further asserts that biomass energy extends the lifespan of coal plants and diverts investment from truly low-emission renewables like wind and solar. It calls on governments and financial institutions to stop the expansion of the biomass industry and eliminate related subsidies in favor of forest restoration.

The report analyzes gender inequalities in Togo, specifically how climate change and natural disasters disproportionately affect women and girls. It outlines a gender mainstreaming strategy for a resilience project, including specific activities to address gender-specific vulnerabilities, promote women's economic empowerment, and mitigate risks of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH). The project is categorized as having a high value for its contribution to gender equality.

The document argues that while green guarantees can mobilize up to five times more capital than loans, they are underutilized due to complexity, lack of technical assistance, high costs, and time horizon misalignments. It showcases case studies from the World Bank Group, Green Guarantee Company, TCX, GuarantCo, and a Sida-IFU partnership to demonstrate how streamlining processes, providing targeted technical support, subsidizing currency hedges, extending guarantee tenors to 20 years, and fostering bilateral cooperation can unlock private capital for the green transition in EMDEs.

The policy brief outlines the critical role of maritime transport in Africa's blue economy and the threats posed by climate change, including sea level rise and new global emissions regulations. It advocates for a new continental maritime governance framework to coordinate decarbonisation and resilience efforts. Key recommendations include transforming ports into green logistics hubs, implementing climate risk assessments in infrastructure design, and securing sustainable financing for fleet and port modernisation.

The document analyzes the crisis facing ECOWAS in 2025, characterized by the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and a decline in the organization's normative authority regarding democratic governance. It identifies a structural power imbalance where the executive Authority dominates, leading to inconsistent applications of 'zero-tolerance' policies toward unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs). The authors propose a three-phase reform strategy: first, restoring political authority through the operationalization of ECOSOC and revised sanctions; second, rebalancing power by making Court rulings binding and introducing parliamentary confirmation for Commission leadership; and third, transitioning to a supranational model with direct elections for the Parliament and primacy of Community law. The brief emphasizes the need for a coalition of 'reform champions'—including Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana—and strategic financial support from Germany and the EU to ensure regional stability.

The report analyzes the integration of human mobility into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), finding that while 83% of submitted NAPs reference mobility, most lack detailed strategies for sub-national implementation. Through case studies in Costa Rica, Senegal, and Sri Lanka, it identifies gaps in financing, data, and coordination between national and local governments, while proposing a typology of approaches for localizing mobility actions.

Friends of the Earth International calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, describing the situation as both a genocide and an ecocide. The organization emphasizes that climate justice is unattainable without a free Palestine and reports on solidarity actions by its member groups across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Africa. The statement specifically notes the environmental destruction of watercourses, agriculture, and renewable energy infrastructure in Palestinian territories.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) asserts that there is no climate justice without a free Palestine, condemning the 'genocide and an ecocide' in Gaza. The organization reports solidarity actions from its member groups across Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Africa, while calling for international mobilization and donations to provide green energy and water purification systems to refugee camps in Gaza.

Friends of the Earth International calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, describing the situation as a 'genocide' and 'ecocide' with over 43,000 deaths. The organization argues that climate justice is unattainable without a free Palestine and highlights the environmental destruction caused by the war, including damage to renewable energy infrastructure and water sources. Member groups across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Africa have participated in solidarity actions, and the federation is soliciting donations to provide green energy and water purification systems to refugees in Gaza.

Ghana faces significant cooling gaps, with 12.9 million people at high risk and 16.6 million at medium risk due to lack of access to cooling and electricity. While refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) demand is projected to rise from 7.04 TWh in 2015 to 20.9 TWh by 2050, the country aims to align this growth with its net-zero 2060 target by shifting toward renewables and energy-efficient cooling.

The report examines how risk mitigation and transfer (RMT) instruments, such as political risk insurance and guarantees from development finance institutions (DFIs), help utility-scale renewable energy projects reach financial close in West and Central Africa. While these tools are critical for addressing offtaker and political risks, the authors argue they are insufficient to overcome structural macroeconomic barriers, including high sovereign debt and insolvent state-owned utilities. The report highlights innovative models, such as the re-deployable modular solar solution in Cameroon and the use of viable businesses as anchor loads in Ghana, as potential pathways for deployment in high-debt contexts.

The document analyzes the global distribution of agricultural methane emissions, highlighting that while low- and middle-income countries produce the most, high-income countries have higher per capita emissions due to consumption patterns. It proposes a transition toward climate-smart agriculture through technology, policy reform, and targeted finance, particularly for smallholder farmers in Africa, to meet global reduction targets by 2030.

The report finds a significant disconnect between sanitation and climate policy, with only 2% of activities in analyzed NDCs addressing sanitation. While some countries like Jordan, Bolivia, and Uganda show detailed integration, many national sanitation policies are outdated and ignore climate risks. The authors argue that integrating these frameworks can unlock climate finance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions (which currently account for approximately 1.3% of global totals), and enhance community and ecosystem resilience.

The study estimates that Lagos State has approximately 19 GW of genset capacity, producing 39 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually. High upfront costs are the primary barrier to solar adoption, despite strong interest from households and MSMEs. The report advocates for lease-to-own models and standardized solar designs to replace petrol and diesel generators.

The Sahel region is experiencing a major geopolitical shift as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and severed ties with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This move reflects deep-seated anti-French and anti-EU sentiment, driven by perceptions of neo-colonialism and a focus on security and migration over socio-economic development. As the EU's influence wanes, Russia has expanded its presence through military cooperation and strategic economic interests, including potential control over Niger's uranium. The author argues that the EU and ECOWAS must move away from punitive sanctions and colonial-era approaches toward equal partnerships and dialogue to maintain stability and influence in the region.

The report argues that the effectiveness of National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes depends on embedding deliberate learning—defined as the collective process of acquiring and applying knowledge to change attitudes and behaviors—rather than assuming learning happens automatically through monitoring and evaluation (M&E). It proposes a framework for fostering learning by integrating it across the planning, implementation, and MEL phases, strengthening enabling environments (such as leadership and institutional arrangements), and linking activities to concrete outcomes. A review of 45 NAP documents reveals that while 89% mention 'learning', most references are generic and high-level, with M&E being the primary identified source of learning. The report concludes with eight considerations for countries, emphasizing the need for clear learning directions, inclusion of marginalized groups, and dedicated resources from knowledge brokers.

The proposal addresses the rapid growth of GHG emissions in Togo's transport sector, which increased 278% between 1995 and 2018. It identifies critical gaps including weak legal frameworks, poor institutional coordination, and a lack of technical expertise at national and local levels. The proposed 24-month intervention focuses on establishing a coordination mechanism, developing a stakeholder engagement plan, enhancing the capacity of ministries to evaluate emissions and design low-emission mobility plans, and creating a sustainable financial strategy to attract private investment. Key activities include urban planning evaluations for five major cities, the development of a low-emission roadmap for the Ministry of Energy, and an awareness campaign to improve public perception of low-carbon transport.

The document compares the macroeconomic resilience of Benin and Togo from 2000 to 2020, finding that Benin's economy was more volatile due to greater global integration, while Togo's performance was shielded by phosphate exports. Benin demonstrated more consistent counter-cyclical fiscal policy, whereas Togo's government spending tended to be procyclical during national crises. The brief recommends that Benin reduce its debt-to-GDP ratio and expand its tax base, while Togo should implement governance reforms and monitor inflation more closely.

The report documents a dramatic increase in kidnappings in northern Benin, particularly in the Atacora and Alibori departments, driven primarily by Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). Unlike criminal kidnappings for ransom, VEO-led abductions are strategic tools used for forced recruitment, intelligence gathering, punishment of collaborators, and the intimidation of local leaders to displace state influence. The study highlights the role of national parks (Pendjari and Park W) as hideouts and recruitment hubs, and recommends the development of defector protection and amnesty programmes, infrastructure improvements, and restored diplomatic cooperation with Niger and Nigeria to counter the threat.