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This case study examines the process and impact of an economic assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation options in Uganda conducted between 2013 and 2015. The study, supported by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and owned by the Ministry of Water and Environment, aimed to provide monetary evidence of the 'cost of inaction' to influence high-level policy-makers and secure investment for climate adaptation.

This report examines barriers to accessing finance for community-led resilience in the global South, drawing on the 'Voices from the Frontline' initiative. It identifies five main barriers—regulatory, market, social, economic, and technological—and highlights four sustainable alternatives: VSLA savings groups, the TWW profit-sharing model, Kiva crowdfunding via field partners (iDE), and Abalimi Bezekhaya's subsidised cost model. The report emphasizes that financial access must be paired with capacity building and mentorship, and suggests that the private sector can play a critical role as guaranteed offtakers and mentors for small-scale entrepreneurs.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the evolving relationship between the Republic of Korea and Africa, focusing on opportunities for collaboration in climate change and energy transition. It analyzes Korea's carbon-neutrality goals and the African Union's Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy (2022–2032) to identify synergies in renewable energy, green minerals, smart cities, and sustainable agriculture.

This policy brief examines the challenges and opportunities for securing sustainable finance to support Africa's regional infrastructure agenda, specifically within the framework of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It highlights the gap between Africa's high climate vulnerability and its low access to sustainable finance, proposing lessons from the ASEAN region to improve project bankability and regulatory harmonisation.

This research paper describes the application of service design (SD) and discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to develop a Weather Index Insurance (WII) product for smallholder farmers in Uganda.

This case study describes the application of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and microfinance to support smallholder horticulture farmers in the Singida region of Tanzania, focusing on the experience of a youth entrepreneur named Amani Saidi Mwangu.

This report provides an update on the insurance innovation landscape in Uganda as of July 2022. It assesses the progress of the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) in implementing a 2019 action plan, identifies persistent barriers to insurance penetration, and proposes a refreshed set of recommendations to foster a more enabling environment for digital insurance and insurtech.

This background report from the Institute for Security Studies examines the historical, political, and geostrategic context of the Horn of Africa. It details the region's prevalence of inter-state and intra-state conflicts, the impact of forced displacement, and the significant influence of foreign military and economic interests from global powers and Gulf states on regional stability and development.

This policy brief examines the deployment and regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa, highlighting the tension between the dominance of foreign Big Tech companies and the need for local AI capacities that align with national development priorities. It analyzes risks associated with biometric identification, the gig economy, and 'click work,' while reviewing emerging national AI strategies in countries like Egypt, Mauritius, and Rwanda. The document argues that for AI to benefit local economies, African states must prioritize inclusive digital infrastructure, data governance, and the protection of human rights, while cautioning that regulatory frameworks from the EU (such as the AI Act and GDPR) may not fully address the structural and socio-economic realities of the African context.

This policy brief examines the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa, highlighting the tension between the potential for socio-economic growth and the risks posed by foreign technology monopolies, precarious digital labour, and human rights violations. It analyzes emerging national AI strategies in countries like Egypt, Mauritius, and Rwanda, while arguing that African policymakers must prioritize local capacity, inclusive infrastructure, and gender-sensitive labour protections to ensure AI serves national developmental priorities rather than external interests.

This policy brief argues that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) cannot reach its full potential without a unified industrial policy to address systemic supply-side constraints. The author contends that the current landscape of overlapping national, regional, and continental policies creates coordination failures and proposes a consolidated strategy focusing on pooled infrastructure resources, regional product specialisation, SME growth, clean energy, and indigenous technology.

This policy brief examines how Aid for Trade (AfT) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) can be leveraged to help developing and least developed countries transition to sustainable trade and circular economies to combat plastic pollution. It highlights a significant mismatch between the limited funding for plastic pollution mitigation and the massive financial flows supporting the petrochemical sector, while proposing specific short- and medium-term deliverables for WTO members through the Informal Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP).

This research paper examines the challenges of institutionalizing industrial energy efficiency in Uganda, arguing that while targeted interventions have provided gains, a robust regulatory framework and broader consensus on trade-offs and benefits are needed to achieve systemic institutionalization.

This scoping study examines the plastic waste management and recycling value chain in Mombasa, Kenya. It identifies the stakeholders, institutional governance structures, and the policy and regulatory frameworks governing the sector. The report highlights the potential for a circular economy to create jobs and reduce environmental pollution, while detailing the significant socio-economic, financial, and regulatory barriers that currently limit the efficiency of plastic recovery and recycling in the region.

This case study describes the activities of the Namungona Women Empowerment Initiative, a savings group in Kampala, Uganda, and its founder Esther Mirembe. It details how the group uses collective savings and waste-to-value projects to build economic resilience and adapt to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This policy brief synthesises case studies from six sub-Saharan African countries to analyse government responses to trade and employment shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It evaluates these responses against long-term goals of social inclusivity and climate resilience, highlighting how economic structure and financial depth influenced the capacity to implement fiscal, financial, and monetary stimuli.

This case study describes a legal challenge brought by NGOs against the company Total, alleging that the company's vigilance plan for the Tilenga oil project in Uganda and Tanzania violated France's 2017 Duty of Vigilance Law by failing to adequately assess human rights and environmental impacts.

This policy brief examines the use of end-user subsidies to bridge the affordability gap for electricity access, specifically focusing on solar home systems (SHSs) in high-impact countries. It analyzes methodologies for calculating affordability gaps, outlines key design attributes for subsidy programs, and evaluates case studies from Ghana, Uganda, and Togo to identify factors contributing to program success or failure.

This endline report by FSD Africa and FSD Uganda analyzes the financial strategies, income, and expenses of refugees and host communities in Uganda between January 2020 and November 2021. The study focuses on the settlements of Nakivale, Bidi Bidi, and Palorinya, as well as Kampala, evaluating the impact of the Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) project and the COVID-19 pandemic on financial health and service usage.

This report by Cenfri and FSD Africa analyzes how insurance regulators across 31 sub-Saharan African countries responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposes a four-phase regulatory response framework—Identify, Determine/Implement, Monitor, and Adapt—to help supervisors manage future systemic risks such as climate change and cyber-security threats.