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The report examines the potential of solar PV, batteries, and ICT to transform agriculture in low- and middle-income countries. It highlights applications such as solar-powered irrigation, precision agriculture, and indoor farming, noting that while these technologies can reduce environmental harm and increase yields, they face barriers like high upfront costs and data privacy risks. The authors recommend government interventions in regulation, financing, and capacity-building to ensure inclusive and sustainable adoption.

The document examines Africa's response to COVID-19, highlighting the tension between implementing lockdowns to protect fragile health systems and the resulting economic risks due to high informality and poverty. It notes that while some countries adopted rapid mitigation strategies and leveraged experience from previous epidemics, systemic gaps in water access and health funding leave the continent vulnerable as infection rates accelerate.

The report analyzes three economic recovery scenarios (V, U, and L-shaped) for Africa, concluding that the pandemic will cause a severe development setback. It forecasts that Africa's economy will be between US$349 billion and US$643 billion smaller by 2030 compared to pre-pandemic projections. While Africa's youthful population may mitigate direct COVID-19 mortality, the report warns that reduced health expenditure and high debt levels could lead to significant indirect deaths and a systemic human development crisis. Key recommendations include urgent debt relief, increased domestic health spending, and accelerated digitisation to build long-term resilience.

The research investigates the hypothesis that African agricultural exporters could substitute for US goods rendered expensive by tariffs. Using trade data from 2017 to 2019, the author finds that while African exports to China grew, the rate of growth declined over time and was significantly lower than that of competitors in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper argues that Africa has been unable to fully capitalise on the trade war due to a lack of state incentives, poor manufacturing sectors, and a failure to develop specific industries like pork, despite the potential created by the African swine flu in China.

The document analyzes the proliferation of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, which the WHO estimates constitute more than 50% of the global drug market. It highlights a severe crisis in Africa, where up to 70% of medicines in some countries like Nigeria are estimated to be counterfeit, leading to significant mortality from diseases like malaria. The brief discusses the role of high R&D costs and patents in creating market exclusivity that drives the poor toward cheaper, fake alternatives. It evaluates 'Track & Trace' technologies and international initiatives like IMPACT, while noting that weak enforcement and a lack of quality data hinder policy formulation. Finally, it explores pharmaceutical foreign direct investment (FDI) in the SADC region as a potential path toward legitimate market growth.

The report analyzes three economic recovery scenarios (V, U, and L-shaped) for Africa following the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that while the continent's youthful population may mitigate direct mortality, the economic shock will likely erase years of progress in poverty reduction and hinder the achievement of 2030 SDGs. The analysis emphasizes that the primary suffering will stem from economic contraction and a resulting debt crisis rather than direct virus mortality. Key recommendations include urgent debt relief, increased health spending, and investment in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure to build long-term resilience.

The GEC Steering Group reviewed four strategic priorities, all of which were downgraded to 'amber' status due to the challenges and increased expectations brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The group evaluated two major programmes: 'Economics for Nature' and the 'EC dialogues programme', emphasizing the need for better governance and integration with the GEC's COVID-19 campaign. The Steering Group unanimously decided that the GEC must launch a COVID-19 intervention, focusing on structural economic reforms and societal demand for a green recovery, while noting the need for additional funding to avoid unrealistic expectations.

The document examines the 2020 Burundian election, which saw Evariste Ndayishimiye win with 68% of the vote despite allegations of fraud from the opposition and the Catholic Church. It highlights the president's need to balance internal CNDD-FDD party factions, specifically between the military generals who supported him and his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza. The author notes severe national crises, including a 74% poverty rate, massive displacement of people, and a destroyed professional middle class. The text argues that the African Union should engage with the new administration to encourage the restoration of civil society and media freedoms.

The policy brief argues that African governments should leverage the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis to implement lasting reforms that protect the continent's long-term growth trajectory. It outlines ten priorities divided into resource mobilization, governance, business environment, and digital innovation. Key recommendations include closing tax loopholes, streamlining government bureaucracy, improving the ease of doing business, and crowding in venture capital to support a tech-driven innovation ecosystem.

The report details how COVID-19 caused operational disruptions, reduced premium income, and accelerated digitalization within the insurance sector in Eastern and Southern Africa. While life and health products provided some coverage, business interruption insurance largely failed to support business resilience. Insurers face prudential stability concerns and liquidity challenges, though 50% expect premium income to recover within a year.

The report identifies cultural, structural, and workplace barriers that marginalise women in the male-dominated maritime sector in Africa. It highlights a critical lack of gender-disaggregated data and the phenomenon of 'sea blindness' as obstacles to visibility and recruitment. Using South Africa as a primary case study, the report suggests that the United Nations' Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda can provide a framework for improving women's inclusion. Key recommendations include launching public awareness campaigns, implementing gender-sensitive budgeting, and creating mentorship programmes to bridge the gender gap.

The document examines the African Peer Review Mechanism's (APRM) drive for universal membership, arguing that while a worthy goal, the organization must first address its backlog of 'slow states' and improve the implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs). It highlights that 40 of 55 African states have joined, but many have failed to undergo first reviews or progress to second reviews. The authors warn that 'targeted reviews' may allow governments to avoid sensitive issues and suggest that the APRM adopt stricter measures, similar to the OGP or EITI, to handle inactive members.

The document examines the gap between Africa's youth-related policy frameworks, such as the African Youth Charter, and the reality of youth participation in governance. It argues that youth are often treated as mere beneficiaries of services or tokenistic additions to processes rather than empowered stakeholders in decision-making. The author analyzes the role of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in promoting good governance and finds that while recent efforts like the N’Djamena symposium show progress, structural barriers and policy incoherence persist. The paper recommends establishing youth quotas in National Governing Councils and integrating youth into the technical tools and review missions of the APRM to ensure meaningful engagement.

The report examines the intersection of Africa's digital economy and the AfCFTA, highlighting how ecommerce can overcome the continent's low formal retail penetration and lack of manufacturing diversity. While identifying significant barriers—including high data costs, poor logistics, and regulatory fragmentation—it argues that a unified trading bloc will provide the economies of scale necessary for SMEs to grow. The author recommends harmonising data privacy, consumer protection, and payment systems to foster trust and enable a sustainable, inclusive digital market.

The document highlights significant gaps in development finance, noting that general environment protection receives only 2% of total disbursements. It examines how the European refugee crisis impacted donor budgets, the difficulty of tracking finance for specific agendas like sustainable oceans, and the lack of data disaggregation by some donors. Additionally, it identifies a notably lower disbursement ratio for climate finance compared to general development aid, suggesting systemic implementation challenges.

The report examines the link between environmental degradation and the rising frequency of zoonotic diseases, using COVID-19 as a primary example. It identifies land-use change for agriculture and the trade of high-risk wildlife as the primary drivers of pathogen spillover. The document proposes a 'New Deal for Nature and People' focusing on halting high-risk wildlife trade, eliminating deforestation from supply chains, and implementing a 'One Health' approach to economic recovery.

The document identifies the Technical Assistance (TA) Facility for the Global Subnational Climate Fund as a Category I-2 environmental and social safeguards project. It lists target countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, and confirms that an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) has been disclosed in multiple languages to comply with requirements.

The document analyzes the digital divide in Africa, exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdowns, focusing on socio-economic barriers, weak infrastructure, information access, and government-mandated internet shutdowns. It argues that while global and continental frameworks like the AU's Digital Transformation Strategy exist, a multi-stakeholder approach is required to improve affordability, infrastructure, and digital literacy while ending political internet blackouts.

The document argues that COVID-19 lockdowns have provided a cover for governments and private entities to suppress environmental and land defenders through harassment, arrests, and the enactment of restrictive laws. It highlights specific instances of repression in the DRC, Uganda, and South Africa, noting that the suspension of normal administrative and judicial functions has limited access to justice and transparency. To counter these threats, the guide recommends that defenders shift toward online engagement, creative protest methods, and encrypted communication, while leveraging regional movements and emergency funds like the African Environmental Defenders’ Fund.

The document identifies a significant untapped market of approximately 5 million refugees and IDPs in the Great Lakes region, specifically focusing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Research indicates that while these populations have substantial aggregate spending power—with IDPs alone estimated to spend over $1 billion annually on household expenses—they lack access to formal financial products. The briefing highlights opportunities for businesses to provide micro-loans, affordable electricity, improved money transfer services, and more effective utility payment systems, noting that high rates of mobile phone ownership and the possession of formal identification cards facilitate these interventions.