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Mighty Earth's 2024 review highlights significant private sector shifts, including JBS dropping 705 suppliers linked to deforestation and the postponement of JBS's IPO due to climate concerns. The organization also focused on expanding plant-based protein offerings among major retailers, challenging biomass policies in Japan, and launching a rewilding initiative for mountain lions in the Eastern United States.

The document details the expansion of salmon aquaculture in Chile, highlighting the ecological damage caused by open-net cages and the violation of Indigenous rights, particularly for the Kawésqar people. It argues that the industry faces increasing financial, legal, and regulatory risks due to its environmental footprint and failure to conduct proper due diligence.

Ghana's December 2024 elections are occurring during a period of extreme economic distress and high political tension. The race is primarily between the NPP's Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the NDC's John Dramani Mahama. Public trust in the Electoral Commission and the judiciary is low, and the NDC has previously threatened to boycott the courts if the results are unfavourable. The country faces risks of election-related violence, particularly in the North, and the outcome is seen as a critical test for democratic resilience in West Africa.

The LoCAL+ programme aims to increase the climate resilience of approximately 3.49 million people across 85 local governments in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Niger. The initiative combines a performance-based climate resilience grant (PBCRG) system for public investments with Blended Finance Facilities to support local SMEs and producers' organisations. The programme focuses on seven key intervention areas: climate-adapted agriculture, forestry and ecosystem conservation, agroforestry, water and health, energy efficiencies and renewables, climate-resilient infrastructure, and coastal areas in Ivory Coast. It is implemented by the West African Development Bank (BOAD) as the Accredited Entity, with UNCDF as an implementing partner and various national agencies as executing entities.

The document explores the 'climate-crime nexus,' detailing how environmental stresses drive rural petty crime, urban violence, drug use, gender-based violence, hate crimes, trafficking, and white-collar crime. It highlights how climate-induced economic collapse and extreme heat increase desperation and aggression, while the green transition creates new opportunities for organized crime and corruption.

The methodology for the Landscape of Climate Finance in Africa 2024 describes the framework used to identify and categorize climate finance flows. It employs a taxonomy to distinguish between mitigation, adaptation, and dual-benefits finance across sectors such as energy, transport, and agriculture. The approach relies on a mix of public and proprietary data from sources like the OECD, BNEF, and the World Bank, while acknowledging significant gaps in domestic public expenditure tracking and private sector reporting. The document also details the classification of African countries by subregion and income status.

The West Africa Utilities Roundtable identified four primary obstacles to establishing reliable, low-carbon energy systems in the region: energy system inefficiencies (technical and commercial losses), challenges in integrating variable renewables energy (VRE), lack of financial sustainability, and aging infrastructure. To address these, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is conducting research on the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) across 48 African countries to attract investment and reviewing energy transition models to ensure a broader range of technologies and socio-economic factors are considered in Africa-focused research.

The document examines how the competition between the US, China, and Russia affects African states, noting a shift toward non-alignment and the diversification of international relations to avoid becoming geopolitical pawns. It argues that African agency can be strengthened by empowering the African Union (AU), leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and demanding partnerships based on mutual benefit rather than great-power rivalry. The Lobito Corridor is cited as a model where competing interests can coexist to provide tangible regional benefits.

The Gambia's democratic transition is stalled due to the National Assembly's 2020 rejection of a draft constitution that would have limited President Adama Barrow to two terms and curtailed presidential powers. Because the country continues to operate under the 1997 'Jammeh Constitution', Barrow remains legally eligible for a third term in 2026, a prospect that threatens to deepen political tensions and potentially necessitate ECOWAS intervention.

The report examines the alignment between national climate policies and local adaptation practices in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. It argues that while these nations have developed NDCs and adaptation plans, the effectiveness of these measures is hindered by a lack of recognition for locally-led adaptation (LLA), significant funding gaps, and weak institutional capacities. The document emphasizes that integrating indigenous knowledge and empowering local actors—particularly women—is essential for building sustainable climate resilience in West Africa.

The report examines Nigeria's decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector, focusing on green mini-grids, solar home systems (SHS), and productive use of energy (PUE). While Nigeria has a significant energy access deficit—with 88.5 million people lacking electricity—it has developed a robust regulatory framework and a dynamic private sector. Growth is driven by international donor programmes and government initiatives like the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). However, the sector faces substantial hurdles, including high inflation, foreign exchange risks, limited local manufacturing, and difficulty accessing affordable local credit.

The report argues that climate change and the energy transition provide new vectors for mis- and disinformation that extend beyond simple climate denialism. It categorizes these threats into physical risks (e.g., misattributing disasters), cascading risks (e.g., xenophobic narratives around climate migration), and response risks (e.g., backlash to green policies). The document highlights the role of geopolitical competition, particularly involving Russia and China, and the amplifying effect of low institutional trust and AI technology. It recommends integrating misinformation risk assessments into climate policy design and strengthening monitoring capabilities.

The Sierra Leone Coastal Resilience Project (SLCRP) is a 60-month initiative requesting USD 25 million from the Green Climate Fund to enhance the adaptive capacity of 260,000 direct beneficiaries in five coastal districts: Kambia, Port Loko, Moyamba, Bonthe, and Pujehun. The project focuses on three main components: establishing participatory governance and climate-responsive planning (including Community Adaptation Plans), promoting climate-resilient farming and fishing practices to secure food and water security, and implementing ecosystem-based adaptation to protect and restore 1,500 hectares of mangrove forests. The project emphasizes gender equality and social inclusion, targeting women and youth for leadership in climate-resilient entrepreneurship and resource management. Implementation is led by Save the Children Australia (Accredited Entity), with Save the Children Sierra Leone and the Environmental Protection Agency of Sierra Leone as executing entities.

The African Union is pursuing a long-term goal of customs, monetary, and fiscal union. While the AfCFTA has seen initial tariff offers, progress in liberalising intra-African tariffs remains limited. Achieving monetary union requires the convergence of diverse exchange rate regimes toward an intermediate managed float or crawling peg referenced to a common currency like the XDR. Fiscal stability is hindered by persistent deficits and debt burdens, necessitating countercyclical debt rules and economic diversification to reduce reliance on volatile commodity exports.

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 analyzes Ghana's efforts to transition to a low-carbon economy, focusing on the National Energy Transition Framework (NETF) and updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). While official goals align with international standards and stakeholder expectations for green job creation and sustainability, significant gaps exist. These include a contradiction between renewable energy goals and continued fossil fuel investments, such as a $12 billion oil refinery deal. Key barriers include a public debt level of 83.60% of GDP, regulatory inconsistencies, and an outdated power grid. The report recommends that the UNFCCC's Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) provide support in policy reform, financial mobilization, and technology transfer to help Ghana achieve net-zero energy-related emissions by 2060.

A briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) arguing against lifting the CITES trade suspension for Pterocarpus erinaceus (rosewood) in West and Central Africa, citing ongoing illegal trafficking and the risk of setting a dangerous precedent through 'special authorizations' and inadequate Non-Detriment Findings.

The report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) examines the status of Pterocarpus erinaceus (rosewood) trade in West Africa following a March 2022 CITES trade suspension. While international trafficking has slowed, the authors find that illegal logging persists in countries like Mali, Ghana, the Gambia, and Nigeria, often facilitated by corrupt officials. The report specifically criticizes Sierra Leone's request to export 160,000 cubic meters of stockpiled timber without a sustainable export quota and Mali's approved Non-Detriment Finding (NDF), which the authors claim is based on outdated or biased data and ignores critical environmental pressures. The document concludes that lifting the suspension for any country would undermine regional conservation efforts and risk a return to unsustainable 'boom and bust' logging cycles.

The report assesses the direct job creation potential of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) in Ghana and Senegal, finding that both countries could create over 20,000 direct jobs by 2030 under forward-leaning policy scenarios. It introduces an 'Employment Factor' to quantify jobs per kWp installed and highlights the role of DRE in formalising employment for women and youth in rural areas.

A fact sheet by the Alliance for Renewable Electrification (ARE) and Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) highlighting the potential for decentralized renewable energy (DRE) to create over 40,000 direct jobs in Ghana and Senegal by 2030. It emphasizes that DRE creates more jobs than fossil fuels or large-scale renewables and provides a pathway to formal employment for women, youth, and informal workers. The document outlines policy recommendations for West African governments, including VAT exemptions for equipment, carbon finance exploration, and gender-inclusive energy policies.