Search Climate Insights Directory

The document highlights the potential for decentralised renewable energy (DRE) to create significant employment in West Africa, projecting that Ghana and Senegal could create over 40,000 direct DRE jobs by 2030 with appropriate policy measures. It emphasizes that DRE generates more direct jobs than utility-scale renewables and creates numerous derived jobs in agriculture and local businesses. To achieve this, the authors recommend a series of governance, financial, and social interventions, including VAT exemptions for equipment, the establishment of dedicated rural electrification agencies, and targeted training for women and youth.

The proposal aims to address critical gaps in Benin's climate action, including the lack of a centralized climate information system and poor integration of national climate commitments into communal development plans. Key planned activities include the creation of a digital climate data repository, a baseline study on the integration of climate change into local planning, an evaluation of the 2016-2025 Low-Emission Climate-Resilient Development Strategy (LECRDS), and the development of a concept note for scaling up nature-based solutions. The project will be implemented by the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) over 24 months, targeting the National Designated Authority, sectoral ministries, and local communes.

The document argues that Africa's vulnerability to climate change is underestimated because transboundary and cascading risks—where impacts in one country affect another via trade, finance, and shared ecosystems—are often overlooked. It suggests that National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) should be used to identify these external risks and the potential for domestic adaptation to create vulnerabilities elsewhere. The brief calls for increased international cooperation and the integration of climate risk into security, trade, and development policies to prevent adaptation efforts from creating 'winners and losers' across the continent.

The report examines Ghana's climate adaptation landscape, highlighting the gap between national policy and community-level implementation. It identifies specific locally led adaptation (LLA) practices—such as climate-smart agriculture and nature-based coastal solutions—and argues for the devolution of finance, integration of traditional knowledge, and clearer definitions of 'local' to enhance resilience in vulnerable communities.

The report finds that despite robust anti-money laundering policies, there are few financial investigations into migrant smuggling in Senegal and Sierra Leone due to resource gaps and the prevalence of cash-based, informal financial systems. Smugglers utilize 'pay-as-you-go' and 'full-package' models, moving funds through hawala systems and foreign currency black markets to avoid detection. Illicit proceeds are frequently laundered through real estate, the hospitality industry, and faith-based organisations. The study highlights significant institutional challenges, including underfunded Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), a lack of beneficial ownership registries in Senegal, and corruption within law enforcement in Sierra Leone.

The report finds that despite having anti-money laundering and anti-smuggling laws, Senegal and Sierra Leone struggle to investigate the financial trails of migrant smugglers. This is due to a reliance on cash and informal payment systems like hawala, under-resourced financial intelligence units, and corruption within law enforcement. Smugglers often integrate their profits into the formal economy through real estate, travel agencies, and the hospitality sector.

The report finds that despite having anti-money laundering laws, Senegal and Sierra Leone struggle to investigate the financial trails of migrant smugglers due to a reliance on cash and informal transfer systems like hawala. Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) in both countries are underfunded and lack the specialized expertise to implement 'follow the money' strategies. Smugglers frequently integrate illicit gains into the formal economy through real estate, travel agencies, and the hospitality sector. The document recommends prioritizing financial investigations, increasing FIU budgets, and improving inter-agency and international cooperation to disrupt these financial flows.

The report examines the challenges facing Nigeria's energy transition, noting that economic crises and security issues have marginalised climate action in political discourse. It suggests that the government can drive renewable energy adoption by reinstating VAT and import duty exemptions for solar components and by completing the Presidential Power Initiative to improve grid stability. The author argues for a realistic energy vision that avoids suboptimal pathways and leverages existing agricultural networks for climate-smart interventions.

The document outlines a regional readiness program for 11 ECOWAS Member States to enhance their ability to mobilize climate finance for the agricultural sector. It focuses on operationalizing a climate unit within the ECOWAS Commission, developing a pool of regional climate finance experts, and creating a digital library of climate-smart agricultural practices. The program aims to bridge the gap between the colossal financial needs for climate adaptation in West African agriculture—estimated at $162 billion—and the actual funding received, while ensuring gender-responsive risk assessments and the alignment of regional policies like ECOWAP with the Paris Agreement.

The Africa Hydromet Program in Burkina Faso is currently behind schedule, with an overall implementation rate of 35% to 40% as of December 31, 2022. While the project has successfully installed 50 automatic weather stations and provided critical emergency equipment like ambulances and trucks, it has struggled with staffing challenges in its Project Management Unit and external disruptions including the COVID-19 pandemic, regional insecurity in the Sahel, and political instability. The project has reached 517,066 direct beneficiaries against a final target of 3.5 million. Gender mainstreaming is integrated into all components, with 10% of resources dedicated to these actions. Sustainability is considered generally satisfactory due to strong government commitment, although a formal exit strategy has not yet been developed.

The IGF conducted a hybrid training workshop on November 23–24, 2022, for 30 participants from 12 WIMOWA countries. The training focused on integrating gender equality into local content policies, specifically addressing women's access to direct employment and local procurement. Participants identified the need for multisectoral approaches, policy frameworks, and support mechanisms for female entrepreneurship to overcome sociocultural and financial barriers. Post-workshop feedback indicated that 93% of respondents felt their capacity on gender in local content was enhanced.

The document argues that Nigeria's insecurity is primarily driven by economic failure, poverty, and the rent-seeking practices of the political elite. It details regional security threats—ranging from jihadist violence in the North-East to oil theft in the South-South—and links them to a lack of state capacity, evidenced by failed infrastructure projects and mismanagement of COVID-19 relief. The author contends that high unemployment (33%) and multidimensional poverty (affecting 63% of the population) create a cycle where poverty drives crime, which in turn discourages investment. The paper concludes that without a shift toward selfless leadership and growth-oriented policies, the 2023 elections are unlikely to break this cycle of instability.

The pilot project in Bassa, Nigeria, utilized Okra's mesh-grid technology to create a 'Hub-and-Spoke' topology, allowing high-powered prosumers and businesses to share excess renewable energy with low-powered residential households. This configuration reduced the average CAPEX cost per connection from an initial estimate of $642 to $450 and enabled the energization of 46 more households than originally planned. The network currently maintains over 99% up-time, though the actual Average Revenue per User (ARPU) of ₦3,500 Naira is ₦500 lower than the ₦4,000 Naira target. Following the pilot's success, Creeds Energy is seeking funding for a 1,000-household scale-up across 18 additional locations.

The document examines the 2023 Nigerian elections, highlighting the role of ethno-regional configurations over ideology and the specific platforms of the APC, PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP. It assesses how different winners would impact domestic security, economic policy—specifically regarding oil and fuel subsidies—and Nigeria's energy relationship with Europe.

The report analyzes 588 peer-reviewed publications to map countermeasures against digital misinformation. It identifies four primary strategies—corrective information, information and media literacy, content moderation, and content labeling—but finds a significant gap in empirical validation, as less than one-fifth of the reviewed studies report on the effectiveness of their proposed solutions.

The document examines the 'third generation' DDRRR processes used in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to manage exits from Boko Haram. It argues that effective disengagement requires understanding individual motivations to create tailored incentives, implementing gender-sensitive screening to distinguish between victims and active combatants, and ensuring regional coordination to prevent isolated national approaches. The brief highlights the need for predictable legal frameworks and active community engagement to prevent the perception of blanket amnesties and reduce social tension during reintegration.

The report investigates the management of urban flooding in selected cities in Ghana, specifically focusing on the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi areas. It examines the extent to which Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) prioritize green infrastructure and engage residents in flood-prone communities to enhance city resilience. While local authorities generally recognize the importance of green spaces for flood control, the study finds that many residents do not prioritize green spaces on their own properties due to concerns about waste dumping, crime, and economic pressure to build shops. However, there is a strong overall willingness among residents to participate in decision-making processes if they trust the governance system and see their input implemented.

The 2022 rainy season in West Africa saw above-average rainfall and devastating floods, particularly in Nigeria and Niger, where fatalities reached at least 612 and 195 respectively. An attribution study found that climate change made the seasonal rainfall over the Lake Chad region approximately 80 times more likely and 20% more intense, while the 7-day maximum rainfall over the lower Niger Basin became about twice as likely and 5% more intense. Beyond climate change, the flooding was driven by the release of the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon and exacerbated by high poverty rates, political instability, and the location of infrastructure and settlements on flood plains.

The report assesses gender dynamics and barriers for climate entrepreneurs and support organizations in Latin America and West Africa, specifically focusing on Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal. It identifies systemic gaps in education, agriculture, and energy, and provides recommendations for the project's Executing Entities to increase women's participation in climate innovation.

The document examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of palm oil, noting that emissions range from -0.3 to over 20 kgCO2e/kg CPO, with an average of approximately 6 kgCO2e/kg CPO. The primary drivers of these emissions are land-use change (LUC), particularly the conversion of tropical forests and peatlands, and the degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME). The report highlights that emissions are highly spatially heterogeneous, with peat-based production being significantly more carbon-intensive than mineral-soil production. Mitigation strategies focus on preventing further deforestation and peatland development, managing water tables in existing peatlands, and implementing POME treatment technologies such as biogas capture and composting. The document also compares production characteristics across key regions, noting that Southeast Asia has the highest yields and production volumes, while West Africa has the lowest.