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The document examines Malawi's position regarding four plurilateral trade agreements: the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), the Information Technology Agreement II (ITA-II), and the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). While government officials suggest that TiSA and ITA-II could boost industrialization and competitiveness, GTAP modelling indicates that overall gains from participating in these negotiations would be very small or non-existent. Malawi currently faces significant challenges, including an undiversified export base dominated by tobacco, high costs of doing business, and limited human and financial capacity within the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism to engage effectively in complex WTO negotiations.

The African Borrowing Charter provides a framework for African states to balance public debt with the need for inclusive growth and public service delivery. It emphasizes transparency, parliamentary oversight, and the establishment of robust legal frameworks to prevent a recurrence of the debt crises seen in the 1970s-1990s. The Charter advocates for the creation of Public Debt Management Offices and the enactment of Fiscal Responsibility Acts to maintain macroeconomic stability and protect future generations from unsustainable debt burdens.

The assessment finds that while over USD 4.1 billion has been committed to results-based REDD+ payments, disbursements remain limited and concentrated, primarily in Brazil. It highlights the emergence of jurisdictional-sourcing initiatives across Asia, Latin America, and Africa as a promising mechanism to scale zero-deforestation commitments, though private resource flows remain small.

The workshop, organized by the IGF in partnership with the UNDP and OECD, focused on the 'IGF Guide for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining'. It combined technical training on strategy development—covering startup, elaboration, and implementation phases—with field visits to mining sites in Eséka and Pouma, Cameroon. Participants identified common regional challenges, including formalization, child labor, environmental degradation, and lack of institutional coordination, while sharing case studies from Cameroon, Guinea, Mauritania, and Morocco.

The document examines Zambia's efforts to leverage local content in its mining industry through policies like the Mines and Minerals Development Act and the Citizens Economic Empowerment Act. It highlights a critical gap: while service companies are clearly defined, there is no specific definition of the value-added required for goods to be considered 'made in Zambia'. This omission, combined with a lack of specific targets and quotas, has hindered enforcement and compliance. Consequently, despite various supplier development initiatives such as the IFC Copperbelt SME Suppliers Development Program and the Zambia Mining Local Content Initiative, up to 95% of goods and services locally procured by the mining industry remain imported.

The document outlines three strategic options for states to control the value of mineral exports: direct measurement via a state laboratory, auditing company procedures, or a risk-based mixed approach. It details the technical process of export valuation—comprising sampling, preparation, and laboratory analysis—and discusses implementation models such as public-private partnerships and regional laboratories. The guide emphasizes that the choice of strategy should be based on the risk of under-valuation, which is higher for non-commoditized minerals, sales to related parties, and private companies. It also highlights the importance of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for legal defensibility and provides case studies from Sierra Leone and Guinea to illustrate the application of these strategies.

The workshop, organised by SAIIA and IPPR, provided training to over 50 civil society members on the APRM's structure and the importance of early engagement. Key recommendations included the formation of a civil society working group and the development of a detailed written submission to influence the national review. Participants identified critical national issues for the submission, including land ownership, urban housing, the informal economy, education, and youth unemployment. The report also highlighted lessons from other African nations, noting that while the APRM can drive policy changes, such as women's rights in Lesotho, its impact is often limited by poor implementation of National Programmes of Action.

The document examines Resource-for-Infrastructure (RFI) agreements, which allow resource-rich but credit-constrained developing countries to secure infrastructure funding by securitizing future mineral or oil revenues. Using the Sicomines deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a case study, the author highlights the benefits of rapid investment and reduced embezzlement risks, while warning against high costs, poor quality, and a lack of transparency. The brief recommends increasing supply-side competition, implementing third-party quality controls, and adopting conservative risk calculations to improve the outcomes of such deals.

The report argues that SADC countries can reduce processed food trade deficits and mitigate climate change risks by shifting from national industrial policies to regional value chains (RVCs). It identifies a significant opportunity for Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique to replace South Africa's deep-sea soya oilcake imports with regional production. However, it notes that the sugar sector is hindered by protectionist policies and the market power of dominant firms, which keep industrial sugar prices high and stifle downstream confectionery processing. The author proposes practical interventions, including a regional transportation information system to solve 'backhaul' constraints and the harmonisation of quality standards to facilitate intra-regional trade.

The report analyzes electricity access in 20 high-deficit countries by comparing government reports, utility data, household surveys, and solar sales. It consistently finds that household consumption (wealth) is a stronger driver of access disparity than gender, although specific national patterns vary. In many cases, significant gaps exist between formal utility connection rates and household survey results, often attributed to off-grid solutions, informal connections, or self-supply methods like diesel generators.

The document identifies a significant gap in the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), noting that as of April 2017, 128 UN member countries had not yet implemented it. The failure to adopt these rules is primarily linked to low regulatory capacity and low GDP per capita, with striking deficiencies in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. To address this, the brief recommends strengthening institutional capacity, fostering regional collaboration, aligning GHS with overall national chemicals strategies, and linking implementation to the UN Agenda 2030 and occupational health and safety commitments.

The document argues that global agricultural production has declined by 1-5% per decade over the last 30 years due to climate change, necessitating an urgent transition to climate-resilient systems. It identifies critical risks, including heat stress, extreme weather, and pests, which disproportionately affect smallholder farmers and women in the tropics. The authors propose a roadmap based on five pillars: promoting resilient and low-emission technologies, expanding digital climate information, mobilizing innovative finance, strengthening farmer organizations, and delivering enabling policies. The paper highlights successful examples of 'no regret' options, such as stress-tolerant crop varieties and sustainable intensification, and emphasizes the need for context-specific, participatory approaches to scale these solutions.

The report examines the deployment of small-scale renewable energy (solar PV, wind, biogas, hydro) in East Africa, highlighting Kenya as the regional leader in market maturity and local content regulation. While off-grid solutions like solar home systems and mini-grids are expanding, the report identifies significant barriers to localisation, including a lack of local manufacturing, inadequate access to seed capital for SMEs, and fragmented institutional coordination. It recommends a regional approach to policy alignment, the development of e-learning platforms for vocational training, and the use of impact investment to build sustainable local value chains.

The document reviews 87 cases of agricultural interventions, finding that nearly 70% had a positive impact on food security. It emphasizes that success depends more on local context and implementation—such as addressing wealth inequality and combining interventions—than on the specific type of investment. Key analyzed areas include input subsidies, value chain development, and extension services, with recommendations for using direct food security indicators and rigorous baseline assessments in future planning.

The report finds that while executive education (ExEd) is in high demand and improves employee skills, innovation, and customer service within sub-Saharan African financial institutions, it remains overly theoretical. Graduates report increased professional mobility but dissatisfaction with pay, particularly when self-funding. The document recommends shifting toward practical, African-centered curricula and establishing partnerships with international business schools to enhance prestige and effectiveness.

The document analyzes the challenges and opportunities for expanding electricity access in Tanzania, focusing on the role of the private sector and the AfDB. It highlights the financial instability of the national utility, TANESCO, and the impact of recurring droughts on hydropower. The paper argues for a shift toward renewable energy and the development of a local renewable energy value chain to support industrialization and rural access.

The report argues that sub-Saharan Africa's inability to reduce poverty is rooted in rapid population growth and high demographic dependency ratios. While aid has provided modest positive impacts on growth and significant improvements in health and education indicators, it remains palliative unless it can sustain inclusive economic growth. The author presents three aid scenarios to 2030 (Current Path, More Aid, and Less Aid) and a fourth scenario focusing on reduced fertility. The analysis concludes that matching Ethiopia's fertility decline would have a significantly more positive impact on poverty rates by 2030 and 2040 than a substantial increase in aid.

The GCF Secretariat report for the period of 11 June to 8 September 2017 details progress across its operational divisions. Key achievements include the finalization of 33 Accreditation Master Agreements (AMAs) and 19 Funded Activity Agreements (FAAs), the approval of 123 readiness support requests for 88 countries totaling USD 39.5 million, and the launch of the 'GCF 101' online guide. The Secretariat also advanced its gender mainstreaming efforts, with 84% of approved funding proposals containing a gender assessment. Efforts to secure privileges and immunities continue, with 13 bilateral agreements signed to date. The report also outlines the development of a draft Indigenous Peoples Policy and the progress of the Private Sector Facility, which received approximately 350 concept notes for its 'Mobilizing Funds at Scale' request for proposals.

The report argues that while Mozambique possesses massive natural gas reserves that could drive significant GDP growth, such resource-led growth is unlikely to reduce absolute poverty without concerted investment in human capital and governance. Using the International Futures (IFs) model, the authors demonstrate that the 'Current Path' maintains high levels of extreme poverty due to rapid population growth and systemic failures in health and education. The report evaluates five sectoral scenarios—improving family planning, extending health and nutrition, advancing education, boosting agricultural production, and strengthening governance—concluding that an integrated development strategy is essential to avoid a 'vicious cycle of under-development' and to ensure that gas revenues translate into sustainable, inclusive progress.

The document examines AVIC International's approach to skills transfer in Kenya, arguing that the company views local development as a business priority and a strategic tool for market expansion. It identifies a 'bootstrapping' model of development where projects evolve organically based on encountered obstacles. While stakeholders report high satisfaction with the programs, the study finds that concrete outcomes in terms of widespread job creation and machinery utilization remain mixed.