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The 'Boom and Bust Coal 2025' report tracks global coal-fired power plant trends in 2024, noting a 20-year low in new capacity globally, though significant construction surges continue in China and India. While the EU and UK have accelerated coal phase-outs, Indonesia faces a contradictory trend where 'captive' coal plants for industrial use are increasing despite national transition goals.

This guide, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Porticus, provides a strategic framework for philanthropic organizations to advance the reform of environmentally harmful subsidies (EHS). It argues that redirecting a portion of the USD 2 trillion annually spent on EHS could significantly fund biodiversity and climate goals. The document outlines a theory of change based on defining problems, identifying solutions, and creating political support to open 'policy windows' for reform.

This policy brief argues that Africa must transition from a reliance on international financial institutions to a model of economic, mineral, and energy sovereignty to unlock the full potential of its mining sector. The authors propose a 'resource leverage strategy' to exchange mineral access for technology transfer and local beneficiation, while advocating for the creation of independent African financial institutions and standardized resource reporting to reduce dependency on the Global North.

This research paper describes a decision framework using natural language processing (NLP) and text network analysis (TNA) to integrate community narratives from informal settlements in Lusaka, Zambia, into flood-risk mapping and resilience planning.

The report by the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) analyzes the landscape of bilateral and multilateral agreements between African states and global powers to secure critical minerals essential for the green energy and digital transitions. It examines the strategies of twelve key actors—including China, Russia, the EU, and the US—highlighting a trend toward resource diplomacy driven by national security concerns and the need to diversify supply chains away from dominant suppliers.

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective argues for the integration of agroecology into the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus framework to accelerate the transition toward sustainable and resilient African food systems. It positions philanthropic investment as a critical catalyst to overcome the fragmentation and short-term funding cycles that currently hinder the scaling of agroecological practices.

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective explores the use of 'agroecological territories' and integrated landscape approaches to transition African food systems toward sustainability. It argues for a holistic framework that connects agricultural practices, biodiversity conservation, and embedded food systems to address systemic environmental degradation and food insecurity.

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective examines the intersection of trade policy and the transition to agroecological food systems in Africa. It argues that current trade regimes, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), often prioritize industrial agriculture and neoliberal orthodoxy, which can marginalize smallholder farmers and undermine food sovereignty. The document advocates for a shift toward 'territorial markets' and regional trade policies that align with agroecological principles to enhance food security, nutrition, and environmental resilience.

This policy brief argues that market concentration and weak competition regimes in African agrifood systems inflate food prices, marginalize smallholder farmers, and hinder climate change adaptation. It recommends strengthening national and regional competition authorities, improving market intelligence through tools like the African Market Observatory, and securing international donor support to dismantle cartels and regulate multinational firms.

The FSD Network Conference, held on February 19–20, 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on learnings from the Gender Collaborative Programme. The event brought together financial leaders and policymakers to discuss gender-responsive financial systems, the use of alternative data for credit scoring, the impact of societal norms on women's financial autonomy, and the role of digital public infrastructure and AI in advancing financial inclusion for women across Africa.

This research paper by Kholofelo Kugler and Tani Washington analyzes the impact of the Trump administration's 2025 tariff policies on African nations. It details the structure of the new tariffs, the specific vulnerabilities of countries like Lesotho and Madagascar, the potential advantages for Egypt and Kenya, and the precarious future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

This research paper by Jakkie Cilliers, commissioned by the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr), examines the potential for Africa to achieve a demographic dividend. It analyzes the stages of demographic transition, the role of urbanization, and the specific conditions—such as health, education, and governance—required to convert a youthful population structure into economic growth. The paper models an ambitious 'Demographics and Health' scenario to demonstrate how accelerated improvements in fertility and mortality could enhance Africa's development trajectory and its relationship with Europe.

This policy brief examines how African youth are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to decentralize peacebuilding, shift early warning systems toward data-driven analysis, and challenge traditional conflict narratives. While youth act as key knowledge creators, the document warns that digital divides, gender gaps, and underdeveloped policy frameworks risk marginalizing these contributions and reinforcing existing power hierarchies.

This policy note by Daniel Bradlow of the South African Institute of International Affairs outlines priorities for South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency to address the sovereign debt crisis in Africa. The author argues that current global governance mechanisms, including the IMF and G20 frameworks, are insufficient to meet the combined debt, climate, and development needs of African nations. The document proposes a 'holistic approach' to debt restructuring that integrates financial obligations with social and environmental commitments, suggests using the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) for reform, and discusses the tension between liquidity and solvency perspectives on restoring financial access.

This policy brief examines the foreign and development relations between Africa, the European Union (EU), and Germany, arguing that these relationships are still characterized by 'coloniality'—the persistence of unequal power dynamics and colonial logic. The author analyzes how EU and German policies in security, raw material acquisition, and development aid often marginalize African agency, prioritize European economic interests, and employ 'saviourism' through top-down interventions. The document provides specific case studies from Mauritania, Mali, South Sudan, Namibia, and Zambia to illustrate these dynamics and concludes with recommendations for genuine decolonization, including respecting African demands on trade and resource beneficiation.

This research paper examines the strategic importance of South Africa's G20 presidency, which begins on 1 December 2024. The author argues that South Africa is uniquely positioned to advocate for the reform of global debt governance and the integration of sustainable finance to address Africa's severe sovereign debt crisis and climate vulnerabilities.

This research paper by the Africa Policy Research Institute examines how green technologies in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, waste management, and green construction can address youth unemployment in Africa. It identifies significant job creation potential but highlights critical barriers including financing gaps, infrastructure deficits, and policy implementation failures.

The ninth FOCAC Beijing Summit (2024) marked a re-calibration of China-Africa relations, with China pledging USD 50.7 billion over three years. African leaders demonstrated increased agency, shifting focus from raw aid to value-added trade, technological transfer, and green energy. Key outcomes include a USD 1 billion deal to rehabilitate the Tazara railway and a strategic increase in Chinese security assistance via the Global Security Initiative. The summit highlights a growing ideological and geopolitical divide, as China offers an alternative governance model to Western liberal democracy and aggressively pursues the African EV and digital markets.

This progress report by FSD Africa details the organization's efforts to deepen African capital markets to mobilize long-term, local currency finance for sustainable development. The report outlines a four-pronged strategy focusing on policy and regulatory development, market infrastructure, capital market product innovation, and convening and advocacy. FSD Africa highlights its role as a neutral facilitator, leveraging technical assistance and grants to address systemic barriers such as risk-averse institutional investors and underdeveloped regulatory frameworks, with a specific emphasis on green, social, and gender-themed financing.

A statement by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) criticizing the 2024 Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, arguing that the global financial architecture and debt relief mechanisms favor rich creditor nations while imposing austerity on developing African countries.