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This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the projected impacts of a 'Demographics and Health scenario' on Africa by 2043. It compares this scenario against a 'Current Path' baseline, forecasting improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH), disease burden, infant mortality, life expectancy, and overall economic prosperity.

This report section analyzes income and wealth inequality across Africa, noting that high inequality levels contribute to slow poverty reduction and instability. It compares regional Gini index trends and wealth concentration, while examining specific national cases like Tunisia, Ethiopia, Botswana, and Ghana to illustrate the relationship between governance, growth, and inequality.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the barriers to agricultural transformation in Africa, focusing on the critical link between formal land ownership, access to credit, and food security.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes trends in stability and armed conflict in Africa, highlighting the role of state-based violence, organized crime, and rapid urbanization in driving fatality rates.

This research paper provides a historical and contemporary overview of governance in the Global South, examining how colonial legacies, Cold War geopolitics, and structural adjustment programmes have shaped modern state structures. It analyzes governance performance using World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) and highlights a divergence between political participation and institutional capacity across different regions.

This research design document outlines the multi-method approach used by the Institute for Security Studies to assess state governance trends and future trajectories in the Global South. The methodology integrates World Bank governance indicators, expert workshops, horizon scanning, and a four-scenario framework to analyze how geopolitical, economic, and social forces influence the role of the state.

This research paper outlines the 'Demographics and Health Scenario' for Africa, a model designed to accelerate the continent's demographic transition and enhance its demographic dividend through targeted interventions in fertility, mortality, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure.

This introductory document outlines a foresight-driven research theme titled "State Futures in the Global South," which aims to explore the trajectory of state governance in the Global South over the next twenty years. The research focuses on how states can adapt their structures, processes, and practices to remain resilient and inclusive amidst global disruptions, emphasizing a shift from Global North-centric democratic models toward "accountable governance."

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes extreme poverty trends in Africa using a US$2.15 threshold. It highlights a divergence where the percentage of people in extreme poverty is declining, but the absolute number continues to rise due to rapid population growth, high inequality, and modest economic growth.

This research paper describes a 'Gender scenario' model designed to forecast the impact of reducing gender inequalities on Africa's development prospects between 2024 and 2043. The scenario compares a targeted push for gender equality against a 'Current Path' business-as-usual forecast, focusing on four primary clusters of intervention: labour force participation and wages, political representation, education access, and health and reproductive rights.

A media statement by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) issued on 13 February 2026, arguing that Africa's water crisis is a structural emergency caused by a broken global financial system that prioritizes debt repayment over essential public services and climate resilience.

This report by I&P Ecosystems, commissioned by the CC Facility Learning Hub, analyzes the role of blended finance in supporting impact funds under $100 million that operate at the intersection of gender and climate in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on a sample of 46 nexus funds, the study finds that blended finance is systemic to the sector, with 86% of these funds utilizing at least one blended finance archetype to launch and operate. While essential for de-risking and scaling, the report identifies significant inequities in access, noting that larger debt funds capture the majority of concessional capital, while early-stage SME funds and first-time managers are often excluded from meaningful support beyond small design grants and technical assistance.

This policy brief advocates for treating water and sanitation as strategic assets to ensure peace, energy, and food security in Africa. It calls for the adoption of a Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus approach and Strategic Asset Management (SAM) to address a $1 trillion infrastructure gap by 2040. The brief emphasizes that water insecurity acts as a threat multiplier for conflict, particularly in the Sahel and Horn of Africa, and recommends integrating water governance into the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) to mitigate risks and promote regional stability.

The 'Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025' by Sustainable Energy for All provides a comprehensive analysis of global progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). The report finds that the world is off-track to achieve universal electricity access, clean cooking, and energy efficiency targets by 2030, with significant regional disparities, particularly in Africa and Asia.

This technical guide by RMI analyzes the market, quality risks, and methodological evolution of clean and improved cookstove carbon credits. It details the transition from legacy methodologies, which faced allegations of over-crediting, to newer, more rigorous standards like VM0050 and the forthcoming CLEAR methodology. The document provides a detailed risk assessment, highlighting monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) as a high-concern area due to behavioral complexities such as stove stacking and the Hawthorne effect.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics, written with Africa Climate Insights, examines the critical shortfall in climate adaptation finance for Africa and developing nations. It argues that public finance must remain the primary driver of adaptation due to the 'less bankable' nature of adaptation projects compared to mitigation and the high debt distress in African economies.

The 'Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2025: EMDE Spotlight' fact sheet analyzes climate finance flows to emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It reports that while total climate finance to these 157 countries surpassed USD 1 trillion in 2023, there remains a significant gap compared to the estimated USD 4 trillion required annually by 2030. The document highlights the dominance of China in overall flows, the growth of domestic private financing in emerging markets, and the persistent underfunding of adaptation and hard-to-abate sectors.

The IDFC Green Finance Mapping Report 2025 analyzes the 2024 green finance commitments of 23 member national and regional development banks. While total green finance decreased by 13% to $173 billion, the majority of members increased their individual commitments. The report highlights a continued dominance of mitigation finance, a rebound in adaptation finance, and a growing but still limited focus on biodiversity and other environmental objectives.

The IDFC Green Finance Mapping Report 2025 provides an executive summary of green finance commitments made by members of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) in 2024. It details the distribution of climate and biodiversity finance, noting a 13% decrease in total green finance commitments compared to 2023, while highlighting the continued dominance of mitigation finance and the growth of adaptation finance.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the future of state governance in the Global South over the next two decades. It examines how demographic shifts, climate change, digital revolutions, and geopolitical multipolarity redefine state legitimacy and function. The study utilizes World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) and strategic foresight to propose four global scenarios—Growth, Sustainable, Divided, and War—and four state archetypes—Negotiator, System Builder, Fractured, and Collapsed—to help policymakers build institutional resilience.