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The report identifies cultural, structural, and workplace barriers that marginalise women in the male-dominated maritime sector in Africa. It highlights a critical lack of gender-disaggregated data and the phenomenon of 'sea blindness' as obstacles to visibility and recruitment. Using South Africa as a primary case study, the report suggests that the United Nations' Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda can provide a framework for improving women's inclusion. Key recommendations include launching public awareness campaigns, implementing gender-sensitive budgeting, and creating mentorship programmes to bridge the gender gap.

The document examines the African Peer Review Mechanism's (APRM) drive for universal membership, arguing that while a worthy goal, the organization must first address its backlog of 'slow states' and improve the implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs). It highlights that 40 of 55 African states have joined, but many have failed to undergo first reviews or progress to second reviews. The authors warn that 'targeted reviews' may allow governments to avoid sensitive issues and suggest that the APRM adopt stricter measures, similar to the OGP or EITI, to handle inactive members.

The document highlights significant gaps in development finance, noting that general environment protection receives only 2% of total disbursements. It examines how the European refugee crisis impacted donor budgets, the difficulty of tracking finance for specific agendas like sustainable oceans, and the lack of data disaggregation by some donors. Additionally, it identifies a notably lower disbursement ratio for climate finance compared to general development aid, suggesting systemic implementation challenges.

The document analyzes the digital divide in Africa, exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdowns, focusing on socio-economic barriers, weak infrastructure, information access, and government-mandated internet shutdowns. It argues that while global and continental frameworks like the AU's Digital Transformation Strategy exist, a multi-stakeholder approach is required to improve affordability, infrastructure, and digital literacy while ending political internet blackouts.

The document argues that COVID-19 lockdowns have provided a cover for governments and private entities to suppress environmental and land defenders through harassment, arrests, and the enactment of restrictive laws. It highlights specific instances of repression in the DRC, Uganda, and South Africa, noting that the suspension of normal administrative and judicial functions has limited access to justice and transparency. To counter these threats, the guide recommends that defenders shift toward online engagement, creative protest methods, and encrypted communication, while leveraging regional movements and emergency funds like the African Environmental Defenders’ Fund.

A mystery shopping study of 1,102 visits to financial institutions in Kampala, Mbarara, and Gulu reveals significant gaps in the disclosure of the total cost of credit and interest rates in Uganda. The report finds that inexperienced borrowers and women receive substantially less information than experienced male borrowers, and that written disclosure materials, such as key facts documents, are rarely provided. Analysis of Bank of Uganda data also indicates a steady increase in the number of non-interest fees charged to borrowers since 2005.

The document reports on a mystery shopping exercise conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Kampala, Mbarara, and Gulu to evaluate how loan officers disclose interest rates, fees, and the total cost of credit. It finds significant gaps in disclosure, particularly for inexperienced borrowers and women, and notes that regulatory requirements for Key Facts Documents (KfDs) and total cost disclosures are frequently ignored. The brief recommends improving staff training, standardizing KfD formats, expanding cooling-off periods for smaller loans, and harmonizing consumer protection policies between the Bank of Uganda (BoU) and the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (UMRA).

The report analyzes the 2020 Burundian elections, highlighting a transition from President Pierre Nkurunziza to Evariste Ndayishimiye within the CNDD-FDD. It describes a political environment marked by an "autocratic drift," systemic repression of opposition parties like the CNL, and a fragile economy where 65% of the population lives below the poverty line. The author argues that the new president faces a "double guardianship" from Nkurunziza and a circle of powerful generals, which may hinder necessary democratic and socio-economic reforms.

Divine Bamboo is a Ugandan social enterprise founded in 2016 that produces bamboo-based briquettes as a sustainable alternative to charcoal and firewood. The company utilizes fast-growing local bamboo to create fuel with higher calorific value and lower costs, potentially reducing household fuel expenditure by 50 percent. As a recipient of the 2020 Energy Access Booster Award, Divine Bamboo intends to use up to USD 50,000 in support to acquire automated equipment and scale production to four tonnes of briquettes per month. The enterprise has already trained 350 small-scale farmers, primarily women and youth, and aims to reduce charcoal and firewood consumption from unsustainable sources by 20 percent in Kampala over five years.

The document argues that standard lockdown measures are often impractical and potentially more damaging than COVID-19 in Africa due to high poverty levels, weak democratic institutions, and a large informal economy. It highlights risks such as the erosion of democratic processes, food insecurity, and a disproportionate burden on women. The author advocates for localized, flexible responses and calls for wealthier Northern states to provide debt cancellations and aid to prevent regional instability.

The paper examines how renewable energy policies diffuse between countries, arguing that policy transfer is a complex, iterative process rather than a simple adoption of policies from a lender to a borrower. Using an adapted Dolowitz and Marsh framework, the authors find that outcomes are shaped by interactions between national and international actors, with significant influence from the EU and international developments, while domestic factors ensure policies are adapted to local contexts.

The Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) baseline survey analyzes the demographics, income sources, and financial instrument usage of refugees and host communities across several Ugandan settlements, including Nakivale, Bidibidi, and Palorinya. It identifies a high reliance on informal savings and credit mechanisms, such as ASCAs and ROSCAs, and a significant shift toward mobile money usage after displacement. The report also outlines the specific implementation strategies of partner financial service providers—Equity Bank Uganda Limited, VisionFund Uganda, and the Rural Finance Initiative—to increase access to bank accounts, wholesale credit, and digitized savings products for these underserved populations.

The document assesses the GRP Incubator's approach to scaling resilience solutions, focusing on five grantees: Groundswell, IFPRI, Mahila Housing Trust, MetaMeta, and Producers Direct. It details the Incubator's support mechanisms, including mentoring, leadership training, and financial networking, and evaluates the progress of these grantees across a three-stage scaling framework. Key findings highlight the importance of context-specific adaptation, stakeholder engagement, and the transition from grant-funded projects to sustainable business models.

The report examines the GRP's approach to fostering an environment where failure is viewed as a learning opportunity rather than a cause for penalty. Through case studies of seven projects, it highlights the importance of trust, flexible targets, and adaptive management in refining resilience solutions. Key recommendations include designing projects for 'probe-sense-respond' cycles and establishing clear failure thresholds to avoid wasting investment on ineffective pilots.

The Malawi National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Framework establishes the vision, mandates, and institutional arrangements for the country's adaptation process. It outlines a multi-pronged approach involving horizontal and vertical integration, community participation, and private sector engagement. The framework identifies five key mandates focusing on community resilience, natural resource utilization, soil and land management, biodiversity conservation, and policy advocacy. It aligns with national goals like the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III and international targets such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The document details next steps, including climate risk and vulnerability assessments, the integration of adaptation priorities into ministry spending plans, and the mobilization of private sector finance, with the goal of producing the first full NAP by 2020.

The document analyzes how trade facilitation efforts in East Africa affect women informal cross-border traders, who constitute up to 70% of such trade in Africa. Using the Busia One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) as a case study, it evaluates the effectiveness of 'hard' infrastructure (like border facilities) and 'soft' infrastructure (like Simplified Trade Regimes and capacity building). While the Busia OSBP has reduced customs processing times by 80% and improved relations between traders and officials, significant gaps remain, including inadequate sanitation on the Ugandan side, limited access to formal finance, and the persistence of predatory middlemen. The paper recommends gender-sensitive infrastructure, simplified cross-border banking, and the use of the African Continental Free Trade Area to create continent-wide framework STRs.

The document defines patriarchy as a system of oppression that exploits women's bodies and labor to benefit men and the capitalist system. It advocates for a 'popular and anticapitalist feminism' to dismantle interconnected systems of oppression, including racism, classism, and neocolonialism. The guide emphasizes the role of ecofeminism in highlighting the parallel exploitation of nature and women within an extractivist model and provides a framework for implementing gender justice within organizations and communities.

This guide by Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) frames gender justice and the dismantling of patriarchy as essential components of systemic change. It defines patriarchy as a system that exploits women's bodies and work for the benefit of men, operating through a sexual division of labour that separates public (paid/decision-making) and private (unpaid/care) spaces. The text employs an intersectional analysis, explaining how patriarchy interlinks with capitalism, racism, neocolonialism, and heteronormativity to maintain power hierarchies. It specifically highlights ecofeminism to illustrate the parallel exploitation of women and nature within a capitalist extractivist model. The document concludes by advocating for alliances between feminist movements, Indigenous Peoples, and environmental justice activists to achieve a world of autonomy and equality.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) has established a 10-year action plan (2020–2030) to drive structural economic reform globally. The strategy identifies five systemic flaws in current economic models—including outdated metrics like GDP and short-termism in finance—and proposes five key interventions: reforming governance, financial systems, economic sectors, inequality, and the valuation of nature. To achieve these, GEC will pursue four pathways: telling new narratives, building critical mass through citizen dialogue, influencing policy via tools like the Green Economy Tracker, and transitioning to a decentralized 'network of networks' structure. The goal is to ensure that by 2030, inclusive green economy principles are central to decisions made by policymakers, business leaders, and citizens.

The report concludes that the Batang Toru hydroelectric project is an unnecessary endeavor that threatens the Tapanuli orangutan with extinction. It finds that North Sumatra already has a power surplus and that planned gas, geothermal, and other hydroelectric projects render Batang Toru's peak and baseload power redundant. Furthermore, the report argues that the project's claims regarding CO2 emission reductions and balance of payments relief are significantly inflated or incorrect, while highlighting the operational risks associated with the contractor, Sinohydro.