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Friends of the Earth International argues that the proposed EU directive on corporate sustainability due diligence is insufficient on its own to end multinational impunity and must complement a legally binding UN instrument to effectively protect human rights and the environment across global value chains.

The document is a 'zine' collecting conversations and educational tools from young members of Friends of the Earth in Africa and Europe. It focuses on strengthening inter-regional solidarity, addressing systemic oppressions like patriarchy and colonialism, and overcoming barriers to youth participation in environmental justice. Key components include learning tools for analyzing historical colonial relations and systemic oppression, as well as personal testimonies on the impacts of industrial pollution in South Africa and land grabbing in Liberia.

The report documents a series of interregional exchanges between youth activists from Africa and Europe, focusing on the intersection of environmental justice, colonialism, and systemic oppression. It provides practical learning tools for analyzing historical inequalities and dismantling patriarchy, while highlighting the challenges of interregional solidarity, such as visa restrictions for African activists. Personal testimonies emphasize the impact of industrial pollution in South Africa and the marginalization of youth in Liberia, arguing that true climate justice requires freedom of movement and a genuine commitment to listening to the Global South.

The document is a zine detailing a cross-regional exchange between youth activists from Africa and Europe. It focuses on dismantling systemic oppressions like patriarchy and colonialism, challenging visa injustices that hinder Global South participation in climate governance, and promoting intergenerational learning within the environmental justice movement.

The document critiques the 'green economy' as a mechanism for financial institutions and multinationals to commodify nature. It argues that market-based solutions, such as carbon markets and biodiversity offsets, lead to 'green grabbing,' the marginalization of indigenous communities, and the evasion of corporate environmental responsibility. The report advocates for the recognition of ecological debt, the protection of common goods through community management, and a radical shift toward sustainable societies based on social and ecological justice rather than market logic.

The report critiques the extension of market economies to ecosystems, specifically targeting carbon markets, biodiversity offsets, and water trading. It argues that these mechanisms allow corporations to avoid genuine emission reductions and environmental protection by paying for compensation certificates. The text highlights the role of financial institutions like the World Bank and Caisse des dépôts et consignations in structuring these markets, and warns that such financialization leads to land grabbing, the marginalization of indigenous populations, and the deregulation of environmental laws.

The report analyzes the FinTech ecosystem in East Africa, identifying key enablers such as high mobile penetration and gaps in traditional financial services. It details the value propositions of FinTechs in lending, payments, insurance, and investment management, while assessing the regional investment landscape. The document highlights a strong concentration of activity in Kenya and a significant reliance on foreign venture capital, particularly from the US and Europe. It also examines the role of partnerships between mobile network operators (MNOs) and banks, and identifies critical gaps in support infrastructure and regulatory clarity.

The report identifies that while insurance innovation exists across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, it is not yet leveraged to reach underserved segments like MSMEs and rural inhabitants at scale. Key constraints include high mobile data costs, low consumer trust, a significant STEM skills gap, and risk-averse corporate boards. Regulatory frameworks are generally not seen as major barriers, but gaps remain in digital onboarding clarity and license categories for insurtechs. The document recommends that regulators move beyond formal regulation to use proactive market engagement, streamlined supervisory processes, and upgraded digital monitoring systems to foster inclusive insurance growth.

The document provides a statistical overview of remittances from the UK to Africa, detailing the cost as a percentage of the amount sent, the size of the diaspora population in the UK, and the total annual amount of money sent for 16 African nations. Nigeria is the largest recipient by volume, with £2,363 million sent annually, while Tanzania has the highest cost of sending at 14%.

The report examines the financial lives of refugees in Uganda, focusing on the settlements of Nakivale, Bidibidi, Palorinya, and the capital, Kampala. It highlights a significant shift from regular employment to self-employment, with the share of refugees in regular jobs dropping from 25% in their home countries to 6% in Uganda. The average monthly income for refugees is 160,000 UGX, with Kampala having the highest median (205,000 UGX) and Palorinya the lowest (90,417 UGX). The study notes a strong adoption of new financial tools, specifically mobile money (increasing from 7% to 30%) and Accumulating Savings and Credit Associations (ASCAs). Women have shown significant economic progress, with their median monthly earnings nearly tripling from 46,000 UGX to 130,000 UGX. The report also identifies critical vulnerabilities, such as the high cost of charcoal and limited access to medical care, with 20% of refugees unable to afford necessary doctors or medicine.

The Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) project, launched in 2019 by FSD Africa, FSD Uganda, and Access to Finance Rwanda, aims to provide financial services to forcibly displaced people (FDPs). In Uganda, the project supported Equity Bank Uganda Limited, Vision Fund Uganda, and the Rural Finance Initiative, resulting in over 93,300 households registering on a digital platform and 65,484 households receiving digital payments. In Rwanda, Equity Bank Rwanda opened 57,000 accounts for refugees. The project has helped overcome barriers such as insufficient documentation and lack of financial history, with updated regulations now allowing over 600,000 refugees with attestation letters to access mobile-enabled services in Uganda.

FSD Africa invested US$4.5 million into Nithio FI, an AI-driven climate finance platform that provides receivables-backed financing to off-grid solar companies. As of June 2023, Nithio had committed $26.5 million in total capital and extended $19.8 million in loan commitments across ten investments. The initiative has improved energy access for nearly 244,000 people, supported 5,636 entrepreneurs, and deployed nearly 80,000 energy systems, resulting in a reduction of 665,654 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Nithio specifically targets 'tier 3' local firms—smaller companies that have grown through bootstrapping—and utilizes a Risk Analytics Engine for credit risk assessment and gender-disaggregated impact tracking.

The document details a pilot project by Wezesha Aqua Farms, supported by FSD Africa's Triggering Exponential Climate Action (TECA) initiative, to introduce cage fishing in Mwanza, Tanzania. This aquaculture approach aims to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as fish migration to deeper waters and stock declines, by allowing communities to rear fish year-round. The project utilizes a pay-as-you-use or lease model for cages costing approximately 8.5 million Tanzanian Shillings (USD 3,500), targeting the Victoria Blue Cooperative Society. Initial results show increased community interest in aquaculture investments, particularly among women.

The FSD Africa and FSDAi venture finance portfolio consists of numerous funds and platforms targeting climate action, gender-lens investing, and financial inclusion across the African continent. Key climate-focused initiatives include Africa Climate Ventures, which aims to reduce 100 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030, and the Catalyst Fund, which targets 40 pre-seed climate resilience start-ups. Gender-focused funds such as Aruwa Capital and RiTA Fund I specifically address capital imbalances for female-led businesses. The portfolio also includes sector-specific vehicles for fintech (First Circle Capital), insurance (Inclusive Insurance Investment Fund), and renewable energy (Nithio, Spark Energy), utilizing a mix of equity, grants, and debt to catalyze private investment and drive sustainable economic growth.

FSD Africa co-funded the Digital Frontiers Institute (DFI) from 2016 to 2021 to train digital finance professionals in low-middle income countries. The partnership established the Certified Digital Finance Practitioner (CDFP) qualification and reached over 15,000 professionals. Key achievements include the creation of 22 Communities of Practice across 20 countries and the development of 47 DFS regulations, policies, or directives.

The document assesses how the COVID-19 pandemic strained sovereign debt management offices (DMOs) in the MEFMI region, highlighting a general lack of comprehensive business continuity plans and procedure manuals. While most countries maintained legal debt limits and audit frequencies, the crisis forced a shift toward remote work and virtual coordination, which increased operational risks and compromised the segregation of duties. The report recommends strengthening operational risk frameworks, investing in digital infrastructure, and introducing 'escape clauses' in regional debt convergence criteria to better handle future crises.

The study examines how COVID-19 affected the fiscal positions and debt sustainability of MEFMI member countries, noting a sharp increase in average debt-to-GDP ratios from 63.6% in 2019 to 70.6% in 2020. It highlights the critical role of Local Currency Bond Markets (LCBMs) and international initiatives like the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in maintaining stability. The report identifies significant gaps in operational risk management, specifically the absence of business continuity plans in most member states, and recommends strengthening institutional capacity, technology investment, and the development of transparent debt management strategies to build future resilience.

The RRI programme, a partnership between Cenfri and FSD Africa, worked to remove barriers to inclusive finance for an estimated 5.6 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative focused on regulatory reform, capacity building for 750 regulators, and providing advice to 530 financial service providers to foster innovation in payments, insurance, and remittances. Key findings highlight that simple adaptations to supervisory processes are often more effective than complex regulatory sandboxes and that regional payment and data infrastructure are critical for the success of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA).

The Value for Money (VfM) Framework establishes a consistent, evaluative approach for FSD programmes to determine if resources are used effectively to reduce poverty. It moves beyond simple indicators by using 'rubrics'—predefined criteria and performance standards—to make reasoned judgements. The framework is built on the 'Four Es' (Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Equity) plus Cost-effectiveness, and is aligned with Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) and the FSD Compendium of Indicators. It emphasizes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data with qualitative narratives to account for the complexity of market system changes.

The document outlines a VfM framework for FSD programmes based on the 'Four Es' (economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity) plus cost-effectiveness. It moves beyond simple indicators to use a combination of quantitative data and qualitative narratives to make judged assessments of performance against predefined standards. The guide integrates with Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) and a Compendium of Indicators to help FSDs communicate their performance story and improve resource management.