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This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics, in partnership with the Global Offshore Wind Alliance and Ocean Conservancy, examines the potential for offshore wind and marine energy in Africa. It highlights that the continent's 30,500-kilometre coastline could support 6,750 GW of offshore wind, which could significantly exceed current power generation capacity and provide substantial economic and environmental benefits if scaled.

This research paper outlines a 'Governance scenario' for Africa, modeling the potential socio-economic impacts of improvements in stability, government capacity, and inclusion by 2043. It specifically examines how digital technology can enable direct cash transfer programs to replace inefficient subsidies and forecasts significant gains in GDP and poverty reduction across the continent.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the potential economic and social impacts on Africa by 2050 across four global scenarios: Sustainable World, Growth World, Divided World, and World at War. It identifies the success of integration efforts, such as the AfCFTA, as the primary driver of divergent outcomes, noting that the Sustainable World scenario offers the most significant gains in GDP per capita, poverty reduction, and human development, while the World at War scenario presents the worst outcomes.

This policy brief examines how the methodologies of major private credit rating agencies (CRAs) negatively impact African development by inflating risk premiums and increasing the cost of capital. It argues that the current system is marred by oligopolistic structures, subjective biases, and a lack of transparency, which hinders access to financing for infrastructure and climate projects. The document advocates for the establishment of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) and a global fiscal body to create a more equitable financial architecture, while advising African nations to improve data transparency, debt management capacity, and macroeconomic fundamentals.

The State of ClimateTech in Africa 2.0 is a report by FSD Africa and partners that analyzes the evolution of the African ClimateTech ecosystem between 2016 and 2025. Moving beyond aggregate funding totals, the report employs a new application-led taxonomy and an adapted Carlota Perez techno-economic framework to demonstrate that African ClimateTech is not a single market but a collection of applications maturing at different speeds. It highlights deep concentrations of capital in the Energy and Mobility sectors and identifies critical financing gaps—particularly in early-stage equity and working capital—that constrain the growth of asset-heavy and adaptation-focused ventures.

This report provides a 'Current Path' development forecast for sub-Saharan Africa from 2019 to 2043, utilizing the International Futures (IFs) platform. It analyzes demographic shifts, economic growth, poverty trends, and energy transitions, projecting a region with significant population growth, increasing urbanization, and a shift toward manufacturing and renewable energy, despite persistent challenges with food insecurity and carbon emissions.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the scale, impact, and future projections of remittance flows to Africa. It examines how these funds support households and macroeconomic stability, while also warning of potential 'remittance traps' and 'Dutch disease' that can hinder long-term economic growth and government accountability.

The report forecasts that a 'Combined Agenda 2063 scenario' would nearly double sub-Saharan Africa's economy by 2043 compared to the current path, increasing GDP per capita to US$9,798 and significantly reducing extreme poverty to 7.3%. While services and manufacturing are expected to drive the most GDP growth, the scenario also predicts an increase in carbon emissions to 892 million tons by 2043.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes Africa's rapid population growth and its implications for the global labor market. It forecasts that Africa's population will reach 3.850 billion by 2100, driven by high fertility rates and population momentum, potentially making the continent the world's largest labor force by 2040.

This report analyzes the 'Combined Agenda 2063 scenario' for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), integrating 11 sectoral scenarios to forecast GDP per capita, poverty levels, and carbon emissions by 2043. It highlights the synergistic effects of multi-sectoral reform, projecting significant economic growth and poverty reduction, while noting an inevitable increase in carbon emissions.

This policy brief examines how the methodologies of major private credit rating agencies (CRAs) negatively impact African development by inflating risk premiums and increasing the cost of capital. It argues that these agencies operate as an oligopoly with subjective, biased methodologies that ignore social indicators and long-term development. To counter this, the document discusses the establishment of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) and proposes broader reforms to the international financial architecture, including the creation of a global fiscal body and improved domestic fiscal transparency and debt management in African nations.

This research paper examines the growth and impact of private education in Africa, noting a shift from charitable mission schools to profit-driven institutions driven by government failures and foreign investment. While some private schools provide high-quality alternatives to overcrowded and underperforming public systems, the trend is criticized for exacerbating inequality and draining resources from the public sector.

This research paper analyzes the potential economic and social impacts of reducing gender gaps in education and labor force participation across Africa by 2043. It compares a 'Gender scenario' against a 'Current Path' forecast, finding that aggressive reductions in gender inequality would significantly increase GDP, raise GDP per capita, reduce extreme poverty, and improve child health and human development indices across the continent.

This report analyzes energy demand and production forecasts for Africa, comparing a 'Current Path' scenario with a 'Combined' scenario characterized by faster economic growth and policy interventions to constrain energy exports for domestic security.

The April 2026 Peace & Security Council Report examines key African Union (AU) initiatives, including a UN resolution on slavery reparations, the integration of governance intelligence into security actions via the APRM-PSC interface, the precarious stability of South Sudan ahead of 2026 elections, and a review of Angola's tenure as AU chair.

This report evaluates the state of industrialisation in Africa, analyzing the causes of stagnation and premature deindustrialisation while modeling a 'Manufacturing scenario' to forecast the potential economic benefits of scaled-up investment in the sector by 2043.

This report section analyzes the impact of commodity dependence on African economies, detailing the 'resource curse' where heavy reliance on raw material exports correlates with poor governance, political corruption, and slow economic growth. It contrasts the development trajectories of resource-rich and resource-poor nations and discusses the role of sovereign wealth funds and the global energy transition in shaping future demand.

This report outlines the 'Combined scenario' for Africa's economic structural transformation toward 2043, focusing on the shift from low-productivity to high-productivity sectors. It details the projected roles of manufacturing, services, agriculture, and ICT, while emphasizing the necessity of urban resilience and regional trade integration via AfCFTA to achieve a diversified, knowledge-based economy.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the state of the manufacturing sector across Africa, highlighting a trend of premature deindustrialization and the varying levels of industrialization across different income groups. It examines the role of Chinese investment in the continent's industrial landscape and the challenges African nations face in moving from raw material exports to high-value manufacturing.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the historical shift in African development strategies from the state-led goals of the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action to the market-driven Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) imposed by the World Bank and IMF. It analyzes how these competing frameworks, alongside Cold War proxy conflicts and debt crises, contributed to a period of economic decline and decreased per capita income between 1980 and 1994.