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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.

African cities are critical to managing climate loss and damage but are severely underfunded and underrepresented in international negotiations. With 83% of African cities at extreme risk, the brief urges a shift toward multi-level governance, improved urban-specific vulnerability data, and stronger city-to-city solidarity to access emerging UNFCCC funding instruments.

The 2025 Global Forum, hosted by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Government of Barbados in Bridgetown, brought together over 1,300 participants to address energy poverty and the energy transition in the Global South and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The event resulted in the Barbados Declaration, the launch of several Energy Transition and Investment Plans (ETIPs), and the mobilization of over $500 million in new financial commitments for clean energy projects.

This research paper by Global Energy Monitor analyzes India's steel industry, arguing that its current strategy of expanding coal-based capacity before implementing decarbonization—a "build now, decarbonize later" approach—risks creating massive stranded assets and locking in high emissions. The document details the industry's heavy reliance on blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) and coal-based direct reduced iron (DRI) production, while evaluating the potential and limitations of green hydrogen, scrap-based production, and renewable energy integration to meet India's 2070 net-zero goal.

This policy brief examines the potential for the South African G20 presidency to facilitate the rechannelling of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), specifically the African Development Bank (AfDB). It outlines the financial mechanisms for such a transfer, the political and legal hurdles preventing it, and the potential development impacts for African nations.

This research paper, authored by Marco V. Sánchez of the FAO and published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, argues that low-income and lower-middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, can achieve significant gains in food security and economic growth by optimizing their existing public spending on agriculture rather than relying solely on budget increases.

This special edition of the Peace & Security Council Report focuses on the 2025 African Union (AU) senior leadership election process, detailing the procedural rules, the candidates for the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson positions, and the institutional challenges facing the incoming leadership.

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 briefing examines the implementation of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs), focusing on the European Union's pioneering system and its global repercussions. It analyzes the limited impact of CBAMs on overall emissions reductions compared to domestic carbon pricing, the significant economic risks posed to developing nations, and the resulting fragmented landscape of international trade and climate policy.

This research paper analyzes the current state of industrial relations between Germany and African nations, arguing that German perspectives are skewed by a paternalistic approach and a failure to recognize the continent's economic diversity. The authors suggest that Germany should shift from a charity-based development model to one focused on trade, investment, and peer-to-peer partnerships to unlock opportunities in sectors like green hydrogen and manufacturing.

This policy brief examines China's dominant role in Africa's critical minerals sector, highlighting the tension between increased investment and the lack of local value addition. It argues that while China's infrastructure-led approach and state support provide a competitive edge, African nations must shift from exporting raw materials to developing domestic processing and refining capabilities to avoid the 'resource curse' and benefit from the global energy transition.

This policy brief examines the global race to secure critical minerals for green and digital industrial revolutions, detailing the strategies of the US, EU, UK, Canada, and China. It argues that African countries can leverage their mineral wealth through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by adopting a 'climate-resilient developmental regionalism' approach to build regional value chains and achieve sustainable structural transformation.

This report by the Centre for Environmental Rights examines the risks and financing of onshore gas extraction in South Africa, focusing on the Mpumalanga Gas Project and the Virginia gas field. It critiques the government's positioning of gas as a 'transition fuel' and highlights significant environmental, financial, and transparency concerns.

This report from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the activities and structural challenges of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). It evaluates the performance of the fifth Panel of the Wise, the coordination between the PSC and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the resurgence of mercenarism in Africa, and the underutilization of policing in peace support operations. Additionally, it outlines the priorities of Cameroon during its chairship of the PSC.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the gap between Africa's vast renewable energy potential and its current capacity. It highlights the continent's critical role in the global energy transition due to its abundance of solar, wind, and hydro resources, as well as essential critical minerals. The document outlines systemic barriers to progress, including insufficient financing, a heavy reliance on imported technology, and a lack of local manufacturing. It proposes strategic interventions for the African Union and G20 to enhance technology transfer, mobilize climate finance, and integrate African nations into green value chains beyond the supply of raw materials.

A statement by Friends of the Earth Africa arguing that fossil fuel extraction in Africa serves global elites and imperial powers rather than local populations, and calling for a just transition based on community-owned renewable energy and the payment of ecological debts.

An address by Dirco Minister Ronald Lamola outlining South Africa's foreign policy, which emphasizes active non-alignment, the centrality of Africa through Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA, and solidarity with peoples resisting occupation in Palestine and Western Sahara.

This report by FSD Africa provides a pan-African forecast of direct green job creation by 2030 across 12 material value chains. It identifies a significant near-term opportunity for 1.5 to 3.3 million new direct jobs, primarily driven by the energy and power sector. The analysis emphasizes that while long-term potential is vast, immediate investment in human capital and skilling is required to realize these gains.

This policy brief examines the current state and potential of renewable energy technologies in Africa, highlighting the gap between the continent's vast natural resources and its low installed capacity. It analyzes barriers to the energy transition, including financing shortages, reliance on imported technology, and the need for better integration into green value chains, while providing recommendations for the African Union and G20 to support a just transition.

This fact sheet by Zero Carbon Analytics explains the mechanics, predictions, and regional impacts of La Niña, the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. It details the likelihood of a transition to La Niña in 2024, the increasing frequency of multi-year events, and how human-caused climate change influences these phenomena without offsetting overall global warming.