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A statement by Friends of the Earth International marking the 5th anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, arguing that these principles have failed to stop corporate impunity or provide access to justice, and advocating for a binding UN treaty on business and human rights.

An executive summary detailing the barriers to agricultural growth in Tanzania, the challenges facing agro-processing, and the necessary policy and partnership frameworks to integrate smallholder farmers into larger markets.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the role of Regional Value Chains (RVCs) and Global Value Chains (GVCs) in promoting sustainable development and regional integration in Southern Africa, highlighting South Africa's central role in providing intermediate goods to neighboring countries.

This case study examines how different sources of foreign direct investment (FDI)—specifically international versus regional—impact value chains, skill development, and local linkages within Lesotho's apparel sector.

This case study examines the capacity of natural resource exploitation to foster local and regional value chains in the construction industry, specifically focusing on the rail infrastructure developed for coal discoveries in Tete, Mozambique.

This report analyzes the maize value chain within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region to inform the Southern African Trade Hub’s (SATH) implementation strategy, focusing on production, trade, utilization, and the necessity of coherent regional policy.

This research paper evaluates Africa's prospects for achieving universal access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) by 2030, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. Using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting system, the authors compare a 'Current Path' (business-as-usual) against two alternative scenarios: 'Universal Access' (an aggressive push for 97% coverage) and 'Balancing WASH' (a moderate approach based on 2015 baselines). The analysis highlights the massive infrastructure investment required, the potential for significant economic and human development gains, and the risk of spending trade-offs that could undermine health and education goals.

This policy brief examines the border dispute between Malawi and Tanzania over Lake Malawi, which escalated due to the discovery of potential oil reserves. It analyzes the failures of regional preventive diplomacy mechanisms, specifically within SADC and the AU, and argues for the empowerment of these institutions to resolve inter-state conflicts through legitimate, binding processes.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the state of youth policy in Africa, drawing on African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Country Review Reports. It argues that while youth policies are becoming more common, they are often hindered by poor design, inadequate data, and weak state implementation capacity. The author emphasizes the need for evidence-based strategies and partnerships with non-state actors to effectively integrate young people into developmental agendas.

This report examines how the Green Climate Fund (GCF) can better support urban areas in achieving a paradigm shift toward low-emission and climate-resilient development. It identifies significant barriers facing cities—particularly in the developing world—including limited technical capacity, restricted access to international finance, and high fiduciary requirements. The authors propose three primary access modalities for GCF funding: utilizing unconventional implementing entities, accrediting cities as implementing entities themselves, and employing an Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) approach, potentially through a National City Facility.

This research paper analyzes the state of constitutionalism and civil liberties across Africa by examining African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Country Review Reports for 12 countries. It categorizes these nations based on Freedom House rankings and identifies systemic challenges to freedom, including executive dominance and securitization.

This research paper analyzes the outcomes of the 2015 World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, arguing that the conference effectively signaled the end of the Doha Development Round. The author examines the geopolitical shifts causing this failure and proposes a transition toward plurilateral agreements and the integration of megaregional trade deals into the WTO framework to maintain the viability of the multilateral trading system.

This document introduces a project by Financial Sector Deepening Africa and Creative Metier to improve financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa by enhancing leadership capacity through executive coaching. It notes that while the region's financial sector has grown rapidly, formal financial account ownership remained low at 34% as of 2014.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, details 'Stage 3' of the Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system. It focuses on 'Step 7: Developing a credible narrative,' providing a framework for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes to synthesize evidence, test their Theory of Change (ToC), and articulate their contribution to systemic financial sector changes and poverty reduction.

This guidance paper, the seventh chapter of a larger series by FSD Africa, outlines how Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes can embed an Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system into their operations. It argues that traditional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in isolation cannot capture the complex interactions between evolving programmes and dynamic market contexts, necessitating a system that integrates results measurement into every stage of the programme cycle, from strategy development to independent evaluation.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, details the first stage of implementing an Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes. It focuses on establishing a clear purpose through the development of evaluable Theories of Change (ToC) and the formulation of strategic impact measurement questions to track systemic change and poverty reduction.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, outlines a framework for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes to develop an Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system. It specifically focuses on Stage 2a of the IOM process: measuring what change has happened. The document provides a methodology for moving beyond traditional project-level monitoring toward capturing systemic market changes, combining bottom-up project data with top-down sector tracking to bridge the evidence gap between direct outputs and long-term financial inclusion outcomes.

This guidance paper, published by FSD Africa in January 2016, provides a framework for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes to assess why changes occur in the financial sector and the extent to which their interventions contributed to those changes. It focuses on Stage 2b of the Impact-Oriented Measurement (IOM) system, detailing methods for assessing causality and establishing a research agenda to bridge knowledge gaps in financial sector development and poverty reduction.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines landholding systems in Africa, drawing on African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) reports. It argues that while weak property rights hinder economic development, universal formal titling is often impractical due to institutional capacity constraints. The author proposes a gradual approach that leverages informal rights regimes and improves state administrative capacity to enhance tenure security.

This reference manual, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in 2016, provides a detailed framework for countries to plan the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. It is structured into five core modules: governance, mitigation, adaptation, finance, and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). The guide offers a step-by-step approach to identifying institutional gaps, designing policies, mobilizing funding, and establishing tracking systems, supplemented by international case studies to illustrate best practices in climate action planning.