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This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the gap between Africa's formal legal frameworks for freedom of movement and their actual implementation. While the African Union and various Regional Economic Communities have established treaties to leverage migration for development, national interests and securitized approaches often hinder progress, with West Africa currently serving as the continent's best practice model.

The document summarizes the conclusions of a seminar held on 9 December 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, focused on assistance and capacity-building for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540, disarmament, and non-proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons in Africa.

The December 2016 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies evaluates the African Union's (AU) role in managing continental crises. It finds that the Peace and Security Council (PSC) often relied on regional bodies rather than leading interventions. Key issues discussed include the impact of land privatisation and climate change in Kenya's Kajiado County, the contested nature of several 2016 national elections, and the AU's efforts to promote women's rights despite a perceived failure to challenge dictatorial regimes. The report also details the funding struggles of AMISOM in Somalia and the diplomatic complexities surrounding Morocco's request to rejoin the AU.

This research paper analyzes the Global Goal for Adaptation (GGA) under the Paris Agreement, focusing on the proposals of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) to achieve parity between mitigation and adaptation. It argues that while the Paris Agreement establishes the GGA, its operationalisation requires clearer guidelines on minimum information for adaptation communications (a-NDCs) to allow for the aggregation of data and the assessment of adequacy during the global stocktake. The paper highlights the significant domestic investments made by developing countries like Ethiopia and Uganda and calls for a hybrid approach—combining bottom-up national needs with top-down scientific benchmarks from the IPCC—to determine and provide adequate adaptation support.

This report by Friends of the Earth International examines the impacts of 'dirty energy'—including coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and mega-dams—across the African continent. It argues that these energy systems exacerbate climate change, cause severe health and environmental damage, and fail to provide universal energy access, while often benefiting corporate elites over local communities.

The report critiques the prevalence of polluting energy sources in Africa, highlighting the environmental and social costs of coal in South Africa, oil in Nigeria and Uganda, and large dams in Mozambique. It emphasizes the paradox of high energy production alongside extreme energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa and advocates for a systemic shift toward decentralized, renewable energy.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) estimates the public and private investment required to end hunger by 2030, defining the goal as reducing the hungry population to less than 5 per cent of a country's population.

This chapter examines the state of land tenure and administration in Africa, identifying systemic barriers to agricultural productivity and proposing reforms to secure land rights and improve land market efficiency.

This World Resources Institute working paper analyzes the alignment between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted under the Paris Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. By mapping climate actions across 92 INDCs, the authors demonstrate that climate policies often generate mutual benefits for sustainable development, though these synergies are frequently unrecognized or uncoordinated at the national level due to institutional silos.

This report analyzes the East African Community's (EAC) attempts to resolve the political crisis in Burundi triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in 2016. It details the internal divisions among EAC member states, the failure of various diplomatic facilitation efforts, and the resulting political deadlock.

The August 2016 Peace & Security Council Report details the outcomes of the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, focusing on the deadlock in electing a new AU Commission chairperson, a historic agreement on AU self-financing, and the AU's strained relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). It also analyzes the security crises in South Sudan, Libya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The July 2016 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, the election of the African Union Commission (AUC) leadership, the limited powers of the AUC chairperson, and the Peace and Security Council's (PSC) engagement with various African conflicts, including the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and crises in Burundi and the DRC.

This policy brief examines the misuse of electric shock equipment by law enforcement agencies in Africa, arguing that such tools often facilitate torture and ill-treatment in violation of international and regional human rights frameworks. It specifically analyzes the legal landscape of anti-torture commitments in Africa and provides a detailed case study on the South African Police Service (SAPS), recommending the prohibition of handheld and body-worn electric shock devices.

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 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.

The 2016 Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report details a global operating capacity of 13.3 GW across 24 countries, with a forecast to reach 18.4 GW by 2021. While the U.S. maintains a significant presence with 3.7 GW of nameplate capacity, the report highlights vast untapped global potential (only 6-7% utilized) and growth in regions like East Africa and Central/South America. It emphasizes the role of geothermal energy in meeting COP21 climate commitments and outlines the GEA's project tracking methodology.

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.