Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief examines the 'catnip project', an initiative supported by BioInnovate Africa to develop and commercialize plant-based mosquito repellents (soaps, sprays, and lotions) using locally grown catnip to combat malaria in eastern Africa. The document analyzes the project's innovation system, highlighting the success of local R&D and entrepreneurial activity while identifying systemic barriers to upscaling and commercialization in the region.

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective argues for the integration of agroecology into the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus framework to accelerate the transition toward sustainable and resilient African food systems. It positions philanthropic investment as a critical catalyst to overcome the fragmentation and short-term funding cycles that currently hinder the scaling of agroecological practices.

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.

This research paper by Kholofelo Kugler and Tani Washington analyzes the impact of the Trump administration's 2025 tariff policies on African nations. It details the structure of the new tariffs, the specific vulnerabilities of countries like Lesotho and Madagascar, the potential advantages for Egypt and Kenya, and the precarious future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

This policy brief argues that Africa's youth agenda must transition from a focus on peace and security (YPS) to a more holistic approach integrating development (YPD). It highlights that underdevelopment is a primary driver of insecurity for the continent's youth, who face high unemployment and poverty. The document notes that current AU frameworks have failed to meet mid-way targets for 2024 and recommends integrating developmental indicators into the Continental Framework on YPS and leveraging the AfCFTA and Agenda 2063 to create jobs for the 100–120 million youth expected to enter the job market in the next decade.

This policy brief examines how African youth are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to decentralize peacebuilding, shift early warning systems toward data-driven analysis, and challenge traditional conflict narratives. While youth act as key knowledge creators, the document warns that digital divides, gender gaps, and underdeveloped policy frameworks risk marginalizing these contributions and reinforcing existing power hierarchies.

This policy brief examines the systemic exclusion of youth from governance, peace, and security in East Africa. Despite comprising over 70% of the population, young people face institutional, cultural, and economic barriers that render their participation tokenistic. The document analyzes regional and national frameworks, highlights the gap between policy and implementation, and provides recommendations for the East African Community (EAC) and partner states to enhance meaningful youth engagement.

This policy brief examines the opportunities and challenges associated with Somalia's admission to the East African Community (EAC) in March 2024. It analyzes the strategic, economic, and security implications for both Somalia and the bloc, highlighting the tension between the political will for integration and the institutional, legal, and security fragilities within Somalia.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies argues that the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is hindered by a rigid, reactive mandate that fails to address the complex regional political dynamics and the enhanced military capabilities of armed groups like the M23. The authors call for a fundamental recalibration of the mission, shifting from a defensive posture to one focused on prevention, flexible rules of engagement, and a transition strategy based on local readiness benchmarks rather than fixed timelines.

The Energizing Healthcare 2025 conference report details a two-day event focused on accelerating clean and reliable energy for healthcare facilities in low-resource settings. The report highlights a global energy access gap affecting 1 billion people and outlines the financial, technical, and coordination requirements needed to close this gap by 2030, emphasizing the transition from diesel to solar and the integration of energy into national climate and health planning.

This research paper analyzes the 'magnetic pull' of BRICS, exploring why non-member states seek to join the informal group. It argues that while initial appeal was based on economic credentials and promises of systemic reform, the group has transitioned toward more strategic outreach. The author examines the evolution of BRICS through its 2010 and 2023 expansions and the 2024 Kazan summit, highlighting the role of 'compound soft power' and the challenges of maintaining internal cohesion amidst rapid growth.

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.

The ninth FOCAC Beijing Summit (2024) marked a re-calibration of China-Africa relations, with China pledging USD 50.7 billion over three years. African leaders demonstrated increased agency, shifting focus from raw aid to value-added trade, technological transfer, and green energy. Key outcomes include a USD 1 billion deal to rehabilitate the Tazara railway and a strategic increase in Chinese security assistance via the Global Security Initiative. The summit highlights a growing ideological and geopolitical divide, as China offers an alternative governance model to Western liberal democracy and aggressively pursues the African EV and digital markets.

This progress report by FSD Africa details the organization's efforts to deepen African capital markets to mobilize long-term, local currency finance for sustainable development. The report outlines a four-pronged strategy focusing on policy and regulatory development, market infrastructure, capital market product innovation, and convening and advocacy. FSD Africa highlights its role as a neutral facilitator, leveraging technical assistance and grants to address systemic barriers such as risk-averse institutional investors and underdeveloped regulatory frameworks, with a specific emphasis on green, social, and gender-themed financing.

A statement by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) criticizing the 2024 Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, arguing that the global financial architecture and debt relief mechanisms favor rich creditor nations while imposing austerity on developing African countries.

This report summary outlines how climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices like agroforestry and mulching can help coffee producers in the East African Community (EAC) increase yields and meet the strict sustainability and certification requirements of the EU market, where exports from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda have grown by 60% over the last decade.

This report analyzes the impact of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) on coffee production in the East African Community (EAC) and its role in accessing the EU market. Meta-analysis shows that mulching, organic manure, and irrigation significantly increase yields, while agroforestry substantially boosts carbon sequestration. The EU is a primary export destination, accounting for 60.1% of EAC coffee exports in 2021, but access requires compliance with strict sustainability, deforestation, and phytosanitary regulations.

This policy brief analyzes the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the UK Critical Minerals Strategy (CMS), evaluating their potential to support African industrialization. It argues that both frameworks are primarily driven by domestic energy and economic priorities, focusing on reducing dependency on China and mitigating geopolitical risks. The author contends that current capital allocations and the emphasis on domestic processing capacity are insufficient to attract private investment for African value addition and beneficiation, suggesting a need for a shift in political and commercial relations to align with African industrialization goals.

A retrospective report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) detailing ten years of the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (the Lab). The document analyzes the Lab's role as a market-builder and pipeline incubator, sharing lessons on balancing financial innovation with actionability to mobilize private capital for climate mitigation and adaptation in emerging markets.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) report 'Tracking and Mobilizing Private Sector Climate Adaptation Finance' introduces a new methodology and taxonomy to better track private sector investments in climate adaptation. By utilizing a bespoke taxonomy and a machine learning model, CPI increased the annual average of tracked private adaptation finance for the 2019-2022 period from USD 1 billion to USD 4.7 billion. The report identifies significant data gaps, particularly among insurers and pension funds, and highlights that the majority of tracked project-level investment is concentrated in the water and sanitation sector.