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This policy brief provides an overview of local procurement regulations for the mining and petroleum sectors across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It distinguishes between demand-side policies, which encourage companies to buy locally, and supply-side policies, which support local supplier capacity. The document highlights a regional trend toward state intervention to create backward linkages from extractive activities to the wider economy, noting that while most SADC countries have some form of local procurement language, the depth of regulation varies significantly, ranging from vague 'best effort obligations' to specific, measurable targets.

This case study examines the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG), a hybrid public-private partnership established in 2000 to facilitate trade and infrastructure development in Namibia and neighboring SADC countries. The WBCG coordinates a network of roads and rail—including the Trans-Kalahari, Trans-Caprivi, Trans-Cunene, and Trans-Oranje corridors—to connect the Port of Walvis Bay and the Port of Lüderitz to landlocked markets.

This report summarizes a conference held on June 9-10, 2011, at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg. The event focused on the evolving economic, political, and security relationships between India, South Africa, and the broader African continent, emphasizing South-South cooperation, trade synergies, and joint efforts toward reforming global governance institutions like the UN and IMF.

This case study by Mike Muller examines the political economy of water resource development and management within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It argues that a disconnect exists between local/national priorities and regional agendas, largely because the latter have been driven by donor preferences for environmental conservation over infrastructure development. The author highlights that while some bilateral projects have succeeded, the broader region has suffered from 'economic water scarcity' due to a lack of long-term finance for infrastructure, a gap recently being filled by new financiers like China and Brazil.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) outlines a strategic roadmap for implementing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) withinS within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The authors argue that while SADC has strong foundational payment systems, it faces systemic risks due to policy fragmentation and a lack of regulatory harmonisation, specifically regarding the AU Malabo Convention. The document proposes a 'Triple-A' agenda—accelerate, anchor, and assert—to drive inclusive digital transformation, leveraging lessons from India's 'security-by-design' and Brazil's 'brownfield' approach to digital sovereignty.

This policy brief by the Brookings Institution, published via the South African Institute of International Affairs, argues for strengthening the G20 Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) to address unsustainable debt in the Global South. The authors propose reforming the Common Framework for Debt Treatments (CF), integrating climate financing into debt management, and addressing the systemic drivers of high debt service costs, particularly for African nations.

This report details a Civil Society APRM Sensitisation Workshop held on February 26, 2021, as part of the second phase of the Zimbabwe APRM Popular Sensitisation (ZAPS) Project. The event, hosted by the SIVIO Institute and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), brought together representatives from the Zimbabwean government, the APRM Secretariat, and civil society organisations (CSOs) from Zimbabwe and other SADC countries to discuss the role of CSOs in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process.

This fact sheet by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) outlines various donor-funded financing programs available for renewable energy manufacturing and clean energy innovation, primarily targeting Africa and other developing regions.

This report provides a technical and practical guide to electric cooking (eCooking) appliances for use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It categorizes appliances into cooktops, self-contained units, and task-specific devices, evaluating them based on energy efficiency, power ratings, and cultural suitability. The document aims to assist programme planners and policymakers in selecting appropriate technologies to transition households from biomass fuels to clean energy, aligning with SDG 7 goals.

The CHAPOSA project investigated charcoal production and forest depletion in the supply areas of Lusaka (Zambia), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Maputo (Mozambique) between 1989 and 1998. The report finds that woodland cover is reducing in all three regions due to charcoal production and agricultural expansion, with the most severe depletion occurring around Maputo. While charcoal provides a critical income source for the rural poor and an affordable energy source for the urban poor, the current system is largely unregulated, with state licensing and fee collection being highly ineffective. The report recommends a coordinated policy approach: enforcing fiscal systems to fund forest management, while simultaneously providing rural agricultural support and expanding urban electricity access to reduce dependence on charcoal.

This policy brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute and UNEP argues that traditional measures of 'water productivity' are too narrow because they often focus solely on agricultural output (e.g., 'crop per drop') while ignoring the essential role of landscape ecosystem services. The document advocates for an integrated water resource management (IWRM) approach that balances agricultural needs with the maintenance of natural water storage and ecosystem functions to ensure long-term sustainability and human well-being.

This report argues that transforming gender relations in sub-Saharan African agriculture is essential for improving agricultural productivity, food security, and overall human development. It posits a causal link between gender equality in households and communities and better agricultural outcomes, asserting that standard development interventions cannot fully succeed unless women and men are on equal footing.

This report chapter outlines a conceptual framework for 'empowerment pathways' to transform gender relations in Sub-Saharan Africa's smallholder farming sector. It argues that sustainable change requires a multi-dimensional approach addressing individual agency, social and legal structures, and collective relations, while actively engaging men as allies to move from 'power over' to 'power with' dynamics.

This report examines household methodologies designed to transform gender relations in sub-Saharan African agriculture. It argues that treating households as cohesive units headed by men often disempowers women and inhibits economic productivity. Through case studies in Ethiopia, Zambia, and Uganda, the document demonstrates how participatory tools—such as gender analysis grids and visual road maps—can shift intra-household power dynamics, improve food security, and enhance value chain efficiency by promoting shared decision-making and the redistribution of labor between men and women.

This report chapter examines the critical role of land access and control in empowering women farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that while statutory land titles are rare for women, direct access to land improves food security, household livelihoods, and economic agency. Through case studies in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, the document illustrates how gender-neutral or customary land systems often marginalize women—particularly widows and single mothers—and highlights the necessity of combining legal reform with grassroots activism and support for agricultural inputs.

This document is the front matter (foreword and table of contents) of a report titled "Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa," published by the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI) and the Stockholm Environment Institute. It describes the origins of the book, which grew from a 2009 Sida study on gender aspects of agricultural programmes and a subsequent 2011 seminar and "writeshop." The report aims to provide a guide and inspiration for designing agricultural development efforts that empower both women and men by sharing successful approaches and analytical frameworks.

This paper explores the difficulties of delivering adaptation finance to the most vulnerable people and introduces a framework to assess delivery. It highlights that while international climate finance to developing countries increased between 2008 and 2012 to meet UNFCCC commitments, and developing governments have increased their own spending, questions remain regarding how this money is used and if it reaches the local level. The Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI) addresses these questions by analyzing finance flows in Nepal, the Philippines, Uganda, and Zambia.

This WRI and WCCI working paper identifies seven enabling factors to integrate gender equity into locally led adaptation (LLA) processes, specifically within Africa's agricultural sector. It argues for a shift toward gender-transformative activities that challenge harmful social norms and power dynamics to ensure long-term climate resilience and gender equality.

This research paper by James Manor, presented at a World Resources Institute conference in 2002, examines the relationship between democratic decentralization and social equity. The author analyzes whether shifting power to local levels reduces poverty and identifies specific political and social conditions under which marginalized groups are most likely to benefit from such systems.

This World Resources Institute working paper reports on three workshops held in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to identify challenges developing countries face in monitoring and tracking climate finance. It details nine primary technical, political, and capacity barriers, ranging from inconsistent definitions and lack of institutional coordination to the limited transparency of development partners and the difficulty of tracking private financial data.