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This report conclusion outlines a strategic vision for Africa's industrialisation by 2043, arguing that a shift from exporting raw materials to manufacturing value-added goods can drive significant GDP growth, employment, and poverty reduction. It identifies the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and diversifying foreign direct investment as key catalysts for this transformation.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the impact of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on trade within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world, highlighting both the persistence of these barriers and examples of successful reduction efforts at border crossings.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the historical shift in African development strategies from the state-led goals of the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action to the market-driven Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) imposed by the World Bank and IMF. It analyzes how these competing frameworks, alongside Cold War proxy conflicts and debt crises, contributed to a period of economic decline and decreased per capita income between 1980 and 1994.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the projected economic and social impacts of a 'Manufacturing scenario' for Africa between 2023 and 2043. The scenario forecasts that a strategic push toward industrialization will drive structural economic transformation, increase GDP, generate millions of jobs, and reduce extreme poverty and income inequality across the continent.

This research paper analyzes the economic trajectory of Africa on its 'Current Path' through 2043, highlighting a growing divergence in GDP per capita between Africa and the rest of the world despite an increase in the absolute size of the African economy.

This research paper outlines a forecasting scenario for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) using the International Futures (IFs) platform. Starting in 2026, the scenario models the impact of tariff reductions and productivity increases across Africa, noting a specific 15-year phase-out period for G6 countries (Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). The goal is to simulate how the agreement can boost intra-African trade and shift economies toward higher-value production.

This briefing paper argues that the proposed United Nations Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) to regulate transnational corporations is a critical structural lever for achieving environmental justice. It contends that existing voluntary frameworks are inadequate to stop corporate-driven ecological destruction and that the LBI can transform the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (RtHE) into enforceable obligations, ensuring corporate liability and access to remedy across transnational value chains.

This briefing paper argues for the necessity of a legally binding United Nations instrument to regulate transnational corporations and other businesses as a structural lever for environmental justice. It contends that current voluntary frameworks are insufficient to ensure corporate accountability for ecological destruction and human rights violations, particularly in the Global South.

This research paper examines Russia's diplomatic, economic, and security relations with Southern African nations, particularly since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It argues that while Russia leverages historical liberation-era ties and anti-Western rhetoric to maintain influence, its impact is severely limited by economic weakness, international sanctions, and a reliance on symbolic gestures over tangible developmental gains.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) outlines five critical themes and questions the organization will monitor during the 2026 Investing in Africa Mining Indaba in Cape Town. The document focuses on the intersection of geopolitics, industrialization, infrastructure, regional cooperation, and the role of civil society in Africa's mineral sector.

The African Climate Foundation and Dalberg developed the NDC Investment Planner (NIP) to help African governments translate Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from broad policy frameworks into bankable project pipelines. The NIP provides a structured, three-stage process—Identify, Evaluate, and Select and Act—to align climate ambition with investment logic and economic transformation goals.

The African Climate Foundation (ACF) Strategy 2026–2030 outlines a shift from a 'proof of concept' to a continental platform focused on ensuring Africa's climate transition is shaped by African agency. The strategy prioritizes three core areas—energy access, climate resilience, and green industrialisation—supported by cross-cutting enablers in sustainable finance and international partnerships. ACF operates as a support institution rather than a direct implementer, utilizing strategic grantmaking, fiscal hosting, and incubation to strengthen the capacity of African governments, coalitions, and communities.

The African Climate Foundation (ACF) outlines its 2026–2030 strategy to shift from a phase of expansion to one of systemic integration. The foundation aims to ensure Africa's climate transition is driven from within by supporting local institutions, coalitions, and governments through strategic grants, financial hosting, and incubation. Its framework focuses on three priority areas—energy access, climate resilience, and green industrialization—supported by cross-cutting levers in sustainable finance and international partnerships.

The report advocates for a shift in African food systems toward agroecology through catalytic philanthropic investment. It outlines a three-tiered strategy targeting local innovations (niche), policy and governance (regime), and structural regional barriers (landscape), emphasizing that systemic change requires coupling bottom-up innovation with top-down reform to address food insecurity, climate vulnerability, and structural inequality.

The African Climate Foundation's (ACF) 2026–2030 strategy focuses on shifting from broad programmatic support to integrated systems work to ensure Africa's climate transition is shaped by African agency. The strategy prioritizes three areas: clean energy access, climate resilience, and green industrialization, supported by sustainable finance and international partnerships. ACF utilizes an 'investment platform approach' combining policy reform, pipeline development, and capital connection, delivered through strategic grantmaking, fiscal hosting, and incubation.

This research paper examines the strategic role of BRICS+ members, particularly African nations, in the global critical minerals market and their evolving relationships with the European Union. It analyzes how the expansion of BRICS+ enhances the bloc's control over essential resources for the green and digital transitions while highlighting internal geopolitical frictions that prevent a unified minerals strategy.

This policy brief analyzes how African nations can leverage China's dominance in green energy technology and shifting financing models to accelerate electrification. It highlights a 'window of opportunity' created by US-China geopolitical tensions and China's internal focus on national security and environmental sustainability. The author recommends that African governments professionalize project pipelines, adopt innovative financing to reduce sovereign debt, and pursue regional integration—citing examples like the Southern African Power Pool and Kenya's renewables sector—to ensure long-term developmental gains.

This research paper examines the increasing flow of foreign direct investment from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—specifically the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar—into Africa. It details how these states are leveraging Africa's renewable energy potential and mineral resources to diversify their own hydrocarbon-dependent economies and secure food supply chains, while providing Africa with an alternative to Western and Chinese financing to address its infrastructure gap.

This research paper argues that African nations must transition from fragmented national negotiations to a coordinated regional approach to trade diplomacy regarding green critical minerals. By leveraging the Africa Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS), the authors suggest that the continent can move beyond raw material extraction toward green industrialization and value addition, utilizing a collective negotiating framework to increase leverage against competing global powers.

This briefing paper argues for the adoption of a United Nations legally binding instrument (LBI) to regulate transnational corporations as a structural lever for environmental justice. It highlights the failure of voluntary frameworks to ensure corporate accountability for ecological destruction and human rights abuses, proposing that a binding treaty would operationalize the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through mandatory due diligence, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and effective remediation.