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The paper examines the tension between SADC's economic-driven digital agenda and the protection of fundamental human rights. It identifies systemic threats including state-sanctioned internet shutdowns, surveillance, and algorithmic bias, while analyzing the influence of digital geopolitics involving the US, China, and the EU. The authors advocate for the recognition of the 'right to Internet access' and the adoption of 'data justice' frameworks to ensure an inclusive digital future by 2035.

The document examines the tension between African developmental goals for critical minerals and the geopolitical priorities of external powers, specifically the US-led G7 and China. It highlights China's early-mover advantage in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe, while noting that G7 counter-initiatives often prioritize supply chain security over African local value addition. The authors argue that African nations must develop comprehensive national and regional strategies to avoid repeating colonial extraction patterns and to leverage their resources for sustainable industrialisation.

Japan is transitioning its Africa strategy from Official Development Assistance (ODA) toward private sector-led investment, specifically targeting critical minerals and green energy. This shift is driven by strategic competition with China, particularly regarding supply chain security for rare earth elements and the G7's desire to provide alternatives to Chinese infrastructure loans. While the Japanese government is actively promoting this 'business-based' approach through initiatives like the Green Growth Initiative for Africa and the Minerals Security Partnership, the transition is hindered by high risk perception among Japanese companies.

The report analyzes 450 votes and 5,850 voting decisions by African states at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) between 2006 and 2022. It finds that the African Group generally opposes or is unwilling to defend civil and political rights, particularly regarding sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and freedom of expression. The group frequently protects African states from international scrutiny through country-specific resolutions while remaining inconsistent or indifferent toward human rights violations in non-African countries. Despite a general decline in the domestic freedom scores of its members, the group's HRC voting patterns show a slight shift toward a more human rights-friendly direction after 2010, though it remains largely obstructive toward intrusive mandates for African nations.

Africa possesses vast untapped renewable energy resources, including 60% of global solar resources, yet accounts for only 1.6% of global installed renewable capacity. The continent faces significant barriers to energy transition, including a massive financing gap—requiring $557 billion by 2030—and a heavy reliance on imported technologies, with Africa contributing less than 1% of global clean energy patent applications. While the region holds 40% of global critical mineral reserves essential for green technologies, it primarily serves as a raw material supplier. The document advocates for strengthened partnerships with the G20 and Global North to improve climate finance, facilitate technology transfer, and develop local green value chains to move beyond the export of primary commodities.

The document argues that loss and damage (L&D) finance is a matter of climate justice and that the Global South must maintain a unified negotiating position to secure grants-based funding. It reviews the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund and the Santiago Network, while warning against the use of loans that increase external debt. The brief highlights the strategic role of Brazil's G20 presidency and COP30 in advancing a holistic development and environment agenda, and calls for the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance to include separate sub-goals for adaptation and L&D to prevent double counting.

China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology transfer to the Global South, utilizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund to deploy renewable energy, green agriculture, and electric vehicle technologies. While achieving significant scale—including exporting photovoltaic modules to over 100 countries—the brief identifies critical challenges: a gap between environmental commitments and actual impacts, deficiencies in ESG disclosure, geopolitical tensions, and limited local operational capacity. To improve sustainability, the document recommends enhancing transparency, aligning with global ESG standards, and fostering locally led innovation ecosystems through active partner ownership and capacity building.

South Africa's foreign policy is centered on 'active non-alignment' and the 'universality' posture, aiming to mediate global conflicts and promote the interests of the Global South. A primary focus is the African continent, specifically through the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the pursuit of Agenda 2063. The government seeks to enhance economic diplomacy by supporting South African investments in Africa and developing regional value chains for critical minerals like lithium. Additionally, South Africa maintains a commitment to human rights and self-determination, evidenced by its legal actions at the International Court of Justice regarding Palestine and its support for Western Sahara. On a multilateral level, the country advocates for the reform of the UN Security Council and leverages its membership in BRICS and the G20 to amplify African influence.

The document argues that while green taxonomies are not a standalone solution for financing the energy transition, they serve as a critical 'building block' for establishing credibility and standardising green definitions to attract international investment. It highlights the tension between 'interoperability'—the ability for taxonomies to work across borders—and 'usability'—the practical application within local contexts where data may be limited. The brief recommends a phased approach, starting with climate mitigation and incorporating adaptation and resilience objectives using international guidance to avoid fragmentation. It emphasizes that taxonomies must be integrated into broader policy frameworks, including de-risking tools and currency hedging, to effectively steer capital toward sustainable activities in emerging economies.

The document examines the role of social protection—including contributory insurance and non-contributory transfers—in mitigating the economic shocks of climate change in Africa. It highlights the African Risk Capacity (ARC) and Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) as key models, while urging the use of international funds like the Loss and Damage Fund and Green Climate Fund to finance these systems.

China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology innovation, utilizing aid, trade, and investment to support the energy transition in the Global South. Through mechanisms like the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund, China has deployed renewable energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable agricultural technologies across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. However, the effectiveness of these partnerships is hindered by gaps between environmental commitments and actual impacts, limited local operational capacity, geopolitical tensions with Western nations, and difficulties in meeting global ESG standards.

Africa possesses vast untapped renewable energy resources and critical minerals but faces significant barriers in financing, technology ownership, and value chain integration. While some progress has been made in solar, wind, and hydropower, the continent remains heavily reliant on imports for technology and patents. The document argues for strengthened partnerships, increased climate finance from the Global North, and the development of local manufacturing to ensure a just energy transition.

The document highlights the failure of top-down conservation funding in Madagascar, where biodiversity loss continues despite international investment. It advocates for community-led financing models, citing the Beolobe regranting mechanism and the MIHARI LMMA Network as pathways to increase local agency. The briefing identifies critical risks to these funds, including fraud, lack of legal status for community organisations, and threats to environmental defenders, while recommending the development of Blue Business incubators to link community leaders with private investors.

The document evaluates civil society engagement during the 2020-2021 NDC revision process in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. It identifies significant barriers to inclusivity, including the digital divide during COVID-19, technical complexity of climate policy, and inadequate government communication. To improve the 2025 revisions, the briefing recommends diversifying engagement methods (such as 'imbizo' gatherings), enhancing technical capacity for civil society organisations (CSOs), and fostering regional peer learning to protect the livelihoods of marginalised communities.

The document examines how social protection—comprising non-contributory assistance, contributory insurance, and labour-market interventions—can mitigate the economic shocks of climate change in Africa. It highlights the African Risk Capacity (ARC) for sovereign risk pooling and Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) as key models for resilience. The author emphasizes that while climate change threatens to push 130 million people into poverty, leveraging multilateral funds like the Loss and Damage Fund and Green Climate Fund can finance the necessary social protection systems to protect the continent's most vulnerable.

The paper examines the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the NDC revision processes of Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia, identifying barriers to participation and proposing strategies to enhance inclusivity for the 2025 revisions.

The document examines the role of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and Eco-DRR in enhancing disaster risk preparedness across Africa. It highlights that while Africa is highly vulnerable to climate hazards, government capacity and financing for disaster risk reduction (DRR) are severely lacking. The author proposes three primary opportunities for improvement: aligning climate, biodiversity, and disaster risk policies; developing blended and scalable financing solutions; and empowering local communities through natural resource management models. Practical examples from Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Malawi demonstrate how nature-based solutions, such as mangrove and bamboo restoration, can mitigate disasters while supporting livelihoods.

The report evaluates Malawi's governance landscape across multiple sectors, highlighting systemic failures in human rights, education, health, and anti-corruption efforts. It details the country's vulnerability to climate change and the persistence of extreme poverty, while providing specific policy recommendations to align national practices with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) standards and international human rights treaties.

The research identifies persistent mismatches between technical vocational skills and industry needs in South Africa's emerging green hydrogen economy (GHE). It advocates for a shift from traditional quantitative forecasting to 'skills foresight' (SF)—a participatory, qualitative approach to anticipating multiple future scenarios. The paper proposes four priority areas: strengthening skills anticipation systems via a dedicated DHET foresight team, enhancing TVET sector responsiveness through futures literacy training, developing a 'transversal skills commons' to ensure workforce resilience, and co-creating a new social compact for post-school education and training (PSET) to elevate the status of vocational qualifications.

The document proposes a shift in South Africa's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem from a jobs-centric approach to one based on 'economic wellbeing,' which includes dignified labour, household care, ecosystem provisioning, and state infrastructure. To support the green hydrogen (GH2) economy, it recommends establishing a skills governance working group, creating green economy skills incubator hubs for experimentation, and adopting innovative financing like social and development impact bonds. Additionally, it advocates for a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) funded by GH2 project profits to redistribute wealth from common resources and ensure a just energy transition, addressing historical land ownership disparities.