An African Climate Finance Agenda for COP26

Important decisions on these issues are likely to be taken at the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), convened in November 2021, which will have far reaching ramifications for African countries. It is imperative that both state and non-state African voices on these issues are presented to drive an agenda that is Africa-centric and which speaks to the unique challenges faced by the region. In this context, SAIIA partnered with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Regional Programme: Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa to implement the project Climate Finance Innovations Towards COP26. The goal of the project was to support a shared African agenda around climate finance in the lead up to COP26, considering in particular the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate finance, as well as the themes of adaptation finance and private finance.

China in Africa: Wielding Influence in the Age of Coronavirus

How the Chinese Communist Party Shapes Narratives and Builds Influence in Africa

Die neue Studie "Wielding Influence in the Age of Coronavirus" analysiert Chinas Reaktion auf das Coronavirus in Afrika.

Thinking ahead of the First Global Stocktake from Africa

Preparing for the first global stocktake: How to shift collective climate action into high gear and achieve equitable outcomes

While the 1st GST is approaching in 2023, the question of how GST will be designed remains critical. From the African perspective, this policy brief illustrates important dimensions and considerations for mitigation, including response measures, and adaptation action including loss and damage that will be critical for GST. The policy brief demonstrates critical action areas that need considerable attention towards more realistic and effective GST, including strengthening access to means of implementing climate action

Climate Change Litigation on the African Continent

Over the past decade climate change litigation is increasingly utilised to influence policy outcomes and sway corporate and societal behaviour. Whilst the majority of litigation to date has taken place in developed countries, there has been a significant increase and expansion in scope and geographical coverage over the past five years now with some 172 cases documented worldwide, many of which are in developing countries.

Opportunities for Circular Economy in Africa’s Mining Sector

During the annual meeting of the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA), KAS presented a report on Opportunities for Circular Economy in Africa’s Mining Sector. The mining sector provides a significant economic contribution to African countries, at the same time minerals and metals from the continent are needed for a transition to a low carbon economy and thus demand and markets are expected to increase significantly over the next years. It is therefore crucial to enhance opportunities for sustainable mining practices and operations

Informing Power Sector Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Learning from Experiences in the Global South

Covid-19 has had significant and varied impacts on countries in the global South, and the responses of these countries to this pandemic have been similarly varied. This brief explores a wide range of Covid-19 power-sector responses from developing countries in Latin America and Asia, especially examples with a direct link to renewable energy (RE). It includes new and repurposed responses (including policies, programmes, projects, initiatives, and funds) implemented by a wide range of agents (including governments, the private sector, civil society, donors, and others). However, it has a particular focus on the role that governments played in directly or indirectly enabling and implementing responses.

Klimapartnerschaften als Baustein einer strategischen Außenpolitik

In vielen Schwellenländern gibt es Potenzial, Treibhausgas-Emissionen zu reduzieren. Klimapartnerschaften bieten sich hierbei als Instrument an

Längst ist der Klimawandel zu einem zentralen Bereich der internationalen Politik geworden. Grund dafür ist der Charakter des Problems: Nur wenn alle mitziehen, kann der Ausstoß von klimaschädlichen Gasen effizient verringert werden. Neben multilateralen Konferenzen können auch bilaterale Klimapartnerschaften ein Werkzeug der internationalen Politik sein.

New Frontiers in Local Content: Environment and Democracy

Mining companies are some of the most important private sector actors in many countries in Sub-Sahara Africa, yet in many cases their linkages with the national economies in which they extract minerals is limited. In recent years there has been a growing interest in how mining companies can be better integrated within the economies of mining jurisdictions through local content policies

It is about their story

How China, Turkey and Russia influence the media in Africa

KAS Media Africa has asked experts on Chinese, Turkish and Russian media policies to outline the strategies that the state and media institutions are applying when dealing with media houses and media practitioners in Africa. As media experts in South Africa, the DRC or Nigeria are witnessing a growing pressure on their ways of investigating and positioning media in their countries as the Fourth Estate, this publication tries to give an overview, a handbook for orientation.

Solar Energy in East Africa – Opportunities, Challenges and the Impact of COVID-19

The outbreak of the novel corona virus disease has impacted renewable energy in Africa. Although much of the world is experiencing reduced energy demand due to on-going lockdown measures which has resulted in unstable oil prices, and traditional logic suggests that low oil prices can make renewable energy less competitive. However, African Governments and relevant stakeholders are recognising the important role renewable energy (and in particular solar energy) can play in fighting the pandemic and in assisting businesses to stay afloat following this disruption.