Blogs

Fundraising in Africa is often approached as a reactive task that is limited to writing proposals, responding to calls for applications, or mobilizing short-term campaigns. Yet this overlooks the broader institutional work necessary to attract, retain, and grow sustainable funding, hence the need to reframe the fundraising narrative. Many organizations fail to invest in long-term […]

With COP30 about to open in Belém, Brazil (10th November, 2025), one of the most pressing questions hanging over global climate negotiations is whether Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the world’s framework for international carbon markets, can finally move from policy drafting to large-scale implementation. Ahead of the talks, the Project Developer Forum, a […]

Climate accountability in Africa has just gained a new level of precision. Climate TRACE, the independent global emissions tracking coalition, has released its newest dataset, version 4.8.0, offering monthly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions through August 2025. This latest update provides a rare combination of recency and granularity, capturing emissions by country, by sector, by […]

The World Bank has approved a $60 million package to finance the Strengthening Urban Resilience Project in the Republic of Congo, targeting erosion and flood control, climate-resilient infrastructure, and institutional capacity in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. Announced on October 30, 2025, the financing will be channeled into interventions intended to protect roughly 575,000 urban residents, create […]

Angola is seeking $4.5 billion to finance a strategic rail connection from its Atlantic coastline to Zambia’s Copperbelt, a move set to reshape regional trade, mineral supply chains, and the continent’s green industrial future. The project, a key extension of the Lobito Corridor, aims to directly connect Zambia’s copper mines to the deep-water Port of Lobito, […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a profound shift in how cities are planned, governed, and funded, urging policymakers to make urban spaces engines of health, equality, and resilience. Marking World Cities Day in Geneva on October 31st, the organization released a new guide, Taking a Strategic Approach to Urban Health, designed to help […]

Ethiopia’s coffee sector began the 2025/26 fiscal year on an impressive note, earning USD 762.75 million in the first three months alone; a 47 percent increase compared with the same period last year. The figures, released by the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) this October, reveal that despite exporting only 113,542 tons of coffee, […]

Old Mutual’s recent acquisition of a majority stake in 10X Investments, valued at R2.2 billion, marks more than just a consolidation move in South Africa’s asset management sector, it represents a strategic turning point for financial inclusion and sustainable investment across the continent. Expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2026, the transaction […]

The just-concluded Carbon Markets Africa Summit 2025 (CMAS) in South Africa marked a defining moment for the continent’s climate finance journey; one where ambition met structure and Africa’s carbon economy began to take tangible form. Over two packed days of keynotes, high-level panels, and investor dialogues, one message echoed through the halls: Africa’s carbon market […]

Addis Ababa’s dual pursuit of trade liberalisation and nuclear energy signals a pragmatic shift in Africa’s sustainability and energy diplomacy. Ethiopia has moved to deepen ties with Russia, seeking Moscow’s formal backing for its bid to join the World Trade Organization while advancing a technical roadmap for a potential nuclear power plant during talks in […]

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) have launched a new joint tool that could simplify one of the most persistent challenges in sustainability reporting; navigating overlapping frameworks. The new GRI–CDP Mapping Tool, announced on October 21, 2025, enables organizations to align data requirements for climate and energy disclosures across both […]

In Nairobi this week, Kenya reaffirmed its commitment to transform agriculture from a subsistence livelihood into a competitive, innovation-driven enterprise capable of powering economic growth. The 5th National Agribusiness Summit, held under the theme “From Promise to Action: Advancing Agribusiness Through Dialogue and Innovation.” The Summit brought together more than 600 delegates from government, private […]

A group of major global corporations has launched Carbon Measures, a new coalition designed to build a more reliable, transparent, and verifiable global carbon accounting framework. Announced in New York on October 20, the initiative brings together leading players across energy, finance, and manufacturing to develop market-based systems that accurately measure and reward emissions reduction […]

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, the world’s most widely used framework for corporate emissions reporting, has released for consultation a draft update to its guidance on Scope 2 emissions, the category covering greenhouse gases from purchased electricity, steam, heat, and cooling. The proposed update, open for public input until December 19, seeks to refine how […]

For the first time in more than half a century, Botswana is turning a political page and, with it, the script of its economy. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government, led by Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, has taken office pledging to write a new chapter for a nation long defined by diamonds. With unemployment […]

The Financial Times and the World Bank Group recently opened the second Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, a continent-wide competition designed to surface commercially viable projects that deliver jobs, resilient infrastructure and measurable environmental outcomes. Running alongside the FT’s Africa Summit in London, the programme will judge initiatives launched since 2015 on impact, replicability and financial […]

A new analysis by the Project Developer Forum (PD Forum) has raised serious questions about the long-term viability of climate projects in developing economies under the emerging Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM). Conducted in collaboration with the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), the study examines how PACM’s stringent baseline rules, intended to ensure scientific accuracy […]

The European Commission has announced a delay in the rollout of its sustainability reporting standards for non-European companies under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), effectively pushing the compliance window for global firms, including African multinationals with operations or listings in the EU, several years further out. The decision, communicated through a letter from the […]

East Africa’s ports are entering a new era of competition and cooperation, as Kenya, Tanzania, and Djibouti accelerate investments to secure their share of regional and global trade. The contest, centered around infrastructure, efficiency, and connectivity, will determine who controls the flow of goods between Africa’s interior markets and the world’s busiest sea lanes. Kenya’s […]

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI) recently held two days of high-level talks in Sandton, South Africa, to agree on a new framework for funding Africa’s infrastructure needs through domestic resources. The meeting, which ran from October 7 to 8, brought together executives from leading African […]

The United States has pledged support for Ethiopia’s $10 billion Bishoftu International Airport, a landmark project set to become Africa’s largest aviation hub and a cornerstone of Ethiopia’s broader economic transformation agenda. The pledge, announced by U.S. Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos ahead of the UN General Assembly, marks President Donald Trump’s first major […]

Namibia’s energy ambitions have moved from aspiration to strategy. Last week at African Energy Week 2025 in Cape Town (Sept 29 – Oct 3), Kornelia Shilunga, Special Advisor and Head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the Office of the Presidency, outlined a roadmap that takes the country from discovery to production within the decade. […]

Ethiopia has officially launched its first duty-free exports under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), sending shipments to Kenya as part of its inaugural trade operations within the continental framework. The announcement was today on Thursday, October 9, 2025, by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration in Addis Ababa, marking a key milestone […]

The conversation about Africa’s climate future is shifting from potential to preparedness. Ahead of the Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) set for October 22–23 in Johannesburg, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced a partnership aimed at one clear goal; helping African governments become carbon market ready. For UNDP, this partnership represents a defining […]

The European Union has approved a major reform of its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a climate-linked trade levy that will take full effect in 2026, simplifying compliance rules for European importers while maintaining its 99% emissions coverage. The decision, adopted by the EU Council in Brussels on September 30, 2025, aims to streamline reporting procedures […]

At this year’s African Energy Week in Cape Town, the conversation around the continent’s energy future took a decisive turn towards technology. On the “Powering the Intelligence Era” panel, experts underscored that Africa’s ability to remain competitive in global energy markets will depend less on resource abundance and more on how effectively it adopts artificial […]

On September 30, 2025, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) officially expired, closing a 25-year chapter of U.S.–Africa trade relations that had defined the export trajectory of dozens of African economies. The agreement, first signed in 2000 under President Bill Clinton, granted more than 30 sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the American market […]

A major step forward in international environmental law has been achieved. With 60 ratifications now secured, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, better known as the High Seas Treaty, will formally enter into force in early 2026. This is the first legally binding global framework designed to protect biodiversity in areas of the ocean […]

The European Commission has unveiled the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP), a sweeping €100 billion initiative designed to accelerate the production and deployment of renewable and low-carbon fuels for aviation and shipping across Europe. Announced in Brussels in early November 2025, the plan represents one of the largest coordinated investment frameworks ever assembled for clean […]

I remember the Ruiru of my childhood in vivid fragments. Long stretches of dusty paths framed by dense shrubs and thorny bushes. Herds of goats crossing at random. Boys darting through the fields in pursuit of hares with makeshift slings and youthful thrill. Where the Eastern Bypass now snakes through, we once swam in shallow, […]