Europa: • Deutschland muss sich wieder als wichtiger Teil und als eine der Führungsnationen der EU verstehen. Die neue Bundesregierung sollte in außenwirtschaftlichen Fragen konsequent europäisch denken und handeln. • Nur ein starker EU-Binnenmarkt schafft Augenhöhe mit den USA und...

Europe: • Germany must once again see itself as an important part of and a leading nation within the EU. The new German government should consistently think and act in a European way on foreign trade issues. • Only a strong EU single market can compete on equal terms with the USA and China....

In the 1960s and 1970s elite studies formed an integral part of the research agenda on newly independent African states. Commentators sought to predict the likely political and economic paths of independent African states based on the social backgrounds and political orientations of existing...

The new loss and damage funding framework under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) emphasises the importance of channelling support through national systems and mechanisms. This approach could prove particularly challenging for African least developed ountries...

Sustainable development attempts to support the growth of individuals, communities, and cultures to attain a reasonable and equitable quality of life, healthcare, and education worldwide. Entrepreneurship and digitalization are widely acknowledged to be important in achieving sustainable...

This report provides a detailed analysis of the supply chains of key food commodities inAfrica and sheds light on how transport deficiencies affect production, distribution, and imports and ultimately, food security across the continent. While many studies have been carried out to explain the...

Different private sector-led and government-led approaches to the development of solar hybrid mini grids are found around the world. Five approaches used in Africa are reviewed here. Each works better in some contexts than in others; each has advantages and disadvantages. In private-sector-led...

The objective of this assessment is to identify gender and social inclusion gaps with respect to equitable access to clean and modern energy in the Horn of Africa (HoA) borderlands, specifically in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan. It examines the differences in the...

The Blue Economy is at the core of economic development and competitiveness for African coastal countries. Job-creating economic sectors like tourism and food-production sectors like fisheries depend on a clean and healthy coastal environment. Future development opportunities in sustainable blue...

Climate change impacts the planet overall, and the Blue Economy is not exempt from these effects. On the contrary, the ocean is a major regulator of global and regional weather, and ocean acidification is a fundamental influencer of coastal and marine ecosystems. Climate change is already...

Informal, low-quality employment in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) remains a significant challenge in low- and middle-income countries. We present evidence from an impact evaluation of a light-touch business consulting program with a focus on employment formalization in Côte...

Most households in rural Africa are involved in smallholder farming, but off-farm employment is an important additional income source for many. Previous research has analyzed links between off-farm employment and wellbeing, but mostly at the household level, not considering that household...

Malnutrition poses significant challenges to African food systems. Addressing these challenges requires synergistic strategies informed by a comprehensive understanding of consumers' food preferences and characteristics, which necessitates the identification of more homogeneous consumer groups....

This paper addresses the conceptual gap between the expected benefits of federalism in managing ethnicity-based conflict and its actual governance outcomes in the African context. One of the main reasons for this gap is the conflation of federalism with decentralization. In response, we develop...

This paper examines how African cities can reconcile rapid urbanization and development imperatives with urgent decarbonization goals through structural transformation. It begins by mapping key sources of urban carbon - energy poverty, inefficient buildings, poor planning, transport systems,...

Global powers increasingly use trade as a tool of geopolitical influence. But can trade also foster soft power? We provide novel evidence on this relationship by combining geo-referenced survey data from 22 African countries sourced from the Gallup World Poll with Chinese import data. Exploiting...

"Sustainability" is a diverse and contested concept that cannot be reduced to a single definition or practice. We propose the concept of "plural sustainabilities" to raise awareness of how different worldviews, knowledge systems, and values shape understandings of sustainability, recognizing the...

This case study examines how social protection policymaking in Côte d’Ivoire has been shaped by a complex interplay of colonial legacies, postcolonial ideologies and domestic political-economic dynamics. Through stakeholder interviews and documentary analysis, it offers a nuanced...

Tanzania has made notable progress in expanding its social protection system, yet the influence of colonial governance models, entrenched donor dependency and limited population coverage of existing provisions remain significant. This case study critically explores the historical and...

The historical influence of colonial powers and the continued, deep-rooted engagement of international development actors in shaping social protection systems is widely recognised across academic and policy arenas. Nevertheless, evidence of the role of coloniality in social protection remains...

The World Bank's Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) conducts impact evaluations of development interventions and leads policy research to generate evidence on how to close gender gaps in earnings, productivity, assets, and agency. With these findings, GIL helps project teams and policymakers...

This study explores the potential for producing sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in four African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Rather than serving as a full feasibility analysis or detailed project proposal, it uses a techno-economic approach to showcase Africa's...

This paper relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 and 13. We uniquely investigate a population growth-energy-emissions persistence trilemma in Africa. This study contributes to the literature and policymaking by determining the effect of population growth and energy...

Agroecology is gaining traction as a possible strategy for enhancing the sustainability and resilience of food systems, prompting increased support from some governments, donors, development organizations and civil society. However, the scope, design and impact of agroecology-related projects in...

The document highlights Africa-Europe collaboration under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022, including Africa Initiative I, GH EDCTP3 JU, ERC grants, and MSCA. These efforts strengthen AU-EU research ties in Public Health, Green Transition, Innovation and Technology, and Capacities For...

The Partnership with Africa is a geopolitical priority for the European Union (EU). The two continents hold close geographical, economic and cultural ties, shared history and interests. The Africa-EU Partnership is the formal political channel for the EU's relations with Africa. The third AU-EU...

Severe droughts are currently affecting most of northern Africa, large regions in southern Africa including in particular the Zambezi basin and northern Madagascar, and some regions in central-western Africa and East-Africa. The average temperature is abnormally higher than usual. Heatwaves and...

The European Union (EU) Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF for Africa) was set up to support the most vulnerable and marginalised people, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), migrants and members of host communities. Over the last nine years, it has provided great momentum...

The European Union (EU) Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF for Africa) was set up to support the most vulnerable and marginalised people, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), migrants and members of host communities. Over the last nine years, it has provided great momentum...