This policy brief outlines outlining key policy positions for African governments ahead of the Africa Forward Summit, including calls for equitable climate finance, local value addition, reform of the global financial architecture, debt relief, energy systems that support development, and industrial strategies rooted in African priorities and sovereignty.

This report details why Africa is in a fossil fuel crisis.

Global energy prices have surged in the wake of the American-Israeli war on Iran, leaving many African governments struggling to keep energy accessible and affordable.

In turn, high energy prices are also driving up food prices, reduced currency values, increased inflation, and constrained growth for economies.

African countries are especially vulnerable to energy price shocks. Eight out of the twelve countries worldwide whose fossil fuel imports cost more than 10 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) are in Africa.

The following policy brief provides an account of the clean cooking landscape in sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights the extent of the challenge to provide clean cooking facilities across sub-Saharan Africa, the efforts being made to overcome these challenges, and their limitations, and provides recommendations on how to accelerate the provision of clean cooking in an equitable and just fashion.

This policy brief explains why the ICJ advisory opinion carries significant legal implications for African states.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of our new Shifting Power Quarterly magazine, dedicated to examining climate discourse in Africa and around the world. We launch this publication at a pivotal moment when the urgency of the climate crisis is matched only by the complexity of the conversations surrounding it. While rooted in African contexts, this publication will engage with global debates, drawing connections and highlighting lessons across regions, and we hope it will serve as a meeting point where ideas are tested and new insights emerge.

During the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2025, African banks pledged to deliver $100 billion in support of the Africa Green Industrialization Initiative (AGII).

This pledge demonstrates the continent’s collective determination to frame, own, and finance its development agenda.

Through their pledge, leading African financial institutions signalled their commitment to supporting efforts to accelerate sustainable green growth as one of the key promises of the 2023 Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change.

While recognising that the AGII is a relatively new framework, this Policy Brief examines its current objectives and organisational structure and makes recommendations that will, hopefully, contribute to its success.

The Koeberg Nuclear Power Station in South Africa is one such example. Although not MDB-'nanced, Koeberg offers an important lesson: nuclear energy should not be treated by MDBs as a viable pathway for climate or development 'nance, whether through extending the lifespan of ageing reactors or considering new nuclear projects. As the World Bank reopens the door to nuclear power, Koeberg is a stark reminder of the safety, cost, and justice risks MDBs would take on. MDBs should instead prioritise investments that align with just transition principles and deliver genuine bene'ts for communities, particularly women, youth, and the most vulnerable.

This Power Shift Africa briefing critically examines the Mission 300 initiative and calls on its architects to confront the structural causes of Africa’s underdevelopment and financial dependency.