As the call for localized solutions grows louder, it is critical for Africa to fully leverage its resources. Despite being a major crude oil producer, Africa’s oil imports remain high. This external reliance drains foreign reserves and intensifies carbon emissions with the long winded logistics. As the global push for decarbonization accelerates, Botho’s Analyst, Gerald Kilimo, sheds light on how Africa can reshape its energy landscape and capture the full value of its resources. Read more here.

Even as AfCFTA becomes more critical for building economic resilience amid rising trade wars and geopolitical uncertainty, Africa’s regional integration remains tangled in a "spaghetti bowl" of overlapping trade agreements. With countries juggling conflicting commitments across an average of eight trade blocs, the continent’s trade potential is stifled by fractured enforcement, selective compliance, and regulatory fragmentation. Can the AfCFTA overcome these structural challenges and deliver on its ambitious vision for unified continental trade?

Ethiopia relies on the Port of Djibouti for over 95% of its imports and exports, generating more than $1 billion annually in port fees for Djibouti. This dependency supports roughly a quarter of Djibouti’s formal workforce and underpins its service-driven economy. As Djibouti cements its role as a key logistics hub in the region, its logistics infrastructure has become a cornerstone of its sovereign strength.

Explore how Djibouti’s geopolitical resilience is deeply tied to its position as a global logistics stronghold in Martin Nkonge’s analysis here.

Are we measuring what really matters? Development projects pour billions into solving global challenges—but are they making a real difference? In Rethinking Monitoring and Evaluation in Development, Naam Chakravorty explores why learning must be embedded, not just reported. Read the full article to explore how MEL can move from compliance to impact.

Africa stands at a pivotal moment in its climate journey, with bold commitments outlined in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to drive resilience and emissions reduction. Yet, these ambitious blueprints remain hindered by a fundamental challenge—the lack of a unified, continent-wide system to track, measure, and report climate progress. Without reliable data infrastructure, African nations struggle to secure climate finance, monitor adaptation efforts, and translate policies and plans into measurable impact. The result? Underfunded, underreported, and under-implemented climate actions that leave the continent vulnerable to escalating climate threats. To bridge this gap, Africa must invest in a pan-African sustainability data system that enhances transparency, strengthens institutional capacity, and unlocks the full potential of NAPs and NDCs. Without it, climate ambitions will remain just that—ambitions.