Our Work

Building transitions that expand capability and endure through disruption

Africa must expand access to modern energy, build productive economies, adapt to escalating climate impacts, and pursue decarbonisation at the same time. ARI develops transition approaches that reflect this reality.

We retain the principles of justice, equity, participation, and social protection while broadening the agenda to include energy access, adaptation, fiscal resilience, economic diversification, institutional capability, and local agency.

We treat resilience not only as an outcome of successful transition, but as a condition that allows climate ambition to be implemented and sustained.

We work on

• universal and productive energy access;
• adaptive and climate-resilient energy systems;
• integrated mitigation and adaptation;
• national and sectoral transition strategies;
• transition governance and institutional coordination;
• distributed energy and resilient infrastructure;
• climate-policy implementation;
• local participation and transition justice; and
• regional energy cooperation.

Turning transition investment into African productive capability

Africa’s energy and climate transition will increase demand for renewable energy, minerals, infrastructure, technology, skills, and new forms of production.

The central question is how much of the resulting value will be created and retained within African economies.

ARI examines how energy and climate policy can support industrialisation, domestic enterprise, employment, innovation, and economic diversification.

We focus on moving beyond extractive participation toward African ownership, production, technological capability, and stronger positions within regional and global value chains.

We work on

• green industrialisation;
• critical-mineral beneficiation;
• domestic and regional value chains;
• productive uses of energy;
• green manufacturing and agro-processing;
• local-content and supplier-development policy;
• innovation, technology, and skills;
• enterprise development and employment; and
• regional markets and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Closing the gap between ambition and implementation

Many African climate and development commitments remain conditional on external finance and technical support.

High borrowing costs, debt pressure, limited fiscal space, weak project preparation, and fragmented institutions constrain countries’ ability to invest consistently in long-term transformation.

ARI examines the financial and institutional conditions that determine whether policies move from plans into practice.

We help connect transition priorities with financing approaches that protect public value, allocate risk fairly, and strengthen long-term capability.

We work on

• climate and transition finance;
• sovereign debt and fiscal resilience;
• the cost of capital;
• domestic resource mobilisation;
• blended and concessional finance;
• risk-sharing and guarantee mechanisms;
• investment planning and project preparation;
• institutional design and coordination;
• implementation capability; and
• adaptive monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Strengthening Africa’s ability to navigate a changing world

Africa’s transformation is unfolding amid changes in global power, trade, technology, climate governance, mineral demand, and development finance.

These shifts create new risks and new sources of leverage.

ARI analyses how African countries and regional institutions can navigate competing interests, strengthen negotiating positions, coordinate across borders, and exercise greater control over strategic choices.

We work on

• energy and climate diplomacy;
• transition-mineral geopolitics;
• carbon measures and changing trade rules;
• regional integration and strategic coordination;
• technology, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure;
• international climate and development finance;
• governance of strategic assets;
• institutional sovereignty;
• public accountability; and
• African leadership in global policy.