Intelligence & Analysis

The recent reports of the World Bank and the IMF underline the slowdown in African growth (expected at 3% for the coming year), under the combine effect of the continuing weakness in global growth and the falling commodity prices.

We observe however a great disparity among countries, and especially between oil importers and oil exporters. The fall of commodity prices is actually more of an advantage for the first group of countries, while it seriously questions the economic model of the second group.  

Three recent reports, published by the OECD, the GIIN and Morgan Stanley, offer in-depth analyses of impact investing, defined by the Global Impact Investing Network as the ‘’investments made into companies, organizations and funds with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return”

The OECD, Social Impact Investment, Building the Evidence Base, February 2015

GRET conducted a study on the involvement of companies in development cooperation and international solidarity for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (Maedi). This study contributes to the French strategy to facilitate an inclusive social economy, which is now in its final phase and will hopefully soon be validated.

The Africa Growth Initiative just released the updated version of the annual Foresight Africa report.

As described by the authors, “this year's format is different from years past, encompassing viewpoints from high-level policymakers, academics, and practitioners, as well as utilizing visuals to better illustrate the paths behind and now in front of Africa”. 

The 195 States participating to the COP21, held in Paris in December 2015, had to submit their greenhouse-gas emission reduction target. The vast majority of African countries have respected the deadline, set on October 1^st.

The cost of climate change for the continent

The Ferdi (Foundation for International Development Research and Study) gathered the contributions of more than 40 authors, selected from amongst the leading international experts from the North and the South, in the newly released book "Financing Sustainable Development - Addressing Vulnerabilities".

Jean-Michel Severino, President of Investisseurs & Partenaires, and Pierrick Baraton, Research Officer, publish an article putting forward the rise of impact investment as a major innovation in view of the 'post-2015' agenda.