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Operational since March 2024, Africa’s longest crude oil pipeline, the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline (NBEP), connects the oil fields of Agadem in eastern Niger to the port of Sèmè-Kpodji in southern Benin. like other large-scale infrastructure investments, the NBEP promises to bring significant benefits to both its investors and its host countries. The NBEP project is expected to bring socioeconomic development on both national and local levels, through tax revenue, job creation, employment, and local infrastructure development. To better gauge the NBEP’s role in driving local development, and its potential for alleviating and/or amplifying local grievances and conflict, this paper assesses the socio-economic, environmental and security impacts of the NBEP as lived and perceived by affected persons and communities in northern Benin.
On 4 December 2025, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed the US-brokered Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, committing to cease hostilities, establish a permanent ceasefire, and implement the 25 April Declaration of Principles and the 27 June Peace Agreement.
However, critical questions have been raised about the prospects for lasting peace in eastern DRC, as Kigali continues to deny its backing of the M23 despite documented UN evidence, and separate peace talks between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23, held in Qatar, have so far stalled following the signing of the Doha Framework of Comprehensive Peace on 15 November.
In the Faradje administrative territory in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Haut-Uélé province, more than 5,000 people rely on artisanal gold mining to earn a living and support their families. Many artisanal-mining families have done so for generations. They currently work on sites that now fall largely within mining permits owned by Kibali Goldmines (Kibali), a joint venture of Barrick Mining Corporation, AngloGold Ashanti, and the Congolese parastatal Société minière de Kilo-Moto (SOKIMO). Community members have long criticized the lack of dialogue with both the company and the Congolese authorities.
Since 2020, West Africa has been experiencing political turmoil characterised by a series of coups d’état, which led to the emergence of two blocs: the coastal countries, which are still members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, who founded the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in 2023. Combining literature review with primary data collected from Nigerien civil society organisations working on pastoralism and agriculture, as well as from current and former transhumant pastoralists from Benin, this Insight explores the potential of pastoralism in contributing to peace, stability and the sustainable mitigation of climate-related challenges in the region.
Since 2022, western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been plagued by a major security and humanitarian crisis, with more than 5,000 dead, and 280,000 still displaced. While international attention has focused on the violent conflicts in eastern DRC, an intercommunity conflict at the on the outskirts of Kinshasa is sinking into a spiral of violence, with very little attention from national authorities and international partners. Against this backdrop, and as part of the awareness-raising campaign led by Caritas International Belgium and Justice & Paix, this report seeks to draw attention to the Mobondo crisis and its consequences.
The European Union has developed a set of due diligence frameworks aimed at improving corporate accountability in mineral supply chains, particularly those linked to conflict-affected and high-risk areas. These regulations, such as the Conflict Minerals Regulation, the Battery Regulation, and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), seek to address both social and environmental risks associated with mineral extraction. This IPIS report argues that while these frameworks represent an important step, their current implementation does not sufficiently account for the complex nexus between environmental harm, conflict dynamics, and poor governance in areas like eastern DRC.
New peace agreements from Washington and Doha have brought hope for initiating a pathway to resolve the ongoing M23-conflict in DRC’s eastern territories in recent months. However, after the signing of the Declaration of Principles in Doha on 19 July, direct negotiations between the DRC and AFC/M23 were intended to result in a comprehensive peace agreement and were planned to begin no later than 8 August. By the end of September, however, these negotiations had still not commenced. Despite the new permanent ceasefire agreed on in Doha, continuous clashes between the AFC/M23 and the FARDC-Wazalendo coalitions persist in the DRC’s North and South Kivu provinces.
Women have historically contributed to mining activities across the world, yet their roles have often been overlooked or undervalued. Also in Tanzania’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector, women face systemic barriers rooted in cultural norms, legal frameworks, and socio-economic structures. In this study, Thubutu Africa Initiatives (TAI) explores the cultural and social factors that hinder women's involvement in gold mining in Mwakitolyo, a key artisanal and small-scale gold mining site in Shinyanga region where women represent a significant albeit minority portion of the ASGM labor force.
Tanzania is a key source of coloured gemstones, including tsavorite, rubies, and sapphires. The sector, driven largely by artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), contributes to the national economy but women—who make up 25–30% of the workforce—are often confined to insecure, low-paying roles and see little of its benefits. This report, carried out by HakiMadini with methodological and editorial support from IPIS, focuses on Kalalani ward in Tanga region, a long-standing gemstone-producing area. Based on field research with women miners, it examines the barriers they face, the coping strategies they adopt, and the opportunities that could strengthen their participation.
Tanzanite, a rare and valuable gemstone, holds significant economic potential for Tanzania. Yet, the country's mining sector is marked by persistent socio-economic inequalities, particularly affecting women. In Mirerani – the only place on earth where tanzanite is found – women face systematic barriers to decent work, equipment, training and leadership positions. These challenges – compounded by entrenched discrimination and restrictive societal norms – exclude women from fully benefiting from tanzanite wealth and perpetuate cycles of poverty. Carried out by the Tanzanian civil society organization CSP (Civic Social Protection Foundation) with support from IPIS, this report helps close the critical knowledge gap on the socio-economic and health challenges faced by women miners in Mirerani, providing evidence-based insights to guide inclusive and gender-responsive policy design.
The past year has left many of us witnessing a collapsing world order. In this rapidly evolving global landscape, marked by increasing geopolitical fragmentation, growing competition over critical minerals, and shifting alliances, IPIS has remained focused on its mission: provide governments and private sector actors with fact-based perspectives, support civil society across Sub Saharan Africa and Belgium, and be present at relevant forums with insights grounded in field research and collaboration with civil society partners. This annual report gives an overview of all research projects, capacity enhancement initiatives, and outreach activities conducted by IPIS in 2024. Our financial statements for the fiscal year are available in an extended format.
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Following this research, the results were presented in workshops in the above-mentioned territories to mining monitoring committees and project stakeholders in August 2025, facilitated by(...)
Earlier this year, IPIS published a report, “Diamonds in the DRC: A sector struggling to shine again”, which analyzed the current dynamics in the DRC’s(...)
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