This newsletter gives you highlights of selected sustainability insights that were, perhaps, too long (you) didn’t read (TLDR) or there’s just too much out there to read. The highlights presented cover insights gleaned from a global, regional (African), and national (Kenyan) perspective. Happy reading!

GLOBAL

Global Justice Report

Published by the World Inequality Lab in 2026, this report gives a plan for ‘equality and prosperity within planetary boundaries’ by 2100. It is actually possible, IF collectively we choose to act on 3 key levers simultaneously:

• Rapid decarbonization, i.e., we stop using fossil fuels very quickly
• Sufficiency (reduced working hours, material footprint, and consumption shifts), i.e., we live more simply (work less, buy less stuff, waste less).
• Drastic reduction of inequality within and between countries, i.e., we shrink the huge gap between the rich and the poor

This sounds simple and straightforward, but we know that is not the case. Here are key insights from the report outlining areas for action. The approaches are not new, and discourse around the world is taking place about these areas of action, which means they are worth reiterating, as we are not really putting them into action:

• Decarbonization is the license to operate. Our current policy trajectories imply 4°C+ warming, which will result in severe physical and transition risks and likely render the planet uninhabitable for humanity. If we are to get to the 1.8°C pathway (because 1.5 °C is most probably out of reach now), it will require that fossil fuels be below 20% of energy demand by 2050 and that fully low-carbon electricity meets about 80% of global energy demand by mid-century.
• People will need to spend money differently, and the economy will shift away from making lots of physical products and toward services like education, health, and care. Jobs in these services would grow from 11% to 43% of all work. Businesses selling products (or stuff) would shrink, while businesses helping people would grow.
• Global growth map would shift towards today’s poorer countries, meaning that rich countries like the US and those in Europe would barely grow, while Africa and South Asia would grow fast; and that also considers that future customers and workers will mostly be in these regions.
• Labour markets and work would also change to people working about half as many hours as today, and women and men would be paid equally. It would also mean supporting worker representation.
• Climate investment would be a defined market with 3-4% of the world’s GDP annually invested in energy infrastructure over the coming decades
• The tax and governance environment would tighten at the top, or put another way, the super-rich would pay much more tax, and it would involve committing to country-by-country tax transparency rather than aggressive avoidance.

Looking through these insights, there are many strategic opportunities and pathways for business leaders if businesses haven’t started shifting gears already or need more business cases to steer decisions and actions towards equity and a livable planet.

These include aligning capital to decarbonisation; redesigning work and wages to make them equitable; building local supply chains; making products that are built to last with circularity in mind; changing taxes and policies to serve the majority, not a small few.

My two cents: Theoretically, this plan for a fair and livable world is possible…As The Guardian put it, ‘A good life for the 99% isn’t a pipe dream…’ All it needs is the will to make it happen – the collective will of citizens/humanity and the people we’ve put in charge. Wellbeing, peace, a livable planet for everyone v/s the alternative; surely the choice is so obvious, isn’t it?

AFRICA

2026 Africa Sustainable Development Report

Jointly produced by the African Union, African Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, assesses how Africa is progressing on five specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): clean water (SDG 6), clean energy (SDG 7), industry and innovation (SDG 9), sustainable cities (SDG 11) and partnerships (SDG 17).

The continent is making progress on most of the SDGs, but it will not hit the 2030 targets as progress is too slow. Looking at the 5 specific SDGs (water, energy, industry, cities, and partnerships) that the report prioritises, here are some key takeaways:

• Water and sanitation are improving slowly: 81% of Africans now have basic drinking water, yet only 36% have safely managed water. Alas, around 650 million people still lack basic sanitation.
• The energy gap is huge. Electricity access rose from 46% to 53% since 2015, but nearly 600 million people still live without power. Nearly 1 billion Africans (970M) still rely on wood and charcoal for cooking, which causes about 400,000 early deaths each year.
• Industry remains underdeveloped. Manufacturing is less than 11% of Africa’s GDP versus 16% globally, and fewer than 20% of small businesses can get formal loans – yet SMEs contribute over 50% of GDP in most African countries and provide about 80% of total employment. Additionally, the continent invests little in research and development, less than 1% of GDP compared to a global average of almost 2.0 percent, meaning that the continent is always falling behind on self-supporting solutions. However, communication technology is tracking well over 90% of Africa’s population covered by a 2G mobile network at a minimum.
• Cities are growing faster than planning can keep up. About 49% of urban residents live in slums or informal settlements, about double the global average. Air pollution is rising in African cities while it falls elsewhere in the world, where cities are bringing down air pollution.
• Financing is the core constraint. Tax revenues average just 16% of GDP (versus 34% in OECD countries – 38 of the world’s richest countries). Africa’s tax regime relies on corporate income and indirect taxes, while the OECD relies on personal income and wealth taxes. Additionally, more than 20 countries are at high risk of debt distress. On the upside, remittances to Africa are now one of Africa’s most reliable money flows (the money the diaspora sends home to family) at over US$104 billion in 2024.

Across the continent, the private sector is better cognizant of its role in the development of their countries and societies as the drivers of the economy. This Africa SDG report offers useful reflections on areas where businesses in Africa need to do their part towards sustainable development on the continent:

1. Invest in off-grid and clean energy solutions. Solar mini-grids, clean cooking products and pay-as-you-go models serve a massive unmet market while supporting SDG 7.
2. Establish partnerships for scale of impact.  Consider industry-wide partnerships to strengthen local supply chains; multi-sectoral and/or multi-stakeholder partnerships to address issue-specific challenges, e.g., water scarcity, education, etc. And where it is possible, public-private partnerships with governments to enhance industrial development gaps while creating opportunities to earn returns, while closing gaps.
3. Lend to and build with SMEs. Small businesses generate over 50% of GDP but are starved of or denied credit. Thoughtful fintech and supply-chain financing that is tailored to these African SME customers could unlock this growth engine.
4. Use the AfCFTA to build regional value chains. The continental free trade area rewards companies that manufacture, source, and sell across African borders rather than exporting raw materials.

My two-cents: There have been many opportunities to remind Africa’s decision-makers on the importance of building economies and social systems that serve the citizens, pursue self-reliance vs aid; strengthen domestic markets and neighbouring trade, e.g. COVID-19 (masks, vaccines), Russia’s war in Ukraine (fuel, fertilizer, maize, cooking oil), the Strait of Hormuz blockade (fuel, fertilizer), global and regional anti-immigration protests, climate impacts and climate change, exchange rates fluctuations, interest rates and debt distress, resource extraction vs industrialization..etc. And then, of course, the decline in leadership that exacerbates any development or progress. Are we really going to lock in our leadership failures, unresolved and ignored development pains as systemic generational losses for those that follow?

KENYA

Kenya Secures More Loans and Climate Disaster Finance

Kenya’s government recently secured international financing: 1) two loans to address economic stability; 2) funding to manage climate disaster.

Once again, the World Bank approved a $750 million loan to help Kenya’s government cover its budget. This loan comes in two tranches; $340 million is a regular loan, and $410 million is lent on special terms with low interest and a much longer payback period.

The second loan supported by the World Bank is a sustainability-linked facility, which is a syndicated loan of roughly $500 million, supported by credit enhancements or backers, which lowers Kenya’s borrowing costs. But there is a vital catch: to keep these preferential terms, Kenya has to meet certain sustainability-related targets related to reduced deforestation and expanded rural electricity access.

A recent UNECA report on East Africa highlights Kenya as an extreme case of debt pressure. Interest payments on loans alone consumed roughly 25% of total government revenues in 2024, and by early 2026, debt service had climbed to about 80% of tax collections. There’s caution in this tale for the private sector as heavy government borrowing at home is crowding out private businesses.

Soon after, Kenya became the first African country, and 2nd globally after Vanuatu, to receive funding from the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage, a UN mechanism financed by voluntary contributions from developed countries.

The climate fund of Sh90 million ($700,000) will be administered by the national government and used to:

• Identify communities that have suffered losses from climate-driven droughts, floods, and crop failures over the past decade
• Build the systems needed to measure that damage so compensation can eventually follow.

As Kenya’s private sector heads into the 2nd half of 2026, and six months to the election year, some considerations for businesses:

• Plan for tight, expensive credit. With government borrowing absorbing local liquidity, businesses should diversify funding rather than relying on bank loans alone.
• Position for green and sustainability-linked finance. Kenya’s sustainability-linked loan and loss-and-damage breakthrough may be early indicators that global sustainability and climate-related capital is starting to trickle into or open up for Kenya.
• Watch tax policy closely. Fiscal consolidation means expanded digital tax administration and compliance pressure – the recent Finance Bill 2026 is bringing this to life already. Start building strong tax and record-keeping systems now to reduce risks and costs later. PwC has a comprehensive tax alert on the Finance Act 2026.

My two cents: Prep and brace yourselves for a BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible) 2nd half of this year, and remember El Niño is also headed this way – double prep and brace yourselves. We are in for quite a ride!