Energy Transition and Digital Transformation

↪ Assess the impact of mini-grids on rural electrification in Africa  and promote public–private cooperation in their development. 

↪ Assess the impact of digitalisation on African economies. 

↪ Analyse the challenges associated with growing global demand for critical minerals for developing countries.

• In partnership with the NGO Électriciens sans frontières, FERDI contributes to the evaluation of the Cafés Lumière project, which develops mini-grids in remote rural areas.
• The publication Experimental Impact Study on a Mini-Grid Project in Rural Madagascar: The Café Lumière Project (Berthélemy J.-C., Nossek V., Béguerie V.) is among the first rigorous evaluations of this type of system in sub-Saharan Africa.

FERDI produces analyses on the digital transformation of African economies, both for research purposes and to support public decision-making.

Recent publications:

•  The working paper Digital Disasters: The Macroeconomic Costs of Submarine Cable Breaks (Joël Cariolle) documents the number of international submarine cable breaks between 2008 and 2020 and assesses their economic consequences. 
•  The report Digital Identification in Africa: Between Promises of Inclusion and Risks of Exclusion (Joël Cariolle & Léa Quilici, with support from Be-Ys) examines the potential of digital identity systems to expand access to public and financial services, while highlighting risks related to exclusion and data protection. 
•  The working paper The Impact of Submarine Cables on Internet Access Prices, and the Role of Competition and Regulation (Joël Cariolle) shows that infrastructure improvements only lead to lower user costs when effective competition and appropriate regulation are in place. These findings were also used in a WIPO report on connectivity in developing countries. 

Dissemination and engagement:
Contribution to the international conference Global Development Conference (GDC 2025), held in November 2025 on inclusive digital transformation.

In response to the global rush for minerals essential to the energy transition, FERDI is developing recognised expertise on the economic, geopolitical, and institutional challenges facing producer countries.

Recent publications:

•  The article Superpowers want to control critical mineral supplies – local communities need a stronger say (Nature) highlights international tensions surrounding these resources and calls for greater inclusion of local communities in extraction decisions. 
•  The policy brief Escaping the Critical Minerals Curse (CEPR) analyses the conditions under which resource-rich countries can transform this wealth into a driver of sustainable development. 
•  A contribution to the African Legal Support Facility report (2025), Reinventing the Mining Partnership in Africa, provides an operational framework for production-sharing agreements. 

Events and dialogue:

•  International conference The Rush for Critical Minerals — November 2025. On 26–27 November 2025, FERDI, Cerdi, and the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, brought together researchers, policymakers, international organisations, and private sector actors to discuss the economic, geopolitical, and environmental challenges associated with the boom in strategic minerals. Discussions focused on supply chain security, resource governance and taxation, and the conditions for ensuring sustainable benefits for countries in the Global South. The conference contributes to the preparation of a special issue of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy.

Capacity building

• Organisation of a training programme by IHEDD-FERDI on extractive taxation and revenue sharing, aimed at strengthening the capacities of public administrations and experts involved in natural resource management.