Conduct Feasibility Studies

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has created a handbook to provide a comprehensive overview of good practices in stakeholder engagement. The Feasibility Studies and Project Planning resource is a guide chapter in this handbook focused on how projects are assessed before they move forward. It explains the role of technical, financial, and stakeholder-related review in deciding whether a proposed project or expansion is viable.

Also available in English, Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Burmese.

The IISD’s Investment Contracts for Farmland and Water is a tool for parliamentarians, government officials, landholders and local communities who are involved in negotiating investment contracts with foreign investors for agricultural land and water. It gives a step-by-step framework for preparation, including assessing food security, land and water rights, community engagement, and project impacts before signing a deal.

Mining Contracts – How to Read and Understand Them was produced by a diverse group of 14 experts from Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Europe to help policy makers, civil society, citizens, and the media understand the often complex and opaque terms of mining contracts. This guide explains in layman’s terms the principal features of a contract, compares different approaches to key issues, and supplies the context and background necessary for non-specialists to understand how contracts are negotiated and what they say.

Available in French and English.

Oil Contracts – How to Read and Understand Them is the sister-guide to the Mining Contracts – How to Read and Understand Them resource. It is a plain-language guide for non-specialists on the often complex and opaque terms of oil contracts. It was produced to help people understand the terms governments negotiate with oil companies, including revenue sharing, operations, and contract pitfalls.

The EPEC Guide to Public-Private Partnerships is published by the European PPP Expertise Centre (EPEC), a Division of the European Investment Bank (EIB). It provides a high-level framework to guide the public-private partnership (PPP) process.

The Fiscal Analysis of Resource Industries (FARI) is a framework created by the International Monetary Fund, used to evaluate and design fiscal regimes for extractive industries. It helps estimate government revenue, test fiscal terms, and analyze project-level impacts using economic and financial modeling.

Available in English, French and Spanish.

Thomas Mitro (CCSI’s senior fellow) and CCSI have built the first open fiscal LNG model that allows users to test different LNG commercial structures, compare domestic gas use options and assess the impact of various fiscal tools along the gas value chain. A manual and other resources can be found on this page to understand key concepts of the LNG value chain and how the model can be used.

This collaboration between the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution Analyzes Africa’s overreliance on extractive industries and outdated “comparative advantage” models. The paper recommends energy transitions as a foundation for industrialization, economic diversification, and regional integration.

This report provides a comprehensive outlook on how Africa can leverage natural resource endowments during global decarbonization. The French Development Agency and World Bank offer strategies for governance, industrial policy, and technological adoption to avoid renewed resource dependency.

CCSI outlines pathways to achieve universal electricity access in Africa while still meeting climate objectives. The roadmap assesses investment needs and policy frameworks for distributed solar, regional power pools, and large-scale renewables.

A key text for understanding the relationship between the circular economy and extractive industries, this paper provides utility for government officials by highlighting relevant opportunities for local value retention, reduced environmental risks, and improved resource efficiency.

In an illustrative case study, CCSI and energy tech company Capterio assess how capturing flared or wasted associated gas in North Africa can support climate goals and reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian gas. The paper recommends repurposing existing gas infrastructure for short-term gains.

This roadmap from the IFC identifies emissions hotspots in mining, refining, and transport operations, as well as technology options and financing strategies, on the road towards decarbonizing copper and nickel value chains. For negotiators, it can serve as a resource to implement contractual commitments from mining firms to adopt low-carbon practices.

This analysis addresses the escalating challenge of decommissioning offshore oil and gas projects as energy systems decarbonize. It examines financial, regulatory, and environmental dimensions of safely retiring infrastructure, with particular focus on liability risks for host states. The study calls for proactive governance to avoid stranded public liabilities.

This in-depth assessment highlights opportunities for developing countries to move beyond resource extraction by engaging in innovation across mid- and downstream critical mineral supply chains. It addresses barriers such as financing and technology access, while proposing strategies to capture higher value. The report links mineral governance to economic diversification and developmental gains. In a negotiation context, it strengthens the case for securing commitments on technology transfer, local innovation, and R&D in mineral investment contracts.