TAKING THE JETP PATH: PUSHING FOR CHANGE

The report examines the operationalisation of Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), highlighting the necessity of country-led frameworks that integrate climate goals with socio-economic development. Using South Africa as a primary case study, it discusses the gap between international funding pledges and actual transition costs, the need for reduced capital costs, and the critical role of high-level political coordination and philanthropic support in building institutional capacity.

• South Africa's JETP involves a commitment of US$8.5 billion from an International Partners Group (IPG) consisting of the EU, France, Germany, the UK, and the USA to support a transition to a low-carbon society.
• There is a significant disparity between the funding provided by the IPG and the actual cost of South Africa's transition; the Investment Plan (IP) cost to 2027 is ten times the IPG commitments, and the total cost to 2050 is estimated at R8.5 trillion (approximately US$500 billion).
• The financial structure of the IPG offer is heavily weighted toward loans rather than grants, with grants making up less than 4% (US$330 million) of the total US$8.5 billion.
• Effective JETP implementation requires a high-level, centralised coordinating body with broad representation; South Africa utilised the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) and the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team (PCFTT) for this purpose.
• High costs of capital and sovereign risk perceptions in the Global South hinder green infrastructure investment, often making new green sectors more expensive to finance than traditional carbon-intensive industries.
• Philanthropies can provide essential 'soft infrastructure' support, including funding for research, data modelling, social inclusion, and de-risking financial instruments to attract private capital.
• JETPs are not a one-size-fits-all model; different countries require different paths based on whether they are phasing out existing fossil fuels (like South Africa and Indonesia) or decarbonising future demand to increase energy access (like Senegal and Nigeria).
• Implementation capability gaps exist at the state level, where the institutions negotiating the finance are often not the ones with the mandate or capacity to implement social justice measures or manage local infrastructure.

APA

African Climate Foundation (n.d.). TAKING THE JETP PATH: PUSHING FOR CHANGE. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/800723-ACF-JETP-Knowledge-exchange-06.pdf

Chicago

African Climate Foundation. TAKING THE JETP PATH: PUSHING FOR CHANGE. n.d. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/800723-ACF-JETP-Knowledge-exchange-06.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=African Climate Foundation |title=TAKING THE JETP PATH: PUSHING FOR CHANGE |url=https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/800723-ACF-JETP-Knowledge-exchange-06.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{africanclimatefoundationndtaking, author = {{African Climate Foundation}}, title = {{TAKING THE JETP PATH: PUSHING FOR CHANGE}}, institution = {African Climate Foundation}, url = {https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/800723-ACF-JETP-Knowledge-exchange-06.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }