The Policy and Regulatory Landscape of Green Technology Transfer in South Africa

South Africa's green technology transfer ecosystem is characterized by a comprehensive but fragmented policy landscape that creates tensions between social equity goals and climate urgency. While the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) demonstrates successful public-private collaboration, other sectors struggle with institutional silos and a significant gap in funding for the commercialization of research. Key barriers include conflicting localisation requirements and data regulations that may act as non-tariff barriers to foreign investment.

• South Africa's policy framework for the green economy is fragmented, leading to inconsistencies and institutional silos that hinder effective technology transfer.
• There is a fundamental conflict between domestic protectionist policies, such as localisation quotas, and the need to attract foreign direct investment for rapid decarbonisation.
• The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is a successful model of public-private partnership that has attracted significant foreign and private investment into green infrastructure.
• Data protection laws, specifically the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), can act as non-tariff barriers by imposing complex obligations on foreign technology providers.
• A significant gap exists between research and commercialisation; a survey indicated that while nearly 75% of public R&D support organisations have tech transfer policies, only 15% show low performance measures, and most receive less than R1 million in funding.
• The Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) targets over R1 trillion in new investment, supported by an initial USD 8.5 billion from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to de-risk projects in power generation, new energy vehicles, and green hydrogen.
• In the agricultural sector, technology transfer is guided by the National Development Plan 2030, the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP), and the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Strategic Framework, focusing on drought-tolerant crops and smallholder productivity.
• Water sector technology transfer is led by the National Water Act (1998) and the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan (2019), with a strategic focus on desalination, wastewater reuse, and intelligent water management.
• The waste sector is transitioning toward a circular economy through the National Environmental Management Waste Act (NEMWA) and the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) 2020, promoting waste-to-energy and recycling technologies.
• The Reimagined Industrial Strategy (RIS) shifts from state-led initiatives to a multi-stakeholder approach using sectoral master plans to drive localisation and science and technology commercialisation.

APA

Fundira, T. (2025). The Policy and Regulatory Landscape of Green Technology Transfer in South Africa. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/the-policy-and-regulatory-landscape-of-green-technology-transfer-in-south-africa

Chicago

Fundira, Taku. The Policy and Regulatory Landscape of Green Technology Transfer in South Africa. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/the-policy-and-regulatory-landscape-of-green-technology-transfer-in-south-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fundira |first1=Taku |title=The Policy and Regulatory Landscape of Green Technology Transfer in South Africa |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=27 November 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/the-policy-and-regulatory-landscape-of-green-technology-transfer-in-south-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fundira2025policy, author = {Fundira, Taku}, title = {{The Policy and Regulatory Landscape of Green Technology Transfer in South Africa}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://afripoli.org/the-policy-and-regulatory-landscape-of-green-technology-transfer-in-south-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }