JET-Ps in times of geopolitical change: the case of the Germany-South Africa JET-P

The Germany-South Africa JET-P is a minilateral climate finance initiative designed to support South Africa's transition from coal to renewable energy and green industrialisation. While it has successfully established an institutional framework and attracted significant funding—with Germany as the largest grant contributor—it faces critical hurdles. These include delays in coal plant decommissioning, concerns over the 'justice' of fund allocation (with a perceived bias toward international partners), and the risk of increasing national debt through a reliance on loans. The document argues that for the JET-P to achieve transformational change, it must move beyond financial pledges to deliver tangible emissions cuts, job creation, and inclusive livelihood improvements, drawing on lessons from Germany's own Ruhr valley transition.

• The JET-P is characterized as a 'minilateralist' alliance that blends development and climate finance to support South Africa's coal transition, renewable energy expansion, and green industrialisation, distinguishing itself as a development country-led initiative supported by emitters from opposing geopolitical alliances.
• Germany is the largest contributor of grant funding within the JET-P consortium. As of 2025, Germany's total commitments amount to USD 1.289 billion, consisting of USD 241 million in grants and USD 1.048 billion in concessional loans.

APA

Rennkamp, B. (2025). JET-Ps in times of geopolitical change: the case of the Germany-South Africa JET-P. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/jet-ps-in-times-of-geopolitical-change-the-case-of-the-germany-south-africa-jet-p

Chicago

Rennkamp, Britta. JET-Ps in times of geopolitical change: the case of the Germany-South Africa JET-P. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/jet-ps-in-times-of-geopolitical-change-the-case-of-the-germany-south-africa-jet-p.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rennkamp |first1=Britta |title=JET-Ps in times of geopolitical change: the case of the Germany-South Africa JET-P |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=1 July 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/jet-ps-in-times-of-geopolitical-change-the-case-of-the-germany-south-africa-jet-p |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rennkamp2025jetps, author = {Rennkamp, Britta}, title = {{JET-Ps in times of geopolitical change: the case of the Germany-South Africa JET-P}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://afripoli.org/jet-ps-in-times-of-geopolitical-change-the-case-of-the-germany-south-africa-jet-p}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }