The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the flow of climate finance in South Africa for 2017 and 2018, identifying a significant gap between current investment levels and the funding required to meet the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It details the roles of public and private finance, highlighting a lack of coordination between the two and recommending the development of a central registry and innovative blended finance tools to scale investment.

• An International Finance Corporation (IFC) study estimated that South Africa requires a total investment of R8.9 trillion between 2015 and 2030 to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which equates to an annual investment requirement of R596 billion.
• Between 2017 and 2018, the report tracked annual climate finance totaling R62.2 billion. Public finance actors contributed an annual average of approximately R22 billion (25% of the total), with 79% of these funds raised and spent domestically. The South African Government provided the majority of public finance, investing over R12 billion (55% of tracked public investments).
• Private actors provided an annual average of R35.3 billion during 2017 and 2018, with 100% of this investment directed toward climate mitigation sectors, specifically clean energy and energy efficiency & demand-side management. Commercial investors were the primary source, contributing R19.3 billion.
• Climate spending in South Africa is largely siloed between public and private sectors, with limited collaboration. Blended finance, totaling R4.9 billion, primarily originates from international rather than local sources.
• The report recommends several actions to improve the climate finance landscape: establishing agreed-upon definitions and a central registry for tracking, increasing public-private coordination, developing innovative financial tools to leverage private capital in high-risk sectors, and improving regulatory clarity and consistency.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2021). The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa. 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa |date=28 January 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2021landscape, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{The Landscape of Climate Finance in South Africa}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/south-african-climate-finance-landscape-2020/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }