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The report details SEforALL's efforts over a 100-day period to accelerate the clean energy transition. Key activities include the launch of the 'Be Bold' campaign, coordination of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy and its Energy Compacts, and supporting the COP26 Energy Transition Council. The organization also highlights research on sustainable cooling, a youth summit, and specific technical assistance for energy access in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, alongside a new healthcare electrification partnership with USAID and Power Africa.

The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy of South Africa provides written reasons for a Ministerial Determination regarding the procurement of new generation capacity. The determination aims to ensure energy security and address load shedding by procuring capacity from renewables, storage, gas, and coal, aligned with the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2019).

The report examines South Africa's transition from an internal combustion engine (ICE) automotive hub to an electric mobility market. It identifies key investment opportunities in public transport electrification, lithium-ion battery (LIB) production, passenger vehicle manufacturing, and industrial EV use in mining and construction. While South Africa has a strong existing automotive manufacturing base and significant mineral reserves for batteries, the EV market is hindered by high import duties, a lack of targeted subsidies, and a skills gap. The report emphasizes the risk of losing export markets as the UK and EU phase out ICE vehicles, while highlighting the Western Cape as an emerging greentech hub.

The document examines South Africa's nascent green hydrogen economy, positioning the country in the 'technological readiness' phase of market development. It argues that while some input manufacturing is emerging, there is a critical need for coordinated industrial and energy policies—including capital grants and electricity tax exemptions—to drive commercial production. A central focus is the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, where the author identifies a 'wide chasm' between graduates and employment. The paper advocates for a shift toward 'anticipatory governance' and 'skills foresight' to better align vocational training with the evolving demands of the green hydrogen value chain, ensuring a just transition for workers displaced from the coal industry.

The author contends that while South Africa requires urgent energy stabilization, the proposed Karpowership deal is an exorbitant and risky option. The text highlights the need for grid reconfiguration to support renewable energy and suggests that short-term gas needs could be more cost-effectively met via Mozambique rather than a 20-year contract with a company accused of circumventing environmental regulations.

The document outlines a framework for monitoring sustainable jobs in Canada to ensure accountability and support the Sustainable Jobs Action Plan. It recommends the use of 19 proposed indicators and draws on international experiences from Scotland, South Africa, and Ireland to emphasize the importance of data collection, transparency, and public communication in managing the transition away from fossil fuels.

The paper examines how the geopolitical contest between the US and China over critical minerals creates a strategic window for African countries to diversify investors and build domestic green value chains.

The IRP 2019 identifies an immediate risk of power shortages in South Africa due to the declining energy availability factor (EAF) of Eskom's fleet and the decommissioning of old coal plants. To mitigate this, the plan recommends a medium-term power purchase programme, the life extension of the Koeberg nuclear plant to 2044, and the continued operation of plants despite minimum emission standard non-compliance. Long-term, the plan envisions a diversified energy mix shifting from coal toward renewables, gas, and nuclear, while emphasizing a 'just transition' to protect jobs and local economies. It specifically proposes 2,500 MW of new nuclear capacity and the integration of the Grand Inga Hydropower Project from the DRC.

The report highlights a planned US $245 billion expansion of gas infrastructure in Africa, primarily driven by European demand following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It argues that this focus on exports, particularly LNG and pipelines, undermines domestic energy needs and the transition to renewable energy. Significant funding gaps exist for proposed projects, and the report warns that these investments may become stranded assets as the global energy transition progresses.

The briefing highlights the IEA's vision for the power sector to become the first 100% clean sector by 2040 to enable broader decarbonization. It emphasizes that P4G member countries, many of which rely heavily on fossil fuels and sub-critical coal plants, must stop new coal investments and phase out inefficient capacity by 2030. The document specifically identifies South Africa, South Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam as having significant coal fleets and suggests that bespoke governmental climate financing is required to support the transition in developing and emerging economies.

Natural Justice is an African organisation dedicated to social and environmental justice, employing a "Litigation Plus" approach that combines legal empowerment, research, policy influence, and strategic litigation. In 2024, the organisation supported over 30 strategic lawsuits across Africa, including successful challenges against Shell's seismic testing in South Africa and the annulment of an Environmental Impact Assessment for Sosian Energy Ltd in Kenya. The organisation also focuses on securing land tenure, protecting indigenous biocultural heritage in Namibia and Madagascar, and defending environmental defenders, notably supporting 180 activists through an emergency fund, including those protesting the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Uganda. Additionally, Natural Justice engages in global policy advocacy at UN biodiversity and climate summits to promote human rights-based approaches to conservation and energy transitions.

The research paper advocates for South Africa to move away from a market-led 'blended finance model' (BFM) for its just energy transition, arguing that market failures necessitate a state-led approach. The author proposes a 'climate response fund' to be financed by a combination of carbon tax increases, earmarking the General Fuel Levy and Mineral and Petroleum Resource Royalty, and implementing public sector efficiency reforms and retirement tax deduction caps. Together, these measures could generate over R100 billion annually for adaptation and equity. The paper also suggests the issuance of sovereign green bonds to fund renewable energy grid infrastructure, arguing for a gentler fiscal deficit glide path to accommodate this strategic investment.

The briefing examines the uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the US Congress. It outlines three scenarios: a full renewal for 40 eligible countries, a renewal that excludes South Africa, and a transition to a reciprocal trade agreement similar to EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The author argues that a full renewal, extended for 10 to 15 years and coupled with infrastructure investment and export diversification, is the most beneficial path for both Africa and the United States.

The research paper argues that Africa's infrastructure deficit is a cumulative result of colonial-era designs focused on extraction, post-independence mismanagement, and the impact of 1980s debt crises and Structural Adjustment Programs. It notes that colonial railways shaped current urban locations and that recent investments have often focused on prestige projects or specific corridors funded by external partners like China.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), writing on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign, challenges statements made by Minister Jeff Radebe regarding the viability of "clean coal" technologies. The CER asserts that "clean coal" is a misnomer and a myth, arguing that no technology can neutralize the environmental, health, and climate impacts of the entire coal cycle. The document advocates for a coal phase-out and a just transition to sustainable energy systems, citing declining coal employment and consumption in South Africa as evidence of an inevitable shift. It emphasizes that achieving the IPCC's 1.5 degree Celsius target requires drastic CO2 reductions, which necessitates moving away from coal toward socially-owned renewable energy projects.

The policy brief contends that South Africa must move beyond the blended finance model for its just energy transition due to market failures and risks of insufficient or unpredictable private capital. It proposes a suite of domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) measures—including sovereign green bonds, carbon tax reforms, and earmarking existing revenues—to generate approximately R100bn annually for climate priorities. These funds would be pooled into a central climate response fund dedicated to adaptation, equity, and supporting displaced workers, particularly in Mpumalanga. The author argues that this assertive domestic commitment is essential for maintaining state control over infrastructure and for unlocking larger-scale international finance between 2030 and 2050.

The report identifies a significant gap in the integration of climate action within Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), noting that while high-level executive interest exists, bureaucratic capacity and policy coherence are lacking. It highlights contradictions between Nigeria's climate commitments, such as its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targeting a 45% emissions reduction by 2030, and its continued state-led investment in oil exploration. The document argues that the FMITI must align industrial and trade policies with environmental goals, leveraging carbon markets and public-private partnerships to transition away from fossil fuel dependence. It recommends the development of a new 'green' industrial policy and draws on South Africa's experience with the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) as a model for coordinated national strategy and international funding.

The document outlines a proposed carbon tax for South Africa, starting at R120 per tCO2-eq in 2015 with annual increases of 10% through 2019. It argues that a carbon tax is more suitable than an emissions trading system (ETS) in the short term due to the oligopolistic nature of the domestic energy sector. The design includes a basic tax-free threshold of 60%, with additional allowances for trade-exposed and process-emission sectors, and the possibility of using carbon offsets to reduce tax liability. Economic modelling suggests the tax would have a largely neutral impact on GDP and employment if revenues are recycled effectively through tax shifting or government investment. The paper also details complementary flagship programmes in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and public transport to support a just transition.

The report examines South Africa's nascent electric vehicle (EV) market, highlighting a strong existing internal combustion engine (ICE) automotive sector that must transition to avoid losing key export markets. It identifies four primary investment opportunities: the electrification of public transport, local lithium-ion battery production, passenger vehicle manufacturing for export, and EV application in mining and construction. While global EV sales are rising, South Africa lacks specific subsidies and policies to accelerate uptake, and faces barriers such as high import duties (25% for EVs) and a lack of charging infrastructure. The document also details the potential macroeconomic impact of EV adoption, including reduced oil imports and a projected loss in government revenue from fuel levies.

The document outlines ten demands for transforming the global energy system, emphasizing the need to dismantle capitalist and patriarchal structures to achieve energy sovereignty. It advocates for a transition to 100% renewable energy based on decentralized, small-scale technologies and the redistribution of climate finance from the Global North to the Global South to address historical ecological debts.