South Africa

South Africa, one of Africa’s largest economies, combines high industrialisation with abundant mineral resources. Despite progress in improving wellbeing and reducing poverty, economic growth has slowed while inequality, unemployment and ecological pressures persist. Heavy reliance on coal presents complex transition challenges, particularly for enterprises and workers. The legal and regulatory framework for a just energy transition has been strengthened, although greater policy alignment and coordination remain essential. Two key policy entry points guide this process: the Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan (JETIP), approved in 2023, and the Climate Change Act, gazetted in 2024. Together they establish the framework for a just transition to a low carbon, climate resilient economy and society within aa sustainable development pathway.

South Africa’s green economic transformation has been advanced through strong collaboration across national counterparts, including the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the Presidential Climate Commission, the Department of Science and Innovation, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Energy and Electricity, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, the Department of Mineral Resources & Petroleum, the Statistics South Africa, the South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, the National Treasury, the National Planning Commission, the National Economic Development and Labour Council, and the Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit.