Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa (JUST SA)

The project supports the implementation of pathways towards a Just Transition to a low-carbon economy and climate resilient society taking a multi-level approach. At national level, the project contributes to the implementation of key policy documents and facilitates dialogue for and information sharing to multiple stakeholders, ensuring an inclusive and results-oriented process. At provincial level, the project assists stakeholders in Mpumalanga in initiating alternative development pathways for a diversified regional economy and capacitates targeted Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) to unlock their growth potential and receive access to finance. At local level, activities towards a just transition are set up in selected local municipalities and affected communities and marginalised groups empowered with inclusive bottom-up approaches to community development. Furthermore, solutions to sustainably rehabilitate coal mining land and water are sought through research, policy implementation and community engagement.

Project data

Countries: South Africa
IKI funding: 15,000,000.00 €
Duration: 06/2022 till 07/2028
Status: open
Implementing organisation: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Political Partner: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) - South Africa
Implementing Partner: Creative Development (CD)

Indalo Inclusive

Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA)

National Business Initiative - South Africa

Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS)

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - South Africa
Online: https://www.justsaportal.org.za/

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State of implementation/results

The green innovation pitch hosted by the Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA) event took place in November 2024. The event aims to bring together entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and industry experts who are passionate about green technology and sustainability. The event promoting a just and equitable transition to a low-carbon economy served as a platform for knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and showcasing cutting-edge solutions in the field of sustainability. The top 12 finalists in the 2024 challenge were selected based on their innovative solutions and potential impact. These finalists received technical support to refine and enhance their pitching of business concepts, ensuring they were equipped to present their ideas effectively to investors and industry leaders. Out of these finalists, three winners were awarded prizes ranging from R30,000 to R100,000 from MGCA for their outstanding contributions. The next Green Innovation Challenge is planned for June 2025.
The kick-off meeting of Indalo’s Komati Just Energy Transition Community Engagement & Interventions Co-creation project, which is implemented in cooperation with IKI JET, took place in mid of February with the first community capacitation workshops taking place at the end of February over 3 days. The events with over 150 participants in total were well-received due to its focus on community needs and capacitation on elements of climate change and just transition. The next step involves the co-creation solution workshops that aim to develop small business that are community owned in the Komati region.
16 SMMEs were trained by Indalo on innovative thinking, principles of costing, and understanding the entrepreneurial profileto establish and develop successful business ventures and to upscale just energy transition entrepreneurial innovations in the water, energy, and agricultural nexus. 8 of 16 SMMEs were awarded with grant fundings in October 2024 to support their enterprises to drive sustainable development and climate action and to contribute to the Just Energy Transition.
TIPS started research on options for green and inclusive industrialisation and economic diversification in Mpumalanga. The aim of the provincial research program is to both identify opportunities for green industrialisation and economic diversification in Mpumalanga and to develop a tool that can be used by other provinces to identify similar opportunities.
A two-day course on the Green Economy and Just Transition for sub-national government officials was developed by Trade Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) as part of the Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa (JUST SA) project. In total 4 training sessions took place in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Gauteng provinces between May 2024 and February 2025, with approximately 120 officials in total attending. The training equipped provincial and municipal officials with applicable tools and practical examples of the green economy and just transition within both a global and South African context. Through exercises and group discussions, participants explored existing policies promoting climate-compatible industrial development, identified opportunities for transitioning to a green economy and enhanced their understanding of the key elements, and challenges associated with a just transition in South Africa, particularly at the sub-national level.
Several technical advisory group and stakeholder reference group events have been hosted by WWF as part of Output 4 of the JUST SA project. These events are hosted with the purpose of obtaining technical direction on research whilst also sharing the research conducted with key stakeholders on aspect of mine rehabilitation and water treatment. At the end of October 2024, the Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa (JUST SA) program, funded by the IKI, joined the Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Interregional Platform (JET-CR) study tour in South Africa visiting various sites across the Mpumalanga province. The study tour also hosted the international forum and was attended by a range of key South African stakeholders such as the PCC, PMU, DFFE, Mpumalanga provincial government as well as all of the JUST SA consortium partners.

Latest Update:
12/2025