South Africa's JETP, announced at COP26 in 2021, was the first of the current generation of country platforms and remains among the most extensively documented. Structured around an International Partners Group of bilateral donors (comprising France, Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada), the platform was designed to accelerate South Africa's transition away from coal while addressing its significant economic and social implications for affected communities and workers.
Under the South Africa JETP Political Declaration, the IPG committed to mobilize an initial $8.5 billion between 2023 and 2027, subject to agreement on an investment framework. The South Africa platform governance has evolved substantially since its launch. An independent secretariat initially supported the investment planning phase. A JET Project Management Unit (PMU), housed within the Office of the President, now coordinates its implementation, overseeing six defined portfolios covering electricity, just transition, new energy vehicles, green hydrogen, skills, and municipalities.
The platform's journey has been complex, shaped by the scale of South Africa's energy security challenges, the political economy of coal dependence, and the constraints on their state power utility's balance sheet. The platform's financing package has since been revised following changes in bilateral partners' priorities, though remaining donors have reaffirmed their commitments and MDB contributions have increased.
South Africa
