The Operationalising a Just Transition in Africa (OJTA) research project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and collaboratively undertaken by the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship at the University of Pretoria, the African Research Impact Network and SouthSouthNorth. Research activities will occur over two years between July 2023 and July 2025.

With the pressing need for accelerated global climate action, the project’s research questions focus on how African energy access needs might be met through a step-change investment in renewable energy. The manner and means by which these investments will be achieved provide a myriad of pathways towards sustainable, low-emission development. The considerations of justice within energy transitions, the socioeconomic implications for both energy and non-energy sectors and the role of finance in enabling or inhibiting scaled clean energy access make for timely enquiry in Africa.

The pursuit of ensuring access to clean and affordable energy (Sustainable Development Goal 7) is supported by the global multilateral process to address climate change. African countries are taking steps to meet the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change’s  (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement. Additionally, the Continent still has significant energy access challenges to overcome poverty and address inequality in pursuit of a decent life for all. The opportunity to address these energy access needs with renewable energy is a practical way to operationalise a fundamental transition to align with the Paris Agreement’s goals. Notwithstanding the necessity of this alignment, renewable energy could provide options for considering the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances across the continent.

“What are the enablers for finance to realise the Continental priorities set out in the COP 27 Africa Just and Affordable Energy Transition Initiative? Moreover, what are the just transition considerations required to operationalise at least 300 million of Africa’s population having access to clean energy and increasing Africa’s renewable energy capacity to 25% of global renewable energy investments?” (COP27 Presidency, 2022: 2)

Sufficient and appropriate financing for tangible and scaled renewable energy access is paramount. Several gaps and limitations impede the continent’s capacity to operationalise energy transition pathways. Whilst taking guidance from the UNFCCC process, the project’s research audience and users are focused on  African practitioners responsible for scaling up finance to enable renewable energy access.

With this in mind, this project seeks to support a body of evidence outlining the operationalisation of just transition considerations into renewable energy expansion at national, regional, and Continental levels. The research will focus on the elements of justice within scaled renewable energy access, the socioeconomic considerations for financing just energy transitions and the role of development finance practitioners in enabling scaled renewable energy policy targets to be met.

The project outputs will include a combination of case studies that unpack the financing arrangements from African countries embarking on transitions that meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Journal papers will expand on these case studies to contextualise their proximity to continental outcomes relating to renewable energy access. Complementing these papers will be a series of policy briefs focused on operationalising just energy transitions in Africa. Underpinning the research framework will be targeted capacity enhancement of the primary research audience, engagement with early career researchers alongside the impact outreach and dissemination of findings.

The project’s objectives are to:

1. Broaden the knowledge base on integrating just transition considerations into the energy transition targets and target-setting processes of African states, including NDCs and NDC financing strategies;
2. Increase the capacity of key stakeholders and early career researchers to support the integration of just transition considerations into key operating mechanisms for financing energy transitions, including government and Development Finance Institutions (DFI) policies, strategies, implementation plans, and project appraisal tools;
3. Broker knowledge for use by decision-makers, supporting African perspectives on just transition.

Duration 

1 March 2023 – 30 November 2025

Funder : International Development Research Centre (IDRC)