Operationalising a Just Transition in Africa document

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

With the need for accelerated global climate action in mind, the project’s research questions focus on meeting African energy access needs with a step-change investment in renewable energy. The manner and means by which these investments will be achieved provide myriad pathways. 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.

The pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (ensuring access to clean and affordable energy) is underpinned by the global multilateral process on 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 inequality and ensure a decent life for everyone. The opportunity to address these energy access needs with renewable energy is a practical means to operationalise a fundamental transition insofar as to how the Continent’s energy needs are aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goals. Notwithstanding the necessity of this implementation, 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.

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 alongside the role of Development Finance institutions working to enable investments. 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.

Call for Blogs – Deadline 14 June, 2024

We are inviting blog papers for an upcoming hybrid learning and exchange forum and a peer-reviewed blog series themed: Operationalising a Just Transition in Africa: Assessing African Countries’ NDC Priorities, Progress, and Implementation Gaps in Relation to Renewable Energy Access. The forum, to be held on 28th June, 2024, and the proposed blog series stem from research within the collaborative project, Operationalising a Just Transition in Africa (OJTA), funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The collaboration includes the African Research Impact Network (ARIN) based in Nairobi, the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship’s (CAS) Environmental Humanities Programme at the University of Pretoria, and SouthSouthNorth (SSN), based in Cape Town. More info here

Call for Papers – Deadline 15 January 2024

We are inviting contributions to an upcoming symposium and/or an edited monograph titled “Operationalising a Just Transition in Africa: Possibilities and Pathways for Energy Systems in an Uneven Global Context”. This symposium and proposed volume stem from research within the collaborative project, Operationalising a Just Transition in Africa (OJTA), funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The collaboration involves the African Research Impact Network (ARIN) based in Nairobi, the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship’s (CAS) Environmental Humanities Programme at the University of Pretoria, and SouthSouthNorth (SSN) based in Cape Town. More info here

OJTA ACTIVITIES:

Learning and Exchange Forum – June 2024:

Video recording from the learning and exchange event.

Learning and Exchange Forum – Blog Series:

1. Introduction to the OJTA Learning and Exchange Forum 
2. The Critical Role of Data in Africa’s Just Transition
3. Unlocking Africa’s Renewable Energy Potential
4. A Just Future on the Stove: Why E-Cooking is Key to Africa’s Transformation
5. Bridging the Gap for a Just Energy Transition in Africa
6. The Indispensable Role of Foresters and Environmental Managers in Delivering Renewable Energy NDCs
7. Flame-Free Future: Energy Efficiency and Clean Cooking Solutions for Africa