CEFIM has developed a long-standing relationship with South Africa. Since May 2025, the CEFIM team has been expanding its activities to support the just energy transition, with a particular focus on Overcoming financial and capacity barriers faced by green small-scale enterprises to strengthen their role in the renewable energy value chain. Previously, the OECD implemented the Framework for Industry's Net-Zero Transition, which provides a step-by-step approach to support the decarbonisation of the steel sector by improving financing mechanisms and enabling conditions.
Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilisation in South Africa
The OECD Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilisation programme supports South Africa in its efforts to mobilise private finance and investment for clean energy, including in renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean hydrogen and industry decarbonisation.
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Our work in South Africa
Overcoming financial and capacity barriers for green small enterprises
The OECD CEFIM Programme has launched a new project with South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and local partners to identify and address financial and capacity-related challenges faced by green small-scale enterprises. The goal is to unlock inclusive, scalable solutions that support the just energy transition and strengthen local economies. This project supports the South African Government’s efforts toward a just energy transition, with a particular focus on coal-dependent communities in Mpumalanga and targeted areas in the Western Cape.
Participate in our surveys:
· Small businesses and start-ups: https://lnkd.in/dkMNNAX2
· Business incubators and accelerators: https://lnkd.in/djcv6pJp
· Financial institutions and intermediaries: https://lnkd.in/dkSgrFdA
The thematic roundtable meetings will bring together key stakeholders who are closely involved in the project and experts. They will discuss preliminary findings, survey results and action proposals that will inform the Needs Assessment Report. These discussions will help shape the way forward for Phases 2 and 3, with a focus on information-sharing and implementation.
The inception meeting will bring together key stakeholders who are closely involved in the implementation of the project, marking the start of a collaborative process to identify practical solutions for overcoming financial and capacity-related barriers faced by green small-scale enterprises in Mpumalanga and Western Cape.
The OECD team will launch a series of local stakeholder consultations in Mpumalanga with the support of Indalo Inclusive, and in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA) and the Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA). These efforts will lay the groundwork for conducting targeted local surveys, which aim to gather insights from financial institutions, incubators, small businesses, municipalities and community members.
As part of the Indalo Annual Symposium, the meeting convened approximately 40 key stakeholders, including representatives from municipalities, public institutions, small-scale businesses, local financial institutions, non-profit organisations, civil society and development partners. It initiated a stakeholder mapping exercise aimed at identifying the strengths and weaknesses of actors active in Mpumalanga.
The Framework for Industry's Net-Zero Transition in South Africa
The implementation of the Framework in South Africa aims to help to accelerate the net-zero transition of the industry sector, focussing on iron and steel. Its main objective is to identify enabling conditions and financing solutions that can stimulate the deployment of low-carbon technologies, in alignment with the priorities and needs of South Africa.
A Project Steering Committee (PSC) with line ministries and industry and banking associations has been established to co-ordinate and guide the Framework implementation. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of representatives from ministries and government agencies, industrial actors, financial institutions, international organisations and civil society organisations has been set up to review and provide insights to the OECD analysis.
The objectives of this meeting were to review the key inputs and draft results of the economic assessments of two case studies (renewable hydrogen based steel production, and carbon capture and use), and inform the prioritisation of policy and financial levers that could help mobilise investment for these technologies.
The primary objectives of this meeting were to present possible case studies for the Framework implementation, and propose key parameters and outputs for the economic assessment of the selected technologies.
The primary objectives of this meeting were to present the role of the TAC during the Framework's implementation, and discuss the priority areas to decarbonise South Africa's iron and steel sector.