The UN Economic Commission for Africa, Subregional Office for Southern Africa (ECA SRO-SA) in partnership with South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the United Nations Trade and Development, concluded a two-day National Workshop to validate the findings and recommendations of regional studies on Innovative Climate Action to Accelerate Green Industrialization in Southern Africa.
Hosted by the Government of South Africa, the workshop is part of the implementation of a United Nations Development Account 17th Tranche Project which is supporting Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe to integrate climate action into industrial development strategies to promote sustainable, inclusive and resilient economic transformation.
The workshop brought together representatives from the South African government, the private sector, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), academia, research institutions, civil society, development partners and the United Nations in system in South Africa to review and validate four regional studies on green industrialization, technology transfer and innovation, the circular economy, and renewable energy transition. Participants identified national priorities to strengthen policy coherence and regional collaboration for green industrial development.
Opening the workshop, Dr. Jenitha Badul, Senior Policy Advisor in the Directorate of Sustainability Programmes & Projects, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to advancing green industrialization through collaboration, emphasizing the importance of partnerships in building an inclusive, climate-resilient industrial future.
United Nations Resident Coordinator for South Africa, Nelson Muffah, underlined that green industrialization should be viewed not only as a climate agenda but as a broader development agenda capable of driving technology upgrading, economic diversification, employment creation, regional integration and inclusive growth while addressing poverty and inequality.
Representing the private sector, Ms. Ayabulela Manjezi, Project Manager, Climate, Energy and Water at the National Business Initiative, stressed that achieving a just transition requires strong partnerships among government, business, civil society and research institutions. She emphasized that inclusion must remain central to climate action and industrial transformation, ensuring that women, youth, persons with disabilities and vulnerable communities can participate meaningfully in the opportunities created by the transition.
Speaking on behalf of ECA Subregional Office for Southern Africa Director Ms. Eunice Kamwendo, Oliver Maponga, Economic Affairs Officer at ECA SRO-SA, emphasized that green industrialization presents Southern Africa with an opportunity to strengthen competitiveness, expand regional value chains and improve access to emerging global markets. He highlighted the importance of coordinated industrial, trade, innovation and climate policies that build productive capabilities, strengthen technology transfer and position the region to capture greater value from the global green transition.
During the review of the studies, participants highlighted strong synergies across the studies and agreed that green industrialization requires an integrated approach that connects industrialization, climate action, environmental sustainability, regional cooperation, inclusion, private sector development, research, training, finance and investment.
The workshop called for the strengthening of governance and institutional coordination across industrial policy, innovation, trade, climate action and investment promotion; investment in productive capabilities and industrial ecosystems; promotion of technology that builds domestic capabilities; acceleration of industrial upgrading in strategic green value chains; and adoption of strategic policy sequencing that places capability development at the centre of industrial transformation.
Participants called for the adoption of a private sector- and MSME-centred approach to support the commercialization and adoption of green technologies, strengthen awareness and skills development, improve access to finance and technology, promote coherent regulatory frameworks, and deepen regional trade and cross-border collaboration to expand value addition and competitiveness.
The workshop concluded that sustainable industrial transformation depends on strong institutions, productive capabilities, innovation, learning and coordinated policymaking and called on countries to strengthen these foundations in order to capture opportunities emerging from the green economy, rather than remaining suppliers of raw materials.
The recommendations from the studies will inform country-specific policy briefs and contribute to strengthening national and regional policy frameworks that support green, inclusive and resilient industrialization across Southern Africa.