Germany Provides R6.2 billion in Funding for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition and Skills Development

• Germany committed a further funding of EUR 355 million (ZAR 6.2 billion) for the next 2-year-cycle.
• South Africa and Germany reconfirmed the five bilateral focal areas of (1) peaceful and inclusive societies, (2) climate and energy, (3) sustainable economic development, (4) training and employment as well as (5) health and pandemics.

The 2022 government-to-government negotiations on South African -German development cooperation took place on the 5th of October 2022 in Pretoria. The German delegation was headed by Ms Birgit Pickel, Director General Africa at the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and included the GIZ and KFW. The South African delegation was headed by representatives from the National Treasury.

Ms Pickel highlighted the Just Energy Transition Partnership as a milestone in international cooperation and emphasised Germany’s strong commitment to this partnership in order to support clean and just transition towards climate neutrality in South Africa. South Africa and Germany emphasised the importance of the Just component of transition to protect livelihoods and the economic base of the coal basin in policy discussion around JETP.

South Africa and Germany will further strengthen the existing bilateral TVET & Skills Development cooperation and complement these by further initiatives focusing on pathways from learning to earning.

In commending the huge efforts of South Africa to strengthen governance and fight the ‘second pandemic’ of gender-based violence, Germany made additional commitments in the areas of violence and crime prevention, SDG implementation and anti-corruption.

Ms Pickel and the National Treasury highlighted the more than 30 years of joint development cooperation as catalytic and relevant to innovative processes. The visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to South Africa and of President Cyril Ramaphosa to Germany this year are proof of the longstanding trustful relationship between our two countries.

Ms Pickel will further take advantage of her visit to South Africa to conduct high-level political talks, field visits and exchanges with CSO.

Author: Bryan Groenendaal