Fuelling Entrepreneurship for a Climate-Smart and Socially Inclusive Green Economy

Like many other countries, South Africa is facing challenges in operationalising its climate change mitigation targets for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement and linking sustainable development with ambitious adaptation efforts. At the same time, poverty alleviation and the reduction of inequalities and unemployment remain key priorities in South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP). As a UN PAGE (Partnership for Action on Green Economy) country since 2015 and host of the UN PAGE Ministerial Conference in January 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa is increasingly taking responsibility for leading the transition towards a socially inclusive, green economy.

Climate-smart and socially inclusive enterprises provide market-based solutions which help to enhance the adaptive capacities of the South African economy and society and bear immense potential to drive this transition. However, many small and growing enterprises are unable to scale-up in light of significant barriers to accessing tailored advisory services, financing instruments, and policy frameworks.