Just in time
Good afternoon 👋🏽
South Africa’s just transition received a boost with a USD 500 million pledge from the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) to help curb the country’s reliance on coal. South Africa secured major financing commitments under its Just Energy Transition Partnership back in 2021, but Pretoria dragged its feet on implementation amid mounting electricity blackouts. Mercifully, the grid has now stabilised, thanks to sectoral liberalisation, which has enabled businesses to invest in renewables. South Africa will leverage CIF’s funding to close highly-polluting coal power plants, reskill workers to harness opportunities in new industries, and establish green special economic zones. Progress promises to unlock a further USD 2.6 billion in financing for South Africa’s just transition, including commitments from the World Bank and African Development Bank. CIF is also advancing the energy transition in neighbouring Namibia, where USD 250 million of concessional capital is earmarked towards decarbonisation. The funding will go towards private sector activities designed to scale back emissions while galvanising the development of new green industries. This promises to enable Namibia to capitalise on its abundant renewable energy potential and strengthen its emerging hydrogen economy. Climate finance may move slowly, but when major players like CIF make commitments, multilateral lenders and private sector capital quickly follow.
Yours in timely transitions,
AP editorial team
📈 USD 34.9 million
During his time as Ghana’s finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta allocated USD 34,904,505 towards spare parts for a fleet of 307 ambulances, according to a probe by the Office of the Special Prosecutor. Ofori-Atta is now a fugitive from justice, and was named on an Interpol red list earlier this month.
🇹🇬 Time To-Go?
Togo has suspended French broadcasters RFI and France 24 for three months, citing biased reporting, as President Faure Gnassingbé faces protests over constitutional changes that extend his 20-year rule. Demonstrations this month have led to the arrest of approximately 80 people, leading Amnesty International to call for investigations into alleged torture and unlawful detention of citizens. Protestors are taking umbrage against constitutional changes that shifted Togo from a republic to a parliamentary democracy, enabling Gnassingbé to be sworn in as the President of the Council of Ministers in May. His new post has enabled Gnassingbé to sidestep looming presidential term limits, while retaining executive power. Despite demonstrations being banned in Togo since 2022, pressure on Gnassingbé looks set to intensify as opposition groups demand he step down whilst calling for civil disobedience from 23 June.
🇬🇦 Left reeling
Gabon announced its intention to withdraw from its 2007 Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement with the European Union, criticising the deal as “lopsided” in favour of European interests. The agreement allowed EU vessels from Spain and France to fish in Gabonese waters in exchange for financial and technical support to the country’s fisheries sector. A significant local grievance is that fish caught under the agreement are shipped directly to Europe without being landed in Gabon, preventing the country from developing domestic processing capabilities and local jobs. Libreville’s decision comes despite the EU providing annual financial contributions of EUR 2.6 million, with EUR 1 million specifically earmarked for supporting Gabon's fisheries sector. The withdrawal signals a broader shift in Gabon's natural resource management strategy, prioritising the development of local value-added industries over static access agreements that may not reflect current market values.
🇺🇬 Trials and tribunals
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has signed into law a controversial amendment that allows civilians to be tried in military courts. This new law effectively overturns a Supreme Court ruling from January that had declared the practice unconstitutional. The Ugandan government has previously used military tribunals to prosecute political opponents, most notably opposition leader Kizza Besigye, whose case was moved to a civilian court following the Supreme Court's decision. The amendment was passed by parliament in May during a session boycotted by opposition lawmakers, who argued it defied the nation's highest court. The session was also marked by a heavy police presence. Human rights activists have consistently criticized the use of military courts for civilians, viewing it as a method to suppress dissent.
🇿🇦 G-whiz
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had to tread delicately in the margins of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Canada, just as conflict escalated in the Middle East. As part of South Africa’s Presidency of the G20, Ramaphosa attended a G7 outreach session in Alberta, and held a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders. This included engagements with the new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and the new Korean President Lee Jae-myung. However, Ramaphosa was deprived of the opportunity to meet US President Donald Trump, as he left early to focus on the evolving conflict between Israel and Iran. This was, perhaps, a blessing in disguise, given US-South African tensions over Pretoria’s international legal advocacy against Israel, and the ruling African National Congress’ alleged proximity to Hamas. Stronger relations with Canada will help to partially offset South Africa’s strained relationship with the United States, and augurs well for partnerships and investments in energy, critical minerals and climate resilience.
⚽Sundowns windfall
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns kicked off their FIFA Club World Cup journey with a 1-0 win against Ulsan HD FC from South Korea, albeit in front of a mere 3,000 fans at the 25,500-seater Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The revamped Club World Cup has been touted as a lucrative venture for all the clubs involved – with a total prize pot of USD 1 billion. However, FIFA’s revamped distribution model, which offers each African club USD 9.55 million for participation alone, may end up inadvertently entrenching financial gaps on the continent. Most African teams participating have a monopoly on their domestic league titles, with Mamelodi Sundowns winning their eighth title in a row this year. Channelling funds to the Sundowns, and their peers – Egypt’s Al Ahly, Morocco’s Wydad AC, and Tunisia’s Espérance de Tunis – risks cementing their domestic dominance, rather than benefiting football development.
🗓️ London Climate Action Week
Often regarded as a warm up for the bigger Climate Week NYC, this year London Climate Action Week is set to eclipse its American peer, as travel bans and hostility towards environmentalism bites. Taking place between 21-29 June, London Climate Action Week promises to showcase the city’s powerful contribution to climate leadership. Lead Advisors Emmanuel Balogun and Nick Branson will be attending sessions throughout the week. If you’re also in town, get in touch.
🔑 CANEX Shorts
Entries are open for the 3rd edition of CANEX Shorts, a film competition for young filmmakers in Africa and the diaspora. Supported by Afreximbank, through its Creative Africa Nexus programme (CANEX), the competition will culminate in screenings and an award ceremony at the Intra-African Trade Fair in September. Deadline is 30 June.
📚The Interpreters: South Africa’s New Nonfiction – Sean Christie and Hedley Twidle (eds.)
The Interpreters is a new, one-of-a-kind anthology showcasing some of the best of South Africa’s creative non-fiction published since the end of apartheid. Spanning the gamut from from personal essays to comics, the subject matter of this collection moves from the underworld of zama-zama goldminers to the tragicomic closure of a Cape Town zoo; from stick fighting to punk rock; game lodges to fruit farms; and cricket pitches to mermaids.
🎹Point And Kill – Little Simz featuring Obongjayar
On Point and Kill, Little Simz and Obongjayar tap into their Nigerian roots over an Afrobeat production that echoes the legacy of Fela Kuti. Simz moves through the hypnotic bass with calm precision, while Obongjayar’s chant-like vocals add weight and texture. This track is a strong display of Simz’s rise as one of this era's most focused and inventive rappers.
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