Powering Progress
In an economy where the most urgent needs are poverty alleviation and the provision of basic services, and amidst a media landscape dominated by what the WEF has called a new global polycrisis – those cascading and connected risks with potentially catastrophic consequences for the world – shifting the country’s energy mix can feel less urgent.
But that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. It’s a critical task to position South Africa for the future of energy and all the untapped potential it offers. And in this, the private sector must lead the way by forming strategic partnerships to take the green economy forward.
The Challenge
Advocating for South Africa’s $194 billion opportunity.
As the world accelerates its transition to low- and net zero-carbon economies in line with the Paris Agreement, there are significant opportunities for countries like South Africa to leapfrog the global decarbonisation effort. And the opportunity is astounding.
So much so that by some estimates South Africa’s untapped green economy potential lies in the region of $194 billion by 2050 – which is the most significant indicator we have for the impact of the Just Energy Transition (JET) on communities, jobs and regional economic development.
The Idea
An independent body of knowledge – produced byThe Economist.
Although Anglo American supported the report, the findings would need to be independent to have impact, and it would need to come from a source trusted by the global community: Economist Impact.
We strategically decided on the Economist because of the gravity it would bring to the topic. We also decided to limit the Anglo American voice – knowing that advocacy will come from independence, and this was the impact we truly wanted.
The Report
Why communications can power real-world progress.
Entitled “Powering Progress”, the report was written independently by Economist Impact Unit (EIU) and took the form of a white paper on ways the private sector could invest and build out renewable energy in southern Africa at scale – without leaving any key stakeholders behind.
Based on our belief that strategic communication has intervention power at a systemic level, this report presentedmultiple stakeholders and decision-makers with an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in SA’s regulatory approach, along with identifying areas where intervention could enhance the energy transition nationally.
The Campaign
We deliberately focused on brave policy discussions in practice.
The campaign brought together analysis, insight, and data from the independent report into one focused and integrated communication solution.
We went from a conversation that struggled to gain national prominence because of a lack of credible data, to one thatdrove stakeholder action and prominence. We knew that without the right levels of advocacy this critical conversation would not see the light of day (especially when so many other agendas compete for attention).
Media Coverage
