Why Africa’s net-zero ambition must become operational
Africa’s green economy is on the right trajectory, however as the famous quote goes: “Success can be a long and winding road, filled with many obstacles and challenges.” This is certainly the case with the continent, as it carves its own path towards sustainability.
Part and parcel of this journey is recognising that in order to successfully realise sustainability commitments, practical steps need to be taken. According to Rohit Chashta, Sustainability Business Lead, Africa, SE Advisory Services at Schneider Electric, the biggest gap is not the ambition but the execution thereof.
“Many organisations have net-zero commitments or sustainability objectives, but those commitments are not always translated into funded, prioritised and implementable programmes,” he says.
“The challenge is therefore translating ambition into bankable and executable programmes that can be delivered from a local perspective. Decarbonisation cannot be implemented in isolation from the realities of business performance,” he notes.
Today, many utilities on the continent face financing constraints, affordability pressures, system losses and rapidly growing demand for new connections. In many informal, remote or fragile communities, conventional infrastructure models simply can’t be deployed at the required speed and scale.
The challenge also extends to mining, manufacturing, buildings and data centres which too are under growing pressure to reduce emissions while protecting energy security, operational continuity, competitiveness and long-term asset value.
Ambition becomes investment
A strong place to start in partnering with advisory services that can provide organisations with clear and foundational roadmap that can move them beyond broad commitment to actionable decarbonisation strategies.
Advisory services can work with organisations to establish the basis for decision-making, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting, energy and operational baselining, materiality assessments, climate-risk assessments and the identification of emissions and operational hotspots.
The next step is then to create the visibility required to make informed investment decisions.
“Organisations today need reliable data across facilities, assets, energy use and emissions, and even across their supply chains. This allows them to move beyond manual spreadsheets and identify where the greatest operational and financial opportunities sit, explains Chashta.
“A sustainability roadmap needs to answer three questions: what must change, what comes first, and how progress will be tracked?”
Here, interventions can be ranked by sustainability impact and business value. Quick wins are separated from long‑term projects, sequenced into a roadmap with clear business cases, ownership, and measurement.
Where capital is limited, sustainability should not sit apart as a special investment. Decarbonisation can be linked to energy performance, resilience, efficiency, risk management, and long‑term value creation.
The financing ecosystem is critical. Chashta highlights collaboration among governments, utilities, technology providers, financiers, and local partners. “Capital follows credible projects, measurable outcomes, and reduced risk,” he notes.
A well‑defined project alone won’t secure green or blended finance. Stronger cases come from a clear baseline, defined outcomes, solid implementation, governance, and measurement.
Technology as part of the roadmap
Once the strategic priorities have been established, technology can become a truly valuable enabler of the wider decarbonisation journey.
This is particularly relevant to electrical infrastructure, where modernisation can support both sustainability objectives and operational performance.
One example is the move away from sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) in medium-voltage electrical distribution. SF₆ has historically been widely used for its insulating properties, but it is also a potent greenhouse gas GHG.
“By eliminating SF₆ from electrical networks, organisations can take a meaningful step towards decarbonisation,” notes Samantha Mtimkulu, Offer Manager: Power Systems at Schneider Electric.
“With technologies like Schneider Electric’s pure air switchgear ranges such as RM AirSeT and air insulated MCSeT, customers can significantly reduce the environmental impact of electrical infrastructure while maintaining the high levels of reliability expected from modern power systems.”
The digital capabilities of these solutions also add an important benefit: connected technologies provide greater visibility into asset performance, equipment condition and network health – a major plus point for utilities and critical infrastructure,
Commitments become measurable progress
On this journey to decarbonisation, African organisations don’t have to wait for the perfect long-term plan. A structured portfolio action will set them on firm foundation for the future.
Here Chashta identifies several priorities:
- Establish a reliable baseline across emissions, energy, assets and operational risks.
- Identify high-value opportunities such as energy efficiency, electrification, renewable integration and process optimisation.
- Build digital visibility.
- Implement practical early initiatives.
- And embed decarbonisation into capital planning, procurement, operations and performance management.
Mtimkulu similarly emphasises the importance of solutions that deliver multiple forms of value simultaneously. “The most successful projects are those that improve efficiency, reliability, safety and environmental performance simultaneously,” she says.
“The opportunity is to make decarbonisation part of how organisations plan, invest and operate, creating practical pathways that are aligned with Africa’s developmental realities while supporting a more resilient and sustainable energy future,” concludes Chasta.
Article supplied by Evolution PR
