Africa’s green economy is on the right trajectory, but the continent faces real challenges as it carves its own path towards sustainability. According to Rohit Chashta, sustainability business lead for Africa at Schneider Electric’s SE Advisory Services, the biggest gap is not the ambition but the execution thereof.
“Many organisations have net-zero commitments or sustainability objectives, but these 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.”
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 cannot be deployed at the required speed and scale. The challenge also extends to mining, manufacturing, buildings and data centres, all of which are under growing pressure to reduce emissions while protecting energy security, operational continuity, competitiveness and long-term asset value.
Ambition becomes investment
A strong starting point is partnering with advisory services that can provide organisations with a clear, foundational roadmap, moving them beyond broad commitment to actionable decarbonisation strategies. Advisory services can work with organisations to establish the basis for decision making, including greenhouse gas emissions accounting, energy and operational baselining, materiality assessments, climate-risk assessments and the identification of emissions and operational hotspots. The next step is 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 lie,” Chashta explains. “A sustainability roadmap needs to answer three questions: what must change, what comes first, and how progress will be tracked?”
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.” A well-defined project alone will not 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 strategic priorities have been established, technology can become a genuinely 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. “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 advantage for utilities and critical infrastructure.
Commitments become measurable progress
On the journey to decarbonisation, African organisations do not have to wait for the perfect long-term plan. A structured portfolio approach will set them on a firm foundation for the future. 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.
• 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.”
“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,” Chashta concludes.
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