EsgNow

28/08/2026

US backs $1B rail expansion for DRC battery metals.

The United States is putting up to $1 billion behind a 30-year rail concession operated by Mota-Engil and Trafigura to upgrade 1,000 km of railway connecting the DRC’s rich copper and cobalt belt to Angola's Lobito port. As global demand for critical minerals accelerates, building Atlantic rail corridors ensures African mineral wealth can reach global markets faster, with lower freight emissions and improved supply chain transparency. The battle for green transition supply chains is no longer just about extraction, it is about who owns the rails to transport them.

Read full story 👉 https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/us-backs-drc-copper-and-cobalt-with-1-billion-lobito-corridor-funding

28/08/2026

How Joburg’s R334M Jukskei River project combines nature and financial returns.

Urban river catchments are often the first victims of rapid industrialization and aging infrastructure, but restoring them offers high-return climate adaptation. Unveiling a major urban resilience push across the Jukskei River catchment, the City of Johannesburg has partnered with international and local stakeholders on a R334 million climate restoration initiative under the SUNCASA program co-implemented by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), World Resources Institute (WRI), and local community partner Water for the Future Global South.

Combining 469 hectares of riparian restoration, invasive plant removal, and urban tree planting, a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) assessment shows the project returns $3.06 in socio-economic value for every $1 invested. By cutting flood risk in dense areas like Alexandra and reducing waterborne disease treatment costs, Joburg is proving that nature-based solutions (NbS) are essential tools for urban economic resilience.

Read full story here👉 https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/joburg-s-r334m-climate-restoration-push-reshapes-the-juskei-catchment

Joburg’s R334m SUNCASA project restored 489ha, planted 47,600 trees, removed 664t of waste and supported 1,500 jobs.

27/08/2026

Inside the race to export East Africa's oil.

With oil transport nearing first flow from the Lake Albert basin, Uganda’s EACOP project is set to export over 200,000 barrels per day via Tanzania’s port of Tanga.

Outmaneuvering alternative transit routes, the 1,443 km electrically heated pipeline underscores the geopolitical competition between East African nations competing to become the continent's next major energy corridor. Balancing massive resource revenue potential against ecological safeguards remains the region's central economic challenge.

ESG Now will be taking you through key developments across African energy infrastructure and trade corridors. Follow us on our WhatsApp channel to stay connected and updated!

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Read full story here 👉 https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/east-africa-s-oil-corridor-race

27/08/2026

Why Tanzania’s 2.1 GW Julius Nyerere Hydro Project hasn’t slashed electricity bills yet.

The commissioning of the 2,115 MW Julius Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) on the Rufiji River has more than doubled Tanzania’s generation capacity to over 4.6 GW, successfully ending acute load-shedding across the country. However, consumers expecting an immediate drop in retail electricity tariffs face structural financial realities.

Fully funded by the Tanzanian government at a cost of TZS 7.45 trillion (~$2.8B to $3.35B), state utility TANESCO must amortise massive upfront capital expenditure while investing heavily in transmission line upgrades and sub-station infrastructure. Adding bulk generation capacity at the dam site does not automatically lower consumer prices if distribution networks, last-mile connections, and thermal backup contracts remain costly to maintain.

For energy strategists across Sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania’s hydro expansion shows that achieving generation surplus is only step one; restructuring legacy utility debt and modernising distribution grids are what ultimately determine retail end-user tariffs.

Read full story here 👉 https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/why-tanzania-s-new-2-1-gw-hydro-plant-has-not-made-electricity-cheap

Tanzania has added 2,115 MW from Julius Nyerere Dam. So why is electricity still expensive? Here’s what capacity, tariffs and grid losses reveal.

26/08/2026

Diesel volatility vs. e-mobility: Why rising fuel costs are accelerating SA’s electric bus transition.

Persistent diesel price hikes and operational margin squeezes are fundamentally shifting the financial economics of South Africa’s public transport and logistics sectors. While high initial capital expenditure (Capex) has historically slowed zero-emission adoption, long-term Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models are tipping the scales in favor of battery-electric buses (e-buses). Fleet operators, including major municipal providers like Cape Town’s MyCiTi and private players like Golden Arrow Bus Services are capitalizing on significantly lower cost-per-kilometer fuel and maintenance metrics compared to traditional internal combustion fleets.

As local manufacturers like Gauteng Bus and Coach Centre (GBCC) scale up local chassis assembly under ITAC regulations to bring down procurement costs, electric public transit is proving that operational resilience and deep-decarbonization can be achieved in tandem.

Read full story here👉 https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/rising-fuel-costs-strengthen-case-for-electric-buses-in-sa

26/08/2026

JUMO and Standard Bank unveil Africa’s new Social Finance Framework.

Scaling financial inclusion across emerging markets requires bridging the gap between global institutional capital and high-impact digital lending platforms. In a major step for fintech governance, banking technology leader JUMO has partnered with Standard Bank Group’s Sustainable Finance team to launch a landmark Social Finance Framework (SFF).

Aligned with international sustainable finance guidelines and backed by a positive Second Party Opinion from Endiligence, the framework standardizes governance, reporting, and impact measurement. As JUMO CEO Paul Whelpton notes, the framework enables Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), impact funds, and institutional investors to issue social bonds and loans with full transparency.

Standard Bank Sustainable Finance VP George Karamitsos emphasizes that structuring credible verification standards ensures capital flows directly into eligible social activities, accelerating inclusive growth across the nine African markets JUMO serves.

Read full story here: https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/jumo-and-standard-bank-launch-social-finance-framework-for-africa

JUMO and Standard Bank launch a framework to attract social-finance capital for lending to underserved consumers and small businesses across nine African markets.

25/08/2026

South Africa’s energy transition is attracting capital, but infrastructure will determine its ultimate success.

NERSA registered 124 new generation facilities worth R20.18 billion in the first quarter of 2026/27, adding a combined 804 MW of generation capacity.

The figures point to strong momentum in private-sector electricity investment. Yet the rapid expansion of renewable generation also brings the country’s transmission constraints into sharper focus.

As renewable projects continue entering the pipeline, grid capacity, transmission investment and connection infrastructure will be increasingly important to converting project pipelines into actual generation.

For South Africa, the energy transition is no longer only about building generation capacity, it is also about building the infrastructure needed to connect and integrate it.

Read the full analysis on ESG Now: https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/nersa-registers-124-power-projects-worth-r20bn-in-just-3-months

24/08/2026

Ocean floor vs. African soil -> The new $16T battlefront for critical minerals.

The US and China are taking their critical minerals race to the seabed, eyeing $16 trillion in ocean-floor mineral deposits rich in cobalt, nickel, and copper. But for African mining nations, this deep-sea push raises alarm bells. Sourcing battery materials from the ocean floor risks diverting billions in international investment away from Africa's terrestrial mines and local processing industries. To protect their economic interests, African governments are demanding environmental precautionary pauses while urging investors to prioritize land-based, community-centered value addition.

ESG Now will be taking you through key developments in global critical mineral supply chains. Follow us on our WhatsApp channel to stay connected and updated!

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Read full story here 👉 https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/us-china-deep-sea-mining-race-raises-stakes-for-africa-s-critical-minerals

24/08/2026

from spending to accountability: AIIB’s $500M loan sets a new precedent for South African metros.

Infrastructure expansion without institutional reform often fails to deliver long-term value. Marking its first-ever investment in South Africa, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved a $500 million sovereign-backed loan to co-finance the government’s $3 billion South Africa Metro Trading Services Programme alongside The World Bank Group.

Targeting participating metropolitan municipalities which generate 85% of national GDP, the facility supports water, electricity, sanitation, and waste management services. Crucially, the financing is structured on a performance-based model, tying capital disbursements to measurable governance, financial management, and operational benchmarks.

As AIIB Director-General Rajat Misra and Treasury Director-General Duncan Pieterse highlight, shifting from simple capital expenditure to institutional accountability is essential to ensuring local government utilities can maintain infrastructure, protect revenue, and build long-term climate resilience.

Read full story here: https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/aiib-backs-500m-south-african-metro-services-reform

A new $500m AIIB loan will help South African metros reduce water losses from 41% and electricity losses from 22% by 2031.

21/08/2026

Standard Bank leads €456M deal for Genser Energy.

Building industrial self-sufficiency across Sub-Saharan Africa requires backing integrated energy assets that bridge gas processing, power generation, and cross-border distribution. Reaffirming commercial bank support for Africa’s energy transition, Standard Bank Group acting as Mandated Lead Arranger alongside RMB - Rand Merchant Bank and Absa Group has delivered a €456 million financing package for Genser Energy.

Operating 334 MW of power generation and a 436 km natural gas pipeline network in Ghana, Genser is utilizing the facility to complete major EPC projects, including a 135-mmscfd Gas Conditioning Plant and the Takoradi NGL Export Terminal.

As Genser CEO Baafour Asiamah-Adjei highlights, capturing gas that might otherwise be flared to fuel regional power grids and industrial off-takers across Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire demonstrates how midstream infrastructure acts as a vital catalyst for West African economic growth.

Read full story 👉 https://www.esgnow.co.za/article/standard-bank-backs-genser-energy-in-456m-gas-to-power-investment

Genser Energy has secured €456 million from Standard Bank, Absa and RMB to fund gas, power and infrastructure expansion across Ghana and West Africa.