Ahead of the State of the Nation Address and the upcoming Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES), the National Business Initiative (NBI) has issued a compelling call for a decisive shift in how South Africa addresses its most pressing challenges. NBI CEO Shameela Soobramoney asserts that the nation’s parallel crises in water security, energy reliability and climate resilience constitute an interconnected “triple threat” to economic stability, urging for an immediate transition from planning to execution through a structured national “delivery compact.”
Soobramoney argues that the country must dismantle the perceived trade-off between environment and economy. “Environmental sustainability and economic progress are not mutually exclusive; they are interdependent,” she states. “The persistent narrative that green priorities hinder growth is an unnecessary diversion. Our immediate task is to create policy and strategic coherence which allows for the certainty needed to turn existing plans into bankable projects and attract investment. We need to entrench the understanding around the risks to economy and society and consider them as systemically integrated. The upcoming Africa’s Green Economy Summit is a key moment to signal our readiness to lead, not just participate.”
Water, energy and climate: The triple threat to economic foundations
The NBI positions the protection of nature, climate adaptation and mitigation as central elements of the national economic strategy. Framing these risks as merely environmental issues has pushed them to the margins of planning. “We are facing a systemic economic risk,” Soobramoney explains. “Water scarcity paralyses supply chains. Energy instability devastates productivity. Climate disasters create massive fiscal shocks. Together, they form a triple threat that increases costs, stifles growth and entrenches inequality, directly undermining our economic foundation and social contract.”
A call for a practical national “delivery compact”
The solution proposed is a focused, accountable partnership model. “We have enough forums for discussion; what we need now is a national delivery compact,” Soobramoney asserts. This compact would target specific, measurable outcomes, such as achieving defined water security and energy reliability benchmarks. We have already seen some examples of how this can yield results in actions such as the business-government partnership which supported Operation Vulindlela.These should be built on three pillars: transparent, shared data and shared understanding of the challenge; clear lines of accountability; and genuine co-implementation between public and private sectors. “SONA must signal this critical shift from siloed plans to coordinated delivery. This is the single most powerful action to enhance confidence, both domestically and for the international investors gathering at AGES this month.”
A credible transition: Balancing energy security and decarbonisation
The NBI emphasises that South Africa’s transition must be credible, pragmatic and economically grounded. The rapid expansion of renewable energy is essential, and the same time the country mustensure energy reliability during the transition, including the continued role of existing generation capacity in the near term. “The transition is not about switching off the current system overnight. It is about building the new system fast enough while stabilising the one we have.”
A decisive transition pathway must acknowledge the realities of the current energy system. In the near term, responsibly managing existing generation capacity – including fossil-fuel assets – is essential to protect economic stability, while reforms accelerate the shift to a cleaner, more competitive, affordable and future-fit electricity market based on clear business cases and transparent cost understanding.
Tangible signals to unlock green investment and competitiveness
To secure South Africa’s position in the future green economy, Soobramoney identifies non-negotiable actions. These include finalising the creation of an independent national transmission company and competitive electricity market, announcing clear renewable energy generation targets and actively leveraging the country’s mineral and industrial base to build local manufacturing capacity for electric vehicles and components. “We have the strategic assets. What we require is the policy certainty, targeted incentives, and execution speed to transform them into jobs and decent earning opportunities, investment and export competitiveness. Clarity from SONA will directly shape the conversations and investment decisions at the Green Economy Summit.”
Effective service delivery is the cornerstone of justice and stability
There is a link between effective governance and national well-being. ” Failure to deliver basic services is an injustice that destroys trust and accelerates economic decline,” says Soobramoney. “Building a resilient future is not a political choice; it is an operational imperative. Our collective focus must be on building enduring partnerships and state capability to deliver tangible results for all citizens.We are at a defining moment as a country and as a globe. Setting a solid foundation for growth and the realisation of the enormous potential and our natural assets positions us to be able to respond to and in many cases, lead, in sustainable growth and development.”
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