The Paris Agreement belongs to all of us
Population: 9.92 million
GDP: 16.5%
Country: South Africa
The KwaZulu Natal Province, popularly known as KZN, is one of the ninth Provinces in South Africa. It has the second largest provincial economy and manufacturing sector in South Africa after Gauteng, but is the country's third-smallest province, taking up 7.7% of South Africa's land area. The province is home to the largest percentage (20.6%) of the population - an estimated 9.9 million people, and contributes R206,8 billion (16.5%) towards the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
A key sector in the provincial economy with a well developed financial sector, KZN is growing at a steady average rate of 4.3% a year, generating 20% of provincial employment. Positioned as Africa’s global trade gateway, it is poised to become an international player in the global economy, as a leading trade and investment destination.
KwaZulu-Natal’s GDP is made up of diverse economic sources, while its economy is predominantly driven by its gateway status into and out of Southern Africa. This has encouraged a strong concentration of manufacturing investment, 21.5% of the GDP is made up of manufacturing compared with 19% of the GDP for South Africa. KZN's transport and communications sector is 15% larger than national level.
In September 2012, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government became the first provincial government to establish a Climate Change and Sustainable Development Council, which boosts multi-stakeholder membership. The Council has set up three Working Groups, namely Policy and Regulatory Alignment Working Group; Adaptation and Mitigation Working Group and Renewable Energy Working Group.
The province is in the early stages of developing the Climate Change Response and Sustainable Development Plan which is guided by, among others, the national strategy and the KwaZulu-Natal Growth and Development Strategy which has among its goals environmental sustainability as well as:
- Provision of 100% energy access in KZN Province by 2030, i.e., an additional 600,000 households or some 3 million people.
- Implementation of a number of significant renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
- Establishment of renewable energy manufacturing hubs, a localisation initiative.
