“You see the whole world focused on climate, and focusing on Africa,” highlighted Sanlam Investments CEO Carl Roothman in his address on the second day of Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES) 2025, being held in Cape Town. “My biggest fear is that we’re not thinking big enough; that we’re not thinking at scale.” This situation created opportunity for Africa, but also required responsibility.

“We [Africa] are competing with India,” he pointed out. “We are competing with Asia, with the US, with the world.”

He noted that the attractiveness of the US for green investments could decline during the current administration of President Donald Trump, but cautioned that this would only be a temporary situation. Roothman feared that Africa might miss out on the green economy opportunity that now existed.

As for responsibility, that included financial responsibility as well as environmental and climate and other categories of responsibility. “We have to ensure we deliver commercial returns to our investors.”

“This green economy conversation is very real for us,” stressed Old Mutual Investments director of investments Hywell George, in his keynote address at AGES 2025. “Offshore investors want to invest in our continent.”

Addressing the impact of digitalisation on the green economy, he summed it up in three words – efficiency, efficacy, and direct impact.

Achieving efficiency required the ability to measure everything that his company did. Digitalisation made that easier and faster. Old Mutual had financed 50% of the renewable-energy capacity (solar, wind, and battery storage) in South Africa. Digital technology had allowed the group to ensure continuous renewable-energy supply to customers regardless of weather conditions, seamlessly switching between solar, wind and battery, as required.

Efficacy meant delivering what was required. Digitalisation also allowed this to be measured. Thus, the company knew that its investment in renewables had cut carbon emissions by 34-million tons. It also knew it employed 50 000 people across these clean energy endeavours, and that half of them were women.

An example of direct impact was increasing the accessibility of broadband wireless connectivity for Africans. Old Mutual was investing in data centres, fibre, and telecoms towers across the continent.

He pointed out that digitalisation was taking place, that it was part of the green economy, but that it was rarely talked about.