2024-Zakiya

Zakiya Abrahams is pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Sustainable Development at the University of Stellenbosch with the Centre for Sustainability Transitions. She has been in the renewable energy industry for over four years developing utility-scale wind and solar projects across the country. This experience has nurtured her interest and passion for finding green energy solutions that contribute directly to the economic and social development of local communities in South Africa.

Her thesis explores the conceptualisations and practices of social performance in South African renewable energy projects with private offtake power purchase agreements. Through this, a greater understanding of the effectiveness of companies’ social performance practices outside of a regulated tender process is gained, as well as whether the relatively recent shift in procurement environment has helped or hindered social performance practices, and thus local economic development.

As someone who now sits at the intersection of academia and industry, Zakiya is growing an enriched understanding of the complexities that encompass South Africa’s Just Energy Transition.