The Faculty of Law is proud to share that Adv Leon Gerber, Director of the Extractive Industry Law in Africa Unit, was recently invited to participate as part of the teaching complement of the Oxford Policy Fellowship Programme: Designing a renewable energy course for African public sector lawyers workshop.  The international workshop — hosted by the ILI-South African Centre for Excellence (ILI-SACE) in Johannesburg from 5–9 September 2022 — brought leading global and regional experts together with African government officials to explore the requirements and challenges associated with renewables projects on the continent.

According to the ILI-SACE website “… the principal objective of the two workshops is to develop a training course that will transfer a range of knowledge, skills, tools and tactics to senior public sector lawyers enabling them to manage effectively and efficiently the complex legal issues of transitioning to renewable sources of power.

Adv Gerber’s contribution centred on a discussion of public policy issues, particularly the necessity to develop policy appropriate to the individual circumstances of the host state, and the need to pursue a balance between the public interest and facilitating foreign direct investment.  He said: “The topic of large-scale renewable energy rollouts on the continent is a pressing contemporary issue, especially within the context of a just energy transition from fossil fuels.  However, given the specialised legal and technical nature of these sectors, there is an urgent need to develop experts who can effectively implement sustainable renewable energy programs on our continent.  It was an honour to contribute in this regard.”

The Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria entered into a momentous three-year renewable Memorandum of Understanding with the ILI-South African Centre for Excellence in Johannesburg, South Africa.  ILI-SACE is affiliated with the International Law Institute (ILI) and International Law Institute - African Centre for Legal Excellence (ILI-ACLE).