INSPIRE'ng TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT: Learning from the past to REwire the future
Wed Oct 21, 08:00 - Thu Oct 22, 17:00
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa Limited
ABOUT
21–22 October 2026 | Johannesburg, South Africa
What does transformative impact look like for renewable energy projects in South Africa? And 20 years since the inception of REIPPPP, what have we learned about the accelerators and impediments to meaningful and inclusive community development?
The INSPIRE 2026 Learning Event brings together practitioners, communities, developers, researchers, government, industry and other partners for two days of honest reflection, practical learning and forward-looking conversations about the future of social performance and community impact.
This year's theme, INSPIRE'ng TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT: Learning from the past to REwire the future, invites us to take stock of where we've come from, look closely at where we are now, and collectively consider what needs to change to deliver better outcomes for people and communities.
Across two days, we will explore:
- A full ecosystem reflection on how the renewable energy sector has delivered on its development ambitions
- Evidence, practical models and tools that can strengthen accountability, community participation and benefit-sharing in the just energy transition
- Co-creating a future of success by defining what social performance maturity looks like, and how we can move towards more meaningful and transformative impact
- Guest speakers, partners and peers working beyond REIPPPP, beyond South Africa and, where relevant, beyond the renewable energy sector itself
- Meaningful networking, shared learning and new relationships that can lead to collaboration beyond the event
Our full two-day agenda will include sessions and masterclasses including:
- The REIPPPP score card – a critical evaluation of REIPPP’s successes and challenges at 20 years
- Accelerators and inhibitors to meaningful and inclusive community development
- Future trends and what they imply for social performance in the RE sector
- ‘Social Performance Coming of Age’: Rewiring our practice
- Trauma sensitive leadership
Whether you work in social performance, economic development, community development, renewable energy, government, research, civil society or another part of the energy transition ecosystem, we welcome you to share your voice and experiences with us.
Let's REwire the future, together.
Supported by GIZ's Strengthening Participation in South Africa's Energy Transition (P+) Project, implemented by INSPIRE.
Note: A limited number of sponsored tickets are available. Please email [email protected] with a motivation for your sponsored ticket. Please note that sponsored tickets will cover attendance to the event only, and does not include travel or accommodation.
EVENT PROGRAMME
This year's programme has been shaped around a simple but important question: What does transformative impact require of us - as a sector, as organisations and as practitioners?
Across two days, we'll move from reflection and evidence to practice, and from practice to the future.
We'll look back at the experience of REIPPPP and ask what 15 years of renewable energy development can teach us about the accelerators and inhibitors of transformative socio-economic development.
We'll explore what "good" looks like in practice, from community engagement and strategic collaboration to IPP development on communal land and the future of Community Trusts.
And we'll look forward - Day Two takes us into the future of social performance, including AI and social justice in the energy transition, the maturing of our profession, new approaches to social performance maturity, competency and the wider social performance ecosystem, and practical Skills for the Future masterclasses.
There's also space for what makes the INSPIRE Learning Event different: collective sense-making, reflection, lived experience, peer learning and connection.
From C-suite perspectives on becoming effective change agents, to trauma-sensitive leadership, navigating complex local contexts, governance of Community Trusts and learning from each other - this programme is designed to bring different experiences and perspectives into the room.
Take a look at what we have planned!
