South Africa's brightest tackle industry's digital and green challenges

Soapbox South Africa has launched the Twin Transition Challenge, an eight-week innovation programme in which multidisciplinary student teams from the University of Cape Town, the University of the Witwatersrand, Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the University of the Western Cape are working alongside leading private and public sector partners to solve real business challenges at the intersection of digital innovation and sustainability.

Issued by Soapbox

26 Jun 2026

South Africa's brightest tackle industry's digital and green challenges

Teams are now deep in the build phase, ahead of a Grand Finale in Cape Town on 26 June 2026, where they will pitch to their respective partners and jury panel.

The programme responds to a national contradiction: youth unemployment in South Africa exceeds 60%, while more than 45,000 AI and data science roles sit unfilled. Research by Synesys, cited in the Daily Maverick, estimates that failing to close this skills gap could cost the economy R124bn by 2027.

The Twin Transition Challenge is built on the premise that the world’s two great transformations: digital and green are not siloed problems. South Africa already has proof of this concept: ABALOBI, a local non-profit, built a mobile app that allows small scale fishers sell directly to buyers at fair prices, while generating the data needed to protect coastal ecosystems. One digital tool, two transitions.

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We strongly believe that partnership sits at the heart of this programme. Our partners aren't observers; they've opened their doors and brought young people directly into the rooms where real business decisions are made. Give youth a seat at that table, present with a real challenge, the right methodology and access to the best AI tools, then results speak for themselves” - Amelia Francis, country manager, Soapbox South Africa.

4 challenge partners, 4 real problems

Over eight weeks, teams of five are working directly alongside their challenge partners, moving from problem discovery to working prototype.

Sanlam Investments, South Africa’s largest black-owned, sustainability-driven asset manager, has challenged its team to build a digital SDG scorecard tool that brings its proprietary impact methodology to life for portfolio managers and SMEs across all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Petco, South Africa’s leading producer responsibility organisation for the collection and recycling of PET and liquid board packaging, has tasked their team with transforming its passive data systems into intelligent tools that serve its entire recycling ecosystem, from Buy-Back Centres to producers.

“The recycling value chain generates vast amounts of data every day, but too often that information isn't accessible or actionable for the people who need it most. Through the Twin Transition Challenge, we're excited to work alongside young innovators to explore how digital tools and AI can help unlock greater value from data, improve decision-making across the recycling ecosystem and ultimately strengthen South Africa's circular economy. This challenge is a powerful example of how fresh thinking and technology can help solve complex sustainability challenges." - Kara Rohleder, Marketing Manager, Petco

TUHF21 is confronting a paradox at the heart of South African housing: green affordable housing finance exists, but the township-based small-scale developers who need it most cannot access it. Their student team is developing solutions to dismantle those barriers.
The Atlantis Special Economic Zone, Africa’s first dedicated Greentech SEZ, is challenging its team to strengthen the digital infrastructure connecting the Atlantis community to the economic opportunities the zone is creating.

“Atlantis SEZ proves that the green economy can deliver real jobs and real investment. The next step is ensuring the community around us is digitally connected to those opportunities. These students aren’t just building a prototype, they're helping build a bridge to the community.” Michael Webster, community integration specialist at Atlantis Special Economic Zone

From design sprints to grand finale

The programme opened with two design Sprint Days, held at the Craft Design Institute (CDI) Cape Town and online, where teams used Soapbox South Africa’s structured design thinking methodology to map pain points, challenge assumptions and pitch a first prototype directly to their partner. Five masterclasses covering AI and IoT, data analytics, ESG, circular business models and visual communication are supporting the building phase, with students rapidly prototyping using leading AI tools including Claude by Anthropic and Lovable.

At the Grand Finale on 26 June, teams will present their solutions to a jury of industry leaders. The winning team will receive an amount of R15,000 and the runner-up R10,000.

“The twin transition is a global priority, but its solutions must be local. By backing South Africa’s young innovators to work on challenges with key partners, we are investing in entrepreneurs who will drive the digital and green economy of tomorrow.” Geerten Schurink, programme advisor youth employment and entrepreneurship at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)

The Twin Transition Challenge SA 2026 is powered by Orange Corners, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Dutch Embassy in South Africa as part of a broader commitment to supporting South Africa’s transition to a digital and green economy.

Organisations interested in becoming a 2027 challenge partner can contact Soapbox South Africa at az.oc.acirfahtuosxobpaos@nebur and az.oc.acirfahtuosxobpaos@ailema.

Soapbox

Soapbox is versed in social behaviour change from consulting, campaign conceptualization and in-house formats that are plug & play for various organisation types in Sustainability, Education, Financial Inclusion and Health.

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