With the growing interest for EDGE certification in French-speaking countries, we are looking for partners who can help us deliver high quality support for our clients in the local language.

According to Knight Frank LLP, there are 700 certified green buildings across Africa right now. While South Africa accounts for more than three-quarters of these buildings, other highly ranked nations include Egypt, Kenya, Senegal and Nigeria. Over the last year, we have seen growing interest for sustainability in countries such as Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal and Morocco. The rise in certified green buildings in French-speaking countries represents an exciting business opportunity for consultants working in the region.

Cities are making bold climate commitments that are driving the market forward, including Dakar (Senegal) which pledged under the C40 Cities Leadership Programme to be net-zero carbon by 2050, and Cocody (Cote D’Ivoire) which pledged to cut its carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 as part of its Green City Plan. Several projects in Cote D’Ivoire have already achieved EDGE certification and there are multiple going through the process right now. The market is also undergoing changes on the financial front.

Through IFC’s Green Bond Programme, Francophone countries such as Morocco and Tunisia are in the process of developing green bond markets, which can play an important role in market transformation. Cote D’Ivoire is also a high potential growth market as it is part of the Market Accelerator for Green Construction (MAGC) program, a joint program between IFC and the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to accelerate green construction. The program utilises a range of financial instruments to drive green construction finance, based on market need, and to support the commercial case for green construction. As this program continues forward, there are likely to be more opportunities for green building certification across the country.

As Sintali-SGS, we operate as a one-stop shop for EDGE certification and audit services, we offer clients a simple and transparent path to EDGE certification. Clients receive a single contract for both the EDGE audit and EDGE certification. Part of our offer is a standard consultancy package that is available to all clients through our EDGE Expert Partner network. This standard package helps to ensure that clients have support throughout the EDGE certification process.

To better help support clients in Francophone countries, we are looking for French-speaking EDGE Experts to partner with to deliver this standard support package. As work is being conducted remotely, the ability to deliver the services in French is more important than a specific location. There is also a growing demand for EDGE Expert Training in French. We would be interested in partnering with EDGE Experts who are also able to deliver training programs in French.