Green steel certificates: A new test for Africa's low carbon industrial strategy

A new agreement between Google and Swedish steelmaker Stegra uses environmental attribute certificates to finance near-zero emission steel production. The book and claim model separates the environmental benefit from the physical steel, letting companies like Google claim lower embodied carbon in data center construction. For Africa, this could open a revenue stream for green iron and steel projects, but the IEA notes only one African hydrogen project has reached final investment decision out of 31 in the pipeline. Africa holds iron ore, renewable energy potential, and growing hydrogen ambitions. Countries like South Africa and Morocco are exploring green hydrogen linked to steelmaking, but they face high capital costs, infrastructure gaps, and weak demand certainty. The article argues that credible certification and clear accounting rules will be essential if African producers want to access corporate procurement markets. The Google-Stegra deal is not proof that this works at scale, but it shows how demand side mechanisms can support early stage low carbon industry.