The global green transition is driving profound changes in labour markets and economic strategies. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the shift towards sustainability is expected to create 100 million jobs by 2030. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, which surveyed over 1,000 employers representing 14 million workers, identifies climate-change mitigation as one of the most transformative forces shaping employment this decade.
Nearly half of businesses anticipate significant restructuring to align with net-zero targets, with roles such as renewable energy engineers, environmental specialists and electric mobility experts emerging among the fastest-growing occupations. Environmental stewardship has also entered the top tier of rapidly rising skills worldwide, underscoring the scale of this workforce evolution.
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Africa, home to 1.4 billion people and some of the fastest-growing urban centres on the planet, sits at the crossroads of this transformation. Urban hubs are becoming laboratories for climate adaptation, with investment flows creating employment opportunities that were unimaginable a decade ago. A June 2024 labour market assessment found that over 11 per cent of jobs in African cities now fall under the green category, with 7.5 per cent classified as direct green roles and an additional 4.4 per cent as indirect. Cities such as Freetown, Nairobi and Accra feature prominently among the global leaders, where more than one in five jobs is green.
Global Commitments Shaping Local Realities
Africa’s green transition does not exist in isolation; it is anchored in global frameworks and climate diplomacy. The Paris Agreement of 2015 and subsequent annual COP conferences have intensified commitments towards net-zero emissions, demanding systemic reforms across energy, transport and industrial sectors. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7, SDG 8 and SDG 13) underscore universal access to affordable, clean energy, decent work, and urgent climate action, objectives that directly influence labour dynamics.
These international commitments are backed by massive funding pledges. At COP28 in Dubai, the Loss and Damage Fund was operationalised, while the African Climate Summit in Nairobi in 2023 secured commitments worth US$23 billion for green growth initiatives. The African Development Bank’s Desert to Power initiative, for instance, aims to harness solar energy to provide electricity for 250 million people across the Sahel, creating thousands of jobs in renewable energy and related services.
Economic Roots Deepen Under Green Growth
The economic dividends of the green transition are becoming measurable. According to the African Development Bank and IRENA, investments in renewable energy create three times more jobs per US$ million spent compared to fossil fuel projects. Modelling from the International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that accelerating renewables deployment in Africa could boost GDP by 6.4 per cent and expand overall employment by 3.5 per cent by 2050.
A landmark July 2024 report by FSD Africa and Shortlist, supported by Boston Consulting Group, projects the creation of up to 3.3 million new direct green jobs in Africa by 2030, spanning solar energy, green mobility, sustainable agriculture, construction and manufacturing. Among the leading economies, South Africa could create between 85,000 and 275,000 new roles, while Nigeria and Kenya could each generate 60,000 to 240,000 positions. Ethiopia is projected to add up to 130,000 jobs, and the Democratic Republic of Congo up to 45,000.
The majority, nearly 60 per cent of these jobs are expected to be skilled or semi-skilled positions, including engineers, technicians and project managers, signalling a critical need for targeted education and vocational training. The solar energy sector alone is expected to account for 70 per cent of new jobs, including roles in manufacturing, installation and maintenance.
But Hidden Roots Still Await Discovery
Despite these promising projections, a substantial share of Africa’s labour force remains in the informal economy, which accounts for over 80 per cent of employment in sub-Saharan Africa. Many green jobs, particularly those linked to waste recycling, urban farming and small-scale renewable energy installations, occur in unregulated settings and therefore escape official data. This underlines a structural challenge: formalising informal work while ensuring that the benefits of the green transition reach those who have long been excluded from stable employment.
Gender and Youth Disparities
While the green economy promises new opportunities, structural inequalities persist. Women occupy fewer than 10 per cent of roles in construction and only 12 per cent in transport and logistics, on average. Youth participation is similarly limited, with workers under 24 comprising about 12 per cent of jobs in construction and 10 per cent in transport. These figures raise concerns about an exclusionary transition unless proactive measures are taken to integrate gender equity and youth empowerment into workforce strategies.
Moreover, skills gaps are emerging as a significant bottleneck. In Nigeria, for instance, renewable energy companies report shortages in technical expertise across electrical, mechanical and civil disciplines. Bridging these gaps will require not just vocational training but systemic reform to embed climate-related skills into national education curricula.
Bright Spots of Change in Urban Landscapes
Despite challenges, African cities are piloting ambitious programmes that tie climate action to job creation. In Accra, a green jobs initiative supported by the Global Cities Fund has integrated waste workers into cooperatives and enrolled more than 250 individuals in health insurance schemes. Cape Town has established a dedicated energy and climate unit to accelerate renewable energy deployment, creating pathways for employment in the energy sector.
Cocody, a district in Côte d’Ivoire, has launched a Green City Plan targeting a 70 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, with expectations of generating thousands of jobs. Similar initiatives are underway in Dakar, Kampala, Tsévié and Yaoundé, signalling a continental movement towards sustainable urban planning.
At a national level, Kenya has positioned itself as a regional leader through its first National Green Jobs and Skills Development Workshop held in May 2024, setting a target of 240,000 green jobs by 2030. South Africa, despite its reliance on coal, is investing heavily in renewable energy zones and just transition programmes, supported by a US$8.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership announced at COP26 and reinforced at subsequent climate summits.
The Practical Tensions of Transition
Yet the road is far from smooth. South Africa’s coal-mining town of Komati exemplifies the complexities of shifting from fossil fuels to clean energy. The closure of its coal-fired power station in 2022 resulted in unemployment soaring to 43 per cent, even as a new solar and battery project backed by a US$439 million World Bank package began construction in 2023. While this project is expected to create about 2,500 temporary construction jobs, questions remain over the sustainability of employment once projects move into operational phases.
Seeding Inclusivity in a Growing Transition
Africa’s green transition is no longer a distant aspiration, it is an unfolding reality with profound implications for economic development and social equity. Current trends suggest a future where millions of Africans could find work in sectors that not only provide livelihoods but also safeguard the planet. However, this potential will not be realised automatically. It demands intentional policies to close gender and youth gaps, formalise informal labour, and equip workers with the technical skills required for a decarbonised economy.
Guided by global frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, anchored in the UN SDGs, and backed by international finance and local innovation, Africa’s climate transition can do more than cut emissions, it can become a cornerstone for prosperity, dignity and shared progress.
