Africa targets 60m green jobs by 2030

Africa could create more than 60 million green jobs by 2030, but the continent must urgently build the skills, financing and policies needed to unlock that potential, organisers of a new pan-African initiative said on Tuesday.

This is even as Jacob’s Ladder Africa announced plans to host the GreenWorks 4 Africa Forum, a new platform aimed at accelerating green skills development and job creation across the continent.

The inaugural forum will take place from August 11 to 13, 2026, in Nairobi, bringing together policymakers, business leaders, development partners, academics and civil society groups to develop practical solutions for Africa’s green economy.

Sellah Bogonko, co-founder and chief executive of Jacob’s Ladder Africa, said the initiative was created to address the continent’s growing youth unemployment challenge.

“Africa’s workforce is largely informal. We are not creating the most decent or sustainable jobs because many of these roles are not recognised within the formal regulatory system,” Bogonko said during a media briefing attended by journalists across Africa.

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She said this makes it harder for workers and businesses to access finance and institutional support needed to grow.

Africa faces increasing pressure to create jobs as roughly 10 million young people enter the labour market every year, widening the gap between job seekers and available opportunities.

Bogonko said green jobs and green skills development could help close that gap while also supporting climate action.

According to the International Labour Organization, Africa’s green economy could generate more than 60 million jobs by 2030, especially in sectors such as renewable energy, waste management and natural resource management.

“The potential for growth in Africa’s green economy is undisputed. However, these projections only become reality if we build the infrastructure needed for green enterprises to thrive,” Bogonko said.

The forum will also come ahead of next year’s COP32 expected to be hosted in Addis Ababa, which organisers say provides an opportunity for Africa to showcase climate solutions developed on the continent.

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Joan Kubai, head of advocacy at Jacob’s Ladder Africa, said the GreenWorks platform is designed to move discussions on green jobs beyond policy dialogue to real implementation.

“The idea is to move beyond dialogue and drive tangible progress towards Africa’s green and just transition,” Kubai said.

She said the forum will focus on six sectors with strong potential for green job creation. These include renewable energy and productive energy use, e-mobility and green infrastructure, climate-resilient agriculture, circular industry and waste systems, nature-based enterprises, and green manufacturing and sustainable mining.

Discussions will also address financing, policy frameworks and social issues such as youth empowerment, gender equality and community inclusion.

Organisers said the event will feature working sessions and collaboration rooms designed to produce concrete outcomes. Planned outputs include an African Toolkit for Green Jobs Development, commitments from governments and investors to expand green job pipelines, and the launch of a continental coalition for green skills and opportunities.

They also plan to introduce an African Green Jobs Index to track workforce development and measure progress in building the continent’s green economy.

Bogonko called on journalists and stakeholders to highlight programmes that are already creating sustainable employment across Africa.

“Across the continent there are programmes that are working. Our goal is to showcase these models and scale them so that Africa’s young people can access sustainable opportunities,” she said.