Jacob's Ladder Africa Co-Founder and chief executive officer Sellah Bogonko. /FILE
Industry leaders and policymakers are warning that Africa's push to become a major player in the global green economy could be undermined by a growing shortage of skilled workers.
This coming even as governments, investors and development partners channel billions of dollars into renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, electric mobility and green manufacturing.
The experts are warning that the continent's workforce is not expanding fast enough to meet the demands of emerging green industries, creating a critical bottleneck that could slow investment, delay projects and limit job creation.
The concern has emerged ahead of the GreenWorks 4 Africa Forum, a continental Green Skills and Jobs Summit scheduled for August in Nairobi, where governments, investors, businesses and education institutions will seek solutions to bridge the widening skills gap.
"Across the continent, there is a growing recognition that Africa's green transition must ultimately be measured not only by emissions targets or climate commitments, but by its ability to create decent jobs, strengthen skills, support enterprise growth, and improve livelihoods," said Jacob's Ladder Africa Co-Founder and chief executive officer Sellah Bogonko.
The urgency of the challenge received a boost this week after the African Union Commission, through its Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI), joined a growing coalition of organisations supporting the initiative.
The coalition includes Jacob's Ladder Africa (JLA), FSD Africa, the Center for Global Development (CGD) and other institutions working across finance, enterprise development, workforce readiness and economic transformation.
"Africa has a unique opportunity to shape a green economy that is both environmentally sustainable and economically inclusive. Doing so will require stronger collaboration between governments, development institutions, investors, educators, employers, and young people themselves," added Bogonko.
Recent continental consultations involving policymakers, private sector leaders, researchers and youth representatives revealed a growing disconnect between Africa's green growth ambitions and its capacity to develop the skilled workforce needed to drive the transition.
While governments continue to roll out climate strategies and investors expand funding for green projects, many employers are already struggling to find workers with expertise in renewable energy technologies, sustainable agriculture, circular economy systems, green manufacturing and electric mobility.
Experts warn that unless the skills deficit is addressed, Africa risks missing out on one of the biggest economic opportunities of the coming decades.
She said Africa has a unique opportunity to build a green economy that delivers both environmental sustainability and inclusive economic growth but warned that achieving this would require stronger collaboration among governments, educators, employers, investors and development institutions.
The stakes are high for a continent where millions of young people enter the labour market every year in search of employment.
Supporters of the GreenWorks initiative argue that the green transition could become one of Africa's largest job creation engines, but only if education and training systems are aligned with future labour market needs.
The forum will focus on six sectors expected to drive green job growth: renewable energy, climate-resilient agriculture, e-mobility, circular industries, natural capital and green manufacturing.
For universities, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and private training providers, the skills shortage also presents a significant business opportunity as demand grows for specialised programmes tailored to emerging industries.
Organisers say the summit aims to move beyond discussion and produce practical solutions, including an Africa Green Jobs Toolkit, recommendations for workforce development and an Africa Green Jobs Taxonomy that could help standardise definitions of green jobs and skills across the continent.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen partnerships between governments, investors, employers and education providers to ensure workforce development keeps pace with investment.
