Unlocking Africa’s Green Transition: Opportunities for a Green and Inclusive Workforce

Africa’s green transition presents a major opportunity to create jobs at scale but realising this potential will depend on who can access those opportunities, and how.

This report explores how green growth across sectors such as energy, mobility, waste and agriculture could shape employment across the continent. It highlights that while Africa’s green economy could generate between 3.8 and 7.9 million jobs by 2030, rising to 65.9–84.5 million by 2050, the structure of these jobs and who benefits will be just as important as the headline numbers.

The analysis shows that Africa’s transition is likely to be service-led and decentralised, with the majority of employment generated through distribution, installation, maintenance and informal enterprise networks rather than large-scale infrastructure alone. This creates pathways for women, young people and low-income workers but also raises important questions about job quality, skills development and inclusion.

By examining value chains, skills gaps and workforce dynamics across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, the report shifts the conversation from how many green jobs could be created to who can access them, and what needs to change to ensure they deliver inclusive, decent work.

The findings point to the need for more deliberate action including investing in employment-intensive value chains, aligning skills systems with emerging demand, and strengthening support for informal and small-scale workers if Africa’s green transition is to deliver both climate and development outcomes at scale