The African Union Commission has joined a growing coalition of continental and international institutions seeking to accelerate Africa’s green jobs and skills agenda as the continent positions itself within the global green economy.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jacob’s Ladder Africa, Sellah Bogonko, made this known during a press conference today in Nairobi.
She said Africa’s green transition should be assessed not only by emissions reduction targets but also by its impact on people’s livelihoods.
“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,” Bogonko said.
She added that Africa had a unique opportunity to build a green economy that is both environmentally sustainable and economically inclusive.
“Achieving this goal would require stronger collaboration among governments, investors, development institutions, educators, employers and young people,” she added.
Bogonko said the move comes amid increasing efforts across Africa to ensure that the transition to a green economy delivers not only environmental gains but also jobs and improved livelihoods.
She added that the GreenWorks 4 Africa Forum is being positioned as the continent’s first dedicated Green Skills and Jobs Summit aimed at aligning climate action with economic development, enterprise growth and employment generation.
“The African Union Commission, through its Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, had become a strategic partner for the inaugural GreenWorks 4 Africa Forum, scheduled to hold in Nairobi, Kenya, from August 12 to 13, 2026.
“Other partners supporting the initiative include FSD Africa, the Center for Global Development and several institutions working across policy, finance, workforce development and economic transformation,” she said.
Bagonko said that GreenWorks 4 Africa was established to bridge existing gaps by bringing together stakeholders to develop practical solutions across six priority sectors: renewable energy, climate-resilient agriculture, e-mobility, circular industries, natural capital and green manufacturing.
“Unlike conventional conferences, the forum would function as a working platform focused on collaboration, problem-solving and the development of practical tools to support workforce development and green industrialisation.
The announcement followed a series of continental pre-convenings involving policymakers, development institutions, private sector leaders, researchers, youth representatives and practitioners to examine the systems required to drive Africa’s green transition.
Discussions at the engagements revealed persistent gaps between climate policy ambitions and implementation in areas such as financing, workforce development, enterprise growth and institutional capacity.
Expected outcomes from the summit include the development of an Africa Green Jobs Toolkit and contributions towards creating an Africa Green Jobs Taxonomy aimed at establishing a common understanding of green jobs and skills across the continent.
Other anticipated outcomes include strengthened partnerships and actionable recommendations to support policy reforms and investments in Africa’s emerging green sectors.
The forum’s agenda will be guided by three key pillars: finance, technology and market systems; policy and governance systems; and social systems.
Organisers said the growing coalition of partners reflects increasing recognition that Africa’s green transition must become an economic development agenda as much as an environmental one.
The inaugural GreenWorks 4 Africa Forum is expected to attract policymakers, investors, private sector leaders, researchers, development institutions and youth representatives from across Africa and beyond.
For countries such as Nigeria, where youth unemployment remains high and the government is pursuing energy transition policies, experts say investments in green skills, renewable energy and climate-smart industries could create millions of jobs while supporting sustainable development.
By Dare Akogun
