GreenWorks 4 Africa Summit calls for coordinated approach to green skills, jobs

The GreenWorks 4 Africa Summit, held in Nairobi, underscored the crucial need for a coordinated approach to green skills, jobs, and economic development across Africa. Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Eng. Festus Ng’eno highlighted the necessity of linking green investments with national development in his closing remarks at the summit.

He stressed that Kenya and other African nations must devise practical models to translate the continent’s green transition into tangible jobs, skills, and economic opportunities. Ng’eno praised the Summit’s innovative approach, describing it as a valuable shift from traditional conferences, emphasizing the importance of translating dialogue into action.

He connected the green economy to Kenya’s broader development goals, notably the Vision 2060, asserting that investments in green energy and economic systems are fundamentally investments in national development.

The Summit convened a diverse assembly of senior government officials, development partners, private-sector leaders, researchers, and practitioners who advocated for a more unified strategy to address skills, employment, and enterprise systems essential for Africa’s green economic transformation. Jacob’s Ladder Africa's Co-Founder and CEO, Sellah Bogonko, highlighted the summit’s value in fostering a collaborative problem-solving environment where successful methodologies can be replicated across different contexts.

She stressed the importance of unifying efforts to move in the same direction, collectively and with equal dedication. The discussions culminated in several key recommendations, including the integration of dual training and apprenticeships into green skills development, expanding the recognition of prior learning, and aligning educational curricula with actual labor-market demands.

Participants also stressed the importance of investing in locally led solutions and empowering communities, enterprises, and practitioners to contribute actively to the development of green economic solutions.

Overall, the consensus among attendees was clear: stronger collaboration across all sectors—government, business, educational institutions, investors, and development partners—is essential. This collaboration should enable the design and implementation of interconnected systems rather than isolated initiatives. Furthermore, the Summit emphasized the strategic importance of Africa’s growing young population as a demographic asset, proposing deliberate actions to create pathways for young people to participate meaningfully in the green economy.

The Forum also aimed to expand the Alliance for Greening Skills and Opportunities Africa, establishing a broader platform for sustained collaboration among various stakeholders in advancing Africa’s green skills and employment agenda.