New PMI Research Reveals Growing Gap Between Sustainability Ambition and Delivery

A new PMI and Green Project Management study highlights a growing disconnect between sustainability ambitions and delivery worldwide. The research, focusing on nearly 1,600 professionals across 35 countries, reveals that while 85% of sustainability executives believe their organisations will achieve their goals, only 43% of Project Management Office leaders share that confidence. Among implementation-focused project professionals, just 20% express extreme confidence.

The study found that although 79% of respondents view sustainability as crucial for long-term success, only 41% say it's fully integrated into projects and daily operations. For Africa, where infrastructure, energy, healthcare, mining, agriculture, and digital transformation projects are pivotal, the findings underscore the urgent need to embed sustainability into project delivery.

George Asamani, PMI's Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, stated that sustainability is now a key determinant of project success, surpassing traditional factors like governance and methodology. However, 59% of organisations haven't fully integrated sustainability into their operations.

Six barriers hinder successful execution of sustainability strategies, including difficulty quantifying benefits, weak integration into decision-making, unclear goals, competing priorities, limited outcome visibility, and longer time horizons needed to achieve results. For Sub-Saharan Africa, where sustainability directly impacts access to international funding, these execution gaps could prevent organisations from securing the investment crucial for regional development.

Organisations excelling in sustainability execution share two traits: strong leadership alignment and robust capability to translate sustainability priorities into project actions. To address this, PMI and Green Project Management have introduced the Certified Sustainable Project Professional certification. This new program, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, equips project professionals with tools to integrate sustainability into every project phase.

Asamani emphasized that the future of sustainability leadership hinges on execution, especially in Africa's rapidly growing infrastructure and digital sectors.