New PMI Research Reveals Growing Gap Between Sustainability Ambition and Delivery

A recent study conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Green Project Management uncovers a growing gap between sustainability aspirations and actual delivery across Africa and global organizations. As the world races against time to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the research highlights the critical challenge of translating these ambitions into measurable outcomes.

While 85% of sustainability executives believe their organizations will achieve their sustainability goals, only 43% of Project Management Office (PMO) leaders share that confidence. Among project professionals directly involved in implementation, a mere 20% express extreme confidence in their organization's ability to deliver sustainable outcomes.

Despite 79% of respondents recognizing the importance of sustainability to long-term success, only 41% claim full integration of sustainability into projects and daily operations. For Africa, where projects are pivotal to infrastructure, energy, healthcare, mining, agriculture, and digital transformation, the findings underscore a delivery challenge that cannot be ignored.

George Asamani, PMI's Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizes that sustainability should not be treated as a separate conversation from business performance. Governments and businesses across the continent have set ambitious targets, yet the real challenge lies in delivery. The research identifies six major barriers to effective sustainability execution, including difficulty quantifying sustainability benefits, weak integration into decision-making, unclear goals, competing priorities, limited outcome visibility, and operating under longer-term horizons.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where sustainability outcomes directly influence access to international development financing, ESG-linked investments, and climate funding, this execution gap carries significant implications. Organizations that fail to demonstrate measurable sustainability delivery risk exclusion from vital investment flows shaping the continent's future.

Many organizations still view sustainability as a reporting exercise rather than a delivery discipline. The successful organizations in integrating sustainability typically have leadership alignment on a clear success definition and strong capability to translate sustainability priorities into project-level decisions. To address this, PMI and Green Project Management have launched the Certified Sustainable Project Professional (CSPP) certification, a new program designed to equip project professionals with tools to integrate sustainability throughout the project lifecycle.

The certification follows the PMI® GPM® P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing People, Planet, Prosperity, Process, and Product. Asamani stresses that the next phase of sustainability leadership hinges on execution. As Africa continues to invest in critical sectors, the demand for professionals capable of balancing economic, environmental, and social outcomes will grow.

Building this capability is not only essential for sustainability but also for business competitiveness and regional development.