As Africa charts its pathway towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future, one truth stands clear: a just transition cannot succeed if it excludes those most affected by the climate crisis. Women and young people are not passive recipients of development they are innovators, organisers, and leaders. Yet their potential continues to be undermined by structural inequalities and patriarchal systems that relegate them to the margins of policy, finance, and decision-making. It is time to shift this narrative.
From Beneficiaries to Builders
Across the continent, women and youth are already shaping green futures from the ground up. In Uganda, climate advocate Rose Kobusinge exemplifies this leadership. Through her work with Vital Crest Foundation empowering young women in agroecology, renewable energy, and climate advocacy. Kobusinge demonstrates that when women have access to training, technology, and platforms for influence, they can transform communities and build resilient local economies.
Globally, women hold 32% of full-time jobs in the renewables sector, yet only 19% occupy senior leadership roles, and just 22% work in technical trades such as installers and electricians. In sub-Saharan Africa, women hold only 28% of energy-sector jobs in Uganda and a lower 6% in Tanzania, highlighting the urgent need to empower women in these sectors. Women and youth are reimagining agriculture, energy, and livelihoods not as recipients of aid, but as architects of solutions. They are building solar-powered enterprises, promoting sustainable food systems, and developing climate-smart innovations that speak to local realities.
Yet systemic barriers from gender bias in finance to limited representation in governance continue to hinder their full participation. Across Africa, women’s informal employment rate is 89.7%, while youth face an even higher rate of 95%, underscoring how exclusion from formal green economy pathways risks perpetuating inequality.
Challenging Patriarchal Systems and Promoting Intergenerational Equity
Achieving a just transition requires dismantling the patriarchal and exclusionary norms that define who gets to lead. This includes transforming institutional cultures that often exclude women from technical, financial, and political spaces. It also means addressing intergenerational inequities by ensuring that young people have access to the knowledge, mentorship, and capital needed to shape the green economy.
Intergenerational collaboration where wisdom meets innovation is essential for Africa’s sustainability journey. When young women farmers co-create solutions with elders, or youth-led climate movements engage traditional leaders, they foster collective ownership of the transition. This shared vision strengthens both community resilience and democratic participation.
From Tokenism to True Leadership
This call aligns with frameworks such as the African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022–2032) which urges governments, institutions, and movements to go beyond token inclusion. The African Union recognises that representation alone is insufficient if decision-making power remains centralised or male-dominated. Genuine inclusion means creating pathways for women and youth to shape policy, lead innovation, and benefit equitably from green growth opportunities.
For example, in South Africa, government’s Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) commits to creating 6 million employment opportunities from 2024 – 2029, with a special focus on women and youth demonstrating that inclusion is not only possible but measurable. This approach reflects a deliberate effort to embed gender and generational equity within green economy and just transition frameworks, ensuring that women and young people are not merely participants but beneficiaries and leaders of change.
Building Intersectional and Locally Rooted Solutions
Intersectionality the consideration of gender, age, and socio-economic status must be at the heart of Africa’s climate action blueprint. Policies designed without this lens risk reproducing inequality, even under the banner of sustainability. Locally grounded approaches, co-created with marginalised communities, ensure that solutions respond to lived realities rather than imported models.
The potential rewards are immense. Across Africa, the green economy could generate 3.3 million jobs by 2030, with approximately 70% linked to renewable energy and related sectors. By centring women and youth in these opportunities, Africa can simultaneously address unemployment and drive equitable, locally grounded solutions. From rural Nigeria to urban Rwanda, community-led initiatives are proving that equitable climate action is not only morally right it is economically and socially transformative. Empowered women and youth drive innovation, strengthen local economies, and anchor Africa’s transition in justice and dignity.
The Path Forward
As global attention turns towards upcoming milestones such as COP30 and the G20 Summit, Africa has a critical opportunity to redefine what leadership in the green transition looks like. Placing women and youth at the forefront is not charity it is strategic foresight. They are, quite literally, the architects of Africa’s future. Empowering them today ensures that tomorrow’s climate solutions are not only sustainable but also inclusive, intersectional, and deeply rooted in African realities.
Author: Kennedy Simango
Research Analyst
