Green Jobs & Skills to Take Centre Stage at Africa Climate Summit 2025

Building on the momentum of the inaugural Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2023, the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) will take place from September 8 to 10, 2025, at the Addis International Convention Centre in Ethiopia. The first summit marked a historic moment for Africa, positioning the continent as a global leader in climate solutions while anchoring its role in shaping climate finance, policy, and resilience.

Now, in its second edition, ACS2 is set to deepen that impact and one organisation leading the charge is Jacob’s Ladder Africa (JLA), placing Green Jobs & Skills at the center of the climate and economic transformation conversation.

Green Skills at the Core of Africa’s Climate Agenda

At ACS2, JLA will host two major engagements:

1. A high-level session on September 10 at the Africa Pavilion, co-hosted with the African Union Commission’s Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (AUC-ESTI), alongside partners like the Ethiopian Ministry of Planning and Development, UNECA, UNEP, WWF, AGRA, World Vision, and SNV.

2. The Green Jobs & Skills Pavilion, a first-of-its-kind, solutions-driven space running September 8–10, dedicated to amplifying youth, women, and indigenous voices in green workforce development.

These engagements align with the Continental Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) 2025–2034, recently adopted by the African Union to prioritize future-ready skills that support sustainable industrialization and inclusive growth.

A Pavilion for the People

“The Pavilion is about more than talk it’s about action,” said Sellah Bogonko, Co-Founder and CEO of JLA. “Africa’s youth, women, and marginalized communities need real jobs and sustainable livelihoods. When supported, they become the innovators and changemakers driving Africa’s green transformation.”

The Pavilion is a platform for dialogue, innovation, and collaboration between policymakers, private sector leaders, civil society, and grassroots changemakers.

Where the Jobs Are

JLA and partners will spotlight sectors with high green job potential, including:

• Renewable Energy: Up to 4.5 million jobs by 2030 via off-grid solar and clean cooking technologies.

• Sustainable Agriculture: 700,000 jobs, including 377,000 from climate-smart agriculture.

• E-Mobility: A projected $2.85 billion market by 2030, offering jobs in manufacturing, logistics, servicing, and digital platforms.

From Nairobi to Addis And Beyond

JLA’s leadership at ACS2 builds on its active role following the Nairobi summit in 2023, where the Nairobi Declaration laid out Africa’s unified vision for climate action, climate finance, and development. That inaugural summit, held in Kenya’s capital, was a defining moment in placing Africa at the forefront of global climate leadership and the Kenya proudly hosted it.

Now, with Addis Ababa taking the baton, the conversation is expanding from climate ambition to economic implementation.

Looking ahead, the African Union will host Africa Skills Week 2025 in October, carrying forward the momentum by positioning green skills as a pillar of the Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034).

About Jacob’s Ladder Africa

Jacob’s Ladder Africa is a continental, youth-centric NGO working to catalyze 30 million green jobs in Africa by 2033. Through policy advocacy, youth incubation, and skills development, JLA is building a generation that is ready to transform climate challenges into economic opportunity.