The African continent stands at a critical transformational moment in the global pursuit of just transition pathways from energy systems to food production, and other routes to sustainability.
Government representatives, climate NGOs, and trade unions recently participated in a multi-stakeholder dialogue titled “Advancing Just Transition in Africa: Climate Change and The World of Work” to chart a collective path forward.
The session examined how social partners can address the dual challenges of climate change and technological disruption, while making the most of opportunities within emerging green and digital industries.
In this pivotal moment, the Just Transition Platform, bringing together African voices in energy, labor, trade, land use, and gender justice, launched a bold, Africa-centered framework for a Just Transition.
The platform emphasizes that as nations revise their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Africa must ensure that the principles of a just transition are embedded across all sectors, including energy, agriculture, labor, and finance.
Despite contributing less than 4% of global emissions, the continent faces some of the most severe climate impacts. These challenges, compounded by structural injustices, threaten jobs, health systems, food security, and the rights of youth and women.
The new framework is thoughtfully designed to reflect Africa’s unique climate vulnerabilities, energy needs, and development aspirations. It was developed through wide-ranging consultations among diverse stakeholders and redefines what a just transition means for Africa by placing energy sovereignty, justice, and collaborative innovation at its core.
According to George Mwaniki, Country Director at the World Resources Institute (WRI), the key question is whether Africa is truly transitioning or merely leapfrogging. Considering the continent’s low emissions yet immense energy poverty, where millions still lack access to electricity, he emphasized the need to realign Africa’s priorities around the actual needs of its people.
Recognizing the physical and social impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, the dialogue also examined how these changes affect workers across the continent. Faced with these challenges, unemployment continues to rise, especially among youth.
Globally, excessive heat stress affects 2.4 billion workers annually, leading to nearly 18,970 work-related deaths and 23 million workplace injuries each year. These realities further strain Africa’s already fragile workforce, where youth unemployment averages 12% and exceeds 35% in countries such as South Africa.
As such, the proposed framework calls for integrating decent work standards and social justice principles into climate policy, ensuring that no one is left behind in the move toward a climate-safe future. Experts also advocated for a reframing of the Just Transition narrative, urging a shift from externally imposed models toward community-rooted, African-led solutions.
Just Transition Platform shows Solutions Rooted in Local Ownership
Rukia Hamisi of 350.Org highlighted challenges in the agricultural sector, noting that although West Africa produces significant quantities of cocoa, citizens there are forced to purchase imported chocolate due to a lack of local value chains.
Her point was echoed by Dr. Pamela Levira from the African Union, who emphasized the need to reduce and eventually stop food imports by supporting homegrown value chains and food processing industries.
“The major exporters of packaged food globally see Africa as a continent of consumers, and it remains that way because we have allowed it. We must adopt a mindset shift toward self-sufficiency. By buying imported foods, we deny ourselves market opportunities and, in the long run, job creation,” said Dr. Pamela.
Participants emphasized the importance of questioning who benefits from global climate concepts such as Net Zero and Just Transition, insisting that Africa’s unique contexts and realities must shape the agenda.
A critical issue that emerged is Africa’s current position at the bottom of the clean energy value chain, despite possessing many of the critical minerals needed for the global energy transition.
Stakeholders raised concerns about Africa’s visibility in the just transition debate, especially regarding clean energy adoption, electric vehicle mobility, and the mining of raw earth minerals.
Mr. Samuel Ngige, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, described the transition as transformative in theory, but largely invisible at the community level.
“Who is benefiting from the transition in Africa?” he asked. “It’s not visible among the workers, communities, or livelihoods as it currently stands.”
He emphasized the need to move beyond resource extraction toward value addition and domestic innovation, which has to be informed by research, and a need to heavily invest in research for policymaking.
Looking at Africa’s potential from a resource-ownership perspective, participants agreed that the continent must lead in green energy adoption. Such leadership, they argued, should be anchored in Africa’s natural resources, with a focus on supporting livelihoods and creating decent jobs.
Dean from Powershift emphasized the significance of local ownership in this transition. “Ownership is critical if Africa is to emerge as a winner from the just transition to net zero. With proper bargaining, we can demand technology transfer and the skilling of local workers to match the needs of a sustainable future,” he said.
“Africa has every right to develop on its terms,” Dean added. “But due to a lack of capacity to refine and complete value chains, we end up purchasing technology from the Global North, often in debt, which deepens the financial trap our countries face.”
During the launch, the core framework and sectoral priorities were unveiled. The framework is anchored on sector-specific pathways that include: energy systems—with options for gradual, leapfrogging, or hybrid transition models; trade, investment, and finance—rooted in fairness, safeguards, and equitable partnerships; the world of work—emphasizing decent employment, social protection, and labor rights; agriculture and land use—promoting equity and low-carbon practices; and gender—advancing a feminist and justice-centered transition.
