African women drive the continent’s green transition

Image: Magnific

“Investing in women is not just the right thing to do,
it is the smart thing to do for Africa’s growth and resilience”
– Dr. Jemimah Njuki, Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society, AfDB

Women across Africa are at the forefront of building a sustainable green economy, leading efforts in renewable energy, advancing climate‑smart farming practices and driving innovation through green entrepreneurship.

Women currently make up about 35% of the renewable energy workforce in parts of the African continent, outperforming traditional energy sectors. This is according to a recent report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). While this figure is better than the international average of 32%, African women still face barriers in technical and leadership roles in the sector.

The reasons for the higher number in Africa include NGOs and off-grid initiatives often employing more women; women being primary managers of household energy, making them natural participants in clean energy distribution; as well as many grassroots initiatives, such as Solar Sister, specifically recruiting women as clean energy entrepreneurs.

Solar Sister model
Solar Sister is active across several African countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya, where they train women entrepreneurs to distribute solar lights and clean cookstoves in off‑grid communities.

Their model reduces energy poverty, improves health, saves households money and cuts carbon emissions, while creating income opportunities and leadership roles for women entrepreneurs. To date, more than 12,500 women have been trained to sell and support clean energy solutions. Over 5.8 million people have been reached and helped to gain access to solar lights and clean cookstoves. Families have saved $231 million in energy costs; women entrepreneurs earned millions in income. Solar Sister’s health and environmental impacts include reduced indoor air pollution, improved household health and safer cooking environments. In addition, over 2.2 million metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions have been avoided through clean energy adoption.

More inspirational stories about women in the green economy sector helping and empowering other women appear in this month’s GEE that is focused on Women’s Day:

– “Our focus is on the missing middle, which is the engine of any economy around the world,” says Tracy Boswell, President of Pangea Global Ventures. She emphasises justice as the inspiration behind relocating to Accra and building investment pathways for West African SMEs beyond grant funding. Pangea began in agriculture and now supports diverse climate-impact sectors including mobility, waste, water and sanitation. [Read and watch full interview here.]

– “Partnerships for us are key. One of our strongest pillars is collaboration. No single organisation can solve Africa’s energy challenges alone,” says Yolanda Mabuto, founder of Divaine Growth Solutions, a renewable energy company focused on Africa’s energy transition. Yolanda champions business to business solar, battery storage, emobility and integrated energy solutions. [Read and watch full interview here.]

Pan-African Women’s Day 

On 31 July this year, the African Commission commemorated Pan-African Women’s Day under the theme “Spotlighting Women Securing Africa’s Water Future: Advancing Sustainable Water and Sanitation for Agenda 2063.”

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls across the continent and to ensuring that they participate meaningfully in shaping Africa’s sustainable future. This year’s theme underscored that access to safe water and sanitation is not only a development imperative but also a fundamental human rights issue and a prerequisite for the full enjoyment of women’s rights.”

IFC: Inclusive growth needed
In South Africa, 9 August is Women’s Day, and the whole month of August is celebrated as Women’s Month. Recently, a new report by the International Finance Corporation, entitled “South Africa’s Green Edge: Women’s Employment and Leadership in a Sustainable Economy,” stated that South Africa’s transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient future, can only succeed with the full participation of women in the workforce and in leadership. Yet persistent gender gaps across key green sectors continue to limit access to critical talent, reduce business competitiveness and exclude women from the economic opportunities the transition creates.

According to the report, “as one of Africa’s largest economies and a significant emitter, South Africa is navigating a profound shift, […] one that demands both urgent action and inclusive growth.”

The report examined three sectors at the heart of South Africa’s green transition: solar energy, green hydrogen and fresh fruit production, chosen for their strategic importance to low-carbon growth and their strong investment potential. The research identifies practical interventions for the private sector to unlock women’s economic participation and leadership while strengthening business performance in the green economy.

Women’s leadership
The African Development Bank (AfDB) promotes women’s leadership in Africa’s green economy through finance, policy and skills initiatives. Its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) programme unlocks credit for women‑led clean energy enterprises while country diagnostics embed gender into renewable energy planning in Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Lesotho, Madagascar and Malawi.

In addition, the AfDB partners with climate funds to channel investment into female‑founded energy transition companies and supports women farmers in Zambia with grants and training in sustainable forest‑based livelihoods such as beekeeping and mushroom production. It also promotes gender‑responsive agroforestry in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, and delivers regional workshops to strengthen women’s technical, entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

In the powerful words of the late former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan: “There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.”

 – This article first appeared in the Green Economy Express newsletter, published by Africa’s Green Economy Summit.