Green economy to generate 2.6m jobs by 2050

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Kenya‘s green economy could create up to 2.6 million jobs by 2050, offering one of the country‘s biggest employment and investment opportunities in the coming decades, according to a new report.

The report named „Unlocking Africa‘s Green Transition: Opportunities Towards a Green and Inclusive Workforce,“ released by FSD Africa, Shell Foundation and talent advisory firm Shortlist, estimates that Kenya could generate up to 700,000 green jobs by 2030 as investments in renewable energy, clean cooking technologies and electric mobility gather pace. 

The projections place Kenya among the leading beneficiaries of Africa‘s transition to a low-carbon economy. However, researchers warn that persistent skills shortages and limited workforce development could constrain growth and reduce the country‘s ability to capture the full economic benefits of the transition. 

The report identifies distributed energy, clean cooking solutions and electric mobility as the primary drivers of job creation in the near term, with utility-scale solar power expected to emerge as the largest source of employment by 2050. 

“Kenya has some of the strongest foundations for a green transition in Africa,“ said Kevin Munjal, Director of Development Impact at FSD Africa. “But turning that into good-quality jobs depends on closing the skills gap between basic installation work and the more specialised expertise needed for higher-value roles.”

The study notes that Kenya‘s well-established renewable energy sector, extensive mobile money infrastructure and globally recognised off-grid solar market have created favourable conditions for green business expansion. 

The report further highlights a growing mismatch between labour demand and workforce readiness. Critical shortages have been identified in battery management, electric vehicle maintenance, digital energy systems and carbon monitoring, areas expected to attract significant investment in the coming years. 

The findings also raise concerns about the quality of jobs likely to be created. Much of Kenya‘s green workforce is expected to operate within the informal sector through micro-enterprises, agent networks and small-scale service providers supporting solar home systems, clean cooking and e-mobility businesses. 

Across Africa, an estimated 86 per cent of green jobs expected by 2030 are projected to remain informal, potentially limiting access to social protection and stable incomes. 

The report urges policymakers to strengthen county-level skills development programmes, expand vocational training and increase financing for small enterprises. 

The study estimates that achieving these targets will depend on sustained investments in workforce development and inclusive labour market policies.