Sterling One Foundation Pushes for Increased Job Creation...

Samuel Mobolaji

As climate shocks accelerate and youth unemployment rises across Africa, over 1,800 delegates from more than 50 countries recently convened for the Eleventh Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development to debate how the continent can transition to a green economy that is both equitable and resilient.

The forum, co-hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Government of Uganda, featured participation from Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Antonio Pedro, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Regional Director for Africa, and senior leaders from development banks, civil society, and the private sector.

President Museveni, addressing participants at the opening session, emphasised the importance of asserting Africa’s path to development:

“Africa must stop copying and pasting foreign models and instead focus on building from its comparative advantages in land, minerals, and people,” he said. “Our continent does not need sympathy, it needs investment and strategy rooted in our realities.”

Antonio Pedro, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, emphasised the importance of expanding Africa’s fiscal space through domestic resource mobilisation. He called for greater formalisation of the informal sector to broaden the tax base and urged countries to take a proactive role in reducing the cost of capital:

“Improving Africa’s credit ratings through strategic de-risking measures is key to unlocking affordable financing,” he stated, noting that long-term growth would be driven by investment in value addition, regional trade, and clean energy innovations, including nuclear. He also underscored that sustainable development must be a shared compact, where governments, the private sector, and communities collaborate as equal partners to drive national progress, reinforcing the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to implementation.”

At one of the forum’s key side events, “Africa’s Workforce at a Crossroads: Navigating Climate Change and the Green Transition,” policymakers, philanthropies, labor specialists, and other key stakeholders gathered to unpack one of the most urgent challenges facing the continent: how to safeguard and reimagine work as climate disruption reshapes the economic landscape. With 62 per centt of Africa’s workforce still in agriculture and 8per centtnt engaged in informal employment, the session highlighted a fundamental gap between existing economic structures and future climate realities.

Commenting on the urgency of ensuring Africa’s green transition delivers real opportunity at the community level, Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO, Sterling One Foundation, said: “The green economy cannot be designed in isolation from the people it is meant to uplift. It must reach the last mile, generate meaningful livelihoods, and give African youth the tools, trust, and opportunity to lead this transition, not be sidelined by it. Anything less risks reinforcing the very inequalities we are trying to solve.”

Among the outcomes of the session were calls to embed justice into climate financing, invest in skills training for emerging green industries, and expand job creation in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and circular economies.

Speakers also stressed the importance of national governments designing policies that protect informal workers and anticipate gender-specific climate vulnerabilities.

Organisations working across development and philanthropy, including Sterling One Foundation, emphasized the importance of aligning action with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those focused on decent work, reduced inequality, and climate resilience, while moving from dialogue to implementation.

As part of its broader commitment to this agenda, Sterling One Foundation will co-convene the upcoming Africa Social Impact Summit in partnership with the United Nations Nigeria. The summit, taking place on July 10–11, 2025, at the Eko Convention Centre, will bring together heads of state, business leaders, funders, and civil society to explore scalable models for impact.