The lack of proper regulations and skills offering is among the top obstacles young Kenyans face in pursuit of green opportunity opportunities.
This was revealed during a high-level delegation meeting in Nairobi aimed at attracting more youths to take up jobs in the emerging space.
However, the lack of experience and effective training for jobs in these areas has left a majority of job seekers not knowing what they should do.
This has prompted the state to initiate a multi-sectorial approach in an effort to train and formulate regulations for the sector.
In the plan the government says it will shift from the traditional set period for trainings and will grants certificates once they feel a trainee is ready.
“There are some of the trainings under this programme that will not necessarily have to go through the full cycle, for some of the courses we will issue certificates even after six months if we are contented that the trainees are ready,” said Technical, Vocational Education and Training, Principal Secretary Esther Muoria
The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that the transition into the green economy is expected to generate 10.3 million new jobs globally by 2030. Most of these are likely to be in energy efficiency, power generation, and automotive sectors.
Muoria said that Kenya, for instance, intends to have a thriving, green, circular-based economy by 2030 with a host of new employment opportunities as a result.
“The Kenyan job market has not been creating enough jobs. Innovation in job creation will lead to green jobs and green skills development to take a low-carbon development and green growth pathway, in line with the Africa Climate Summit resolutions,” added Muoria.
According to Kenya National Adaptation Plan 2015-2030, training young Kenyans in relevant careers and imparting new skills to those already in the workforce or unemployed will contribute to the building of national resilience to climate change while aiding the country’s economic development.
According to the experts’ skills development, enterprise development and financing are the three overarching pillars that will form the basis of engagement at the Green Jobs and Skills Development Workshop.
Skills development will explore the role of education at various levels in enhancing preparedness for green jobs.
Enterprise development on the other hand will look into the role of the private and public sector in creating opportunities for green job creation; while finance will delve into the contribution by NGOs, donors and various financial institutions in funding green jobs and skilling.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through its Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals initiative will work with the Kenyan government to tackle the youth unemployment crisis.
UNEP Africa Regional Office Director Rose Mwebaza, said that Kenya has immense potential to create a plurality of green job opportunities that will help tackle the negative consequences of the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss.
“67 percent of youth in Kenya are facing unemployment, coupled with a lack of required skills that would enable better access to income-earning opportunities. We have an opportunity ahead of us to address this gap in job access while accelerating the country’s transition to a green economy,” said Jacob’s Ladder Africa Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Sellah Bogonko.
Globally, the number of green jobs has been growing 8 percent annually over the past five years; with IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) projecting that 112 million jobs will be created by 2030 in selected green sectors.
In Africa, Deloitte estimates that an active green transition could generate 75 million jobs by 2050. Green jobs will be critical for Africa’s youth, with the continent’s population expected to more than double by 2050 from 1 billion to 2.4 billion people.