Africa Charts a Bold Climate Path as Just Transition Platform Launches Continental Principles for an Equitable Transition.

Africa Charts a Bold Climate Path as Just Transition Platform Launches Continental Principles for an Equitable Transition.

By MAXIMILLA WAFULA & PATRICK KIMANZI 

The County Diary News Today

Nairobi, Kenya – Wednesday, 28th May 2025

From right : Dr. Pamela Levira – African Union,

Ujunwa Ojemeni – E3G,

Dr. Tedd Moya – University of Oxford, Anne Songole - CLASP

Kingsley Ofei-Nkasah – GD Resource Center

The Just Transition Platform (JTP) made a historic stride today with the launch of its Principles for a Just and Equitable Transition at the Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi. The highly anticipated event brought together African leaders, policy specialists, and climate advocates in a powerful show of continental unity and purpose. With Africa bearing the brunt of climate change despite contributing less than four percent of global emissions, the launch signals a firm step toward redefining Africa’s role and voice in global climate action.

The Just Transition Platform, established in 2022, was created to drive collaboration, research, and advocacy around the concept of a just and inclusive transition. Since its inception during the inaugural Just Transition Workshop in Accra, Ghana, the platform has worked with a wide network of researchers, policy actors, and civil society leaders to build a roadmap rooted in Africa’s realities. Co-convened by the ClimateWorks Foundation and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Africa, the platform has become a trusted space for shaping transformative, African-led climate policies.

The Principles unveiled in Nairobi are the result of a rigorous three-year consultative process that began in Accra. From there, stakeholders reconvened in Mauritius in 2023 where five expert working groups began drafting the core principles across critical sectors. The document was shaped by established international frameworks such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Human Rights Charter, and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. It also drew from regional insights and grassroots voices to create a unique, people-centered framework that reflects the continent’s lived experiences.

The sectors addressed in the Principles include energy, trade and finance, labour, agriculture and land use, and the care economy. In the energy sector, the principles call for sustainable national energy resource sovereignty, equitable access, and innovation. African countries are urged to adopt models that prioritize local ownership, clean energy integration, and resilient systems designed with community input. In the areas of trade, investment, and finance, the framework emphasizes fairness, inclusivity, and reforms that dismantle exploitative economic relationships. This includes calls to restructure Africa’s debt burdens, promote transparency, and push for more just and equitable global financial governance.

On matters concerning the world of work, the principles insist on integrating decent work, labour rights, and social protections into all climate-related reforms. Green jobs must go hand-in-hand with safe conditions, fair wages, and gender equality. Climate policy must not become another source of vulnerability for workers already facing unstable livelihoods. In agriculture, forestry, and land use, the principles focus on empowering smallholder farmers, especially women, through secure land rights, improved financing, and inclusive policy-making. The goal is to transform the sector from one of subsistence to one of sustainable growth and decent employment.

The principles on gender and the care economy highlight the often-invisible contributions of women and caregivers in climate resilience. They emphasize that care work must be recognized, protected, and integrated into national development strategies. Women, particularly from rural and marginalized communities, must be fully represented in decision-making processes across sectors, including energy, agriculture, and digital innovation.

Today's event also included a multi-stakeholder dialogue under the theme “Advancing Just Transition in Africa: Climate Change and the World of Work.” Participants explored how governments, trade unions, and civil society can respond to the dual challenges of climate change and technological disruption while seizing the opportunities that lie in emerging green and digital industries. The discussions focused on aligning national climate ambitions with labour rights, social justice, and inclusive growth, especially as countries update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

The launch of these principles could not have come at a more critical time. As the climate crisis deepens and economic inequalities widen, African countries are under growing pressure to adopt policies that protect their people, resources, and future. Excessive heat stress alone affects over 2.4 billion workers annually, contributing to nearly 19,000 deaths and millions of injuries each year. In Africa, where youth unemployment averages 12 percent and reaches over 35 percent in some countries, these figures represent more than just numbers—they represent lives and livelihoods at risk.

To confront these realities, the Principles for a Just and Equitable Transition urge African states to reject externally imposed models and instead advance community-rooted, African-led solutions. They call for reforms that tackle corruption, confront systemic inequalities, and ensure that investments serve the majority and not the elite few. African ownership and sovereignty over natural resources, tax systems, and financial flows are positioned as central to the transition, while education, capacity-building, and grassroots leadership are recognized as pillars of a truly inclusive transition.

The Principles also stress the importance of dismantling global systems that perpetuate African dependency and debt. By pushing for reforms in trade and international finance, the framework aims to secure the continent’s right to development on its own terms. The launch marked the beginning of a new chapter—not only for African climate policy but for a broader movement toward justice, dignity, and sustainability.

The Nairobi launch sends a strong message to the world: Africa is not waiting to be led. Africa is leading. With bold ideas, grounded in lived experiences and backed by collective will, the Just Transition Platform has charted a path forward—one that holds the promise of a climate-resilient, equitable, and prosperous future for all.