Jacob’s Ladder Africa (JLA), in collaboration with fifteen universities under the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee of Public Universities in Kenya, through the State Department of Higher Education and Research formed a consortium to launch the Green Careers Caravan (GCC), an initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment in Kenya.
The initiative kicked off at Kisii University, marking the first stop in a series of engagements that will extend to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), Taita Taveta University, Embu University in 2025 and eleven more during the first half of 2026.
Kenya is facing a youth employment crisis. Nearly 12pc of young people aged 15–24 are unemployed, and more than 31pc of the 10 million youth in the labour force are either unemployed or under-employed. Every year, over one million young people enter the labour market without adequate skills to secure meaningful work.
At the same time, climate change and technological disruption are reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace. Yet, the transition to a green economy offers hope across Africa, with the shift potentially generating 3.3 million jobs by 2030 in renewable energy, e-mobility, construction, manufacturing, and sustainable agriculture.
As a flagship initiative, GCC seeks to close the gap between academic training and the realities of today’s fast-evolving labour market often described as volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). This shifting environment demands new skills and adaptability.
“We are witnessing a historic convergence of Africa’s demographic dividend and the global green transition,” said Sellah Bogonko, Co-Founder and CEO of Jacob’s Ladder Africa. “But potential alone is a passive promise. Only when our young people are fully aware of opportunities, educated in relevant skills, empowered through access and networks, ethical in their approach, entrepreneurial in their mindset and operating within systems that actually work for them, will they transform into the active builders, innovators, and leaders that will turn Africa’s promise into the world’s best story of transformation.”
Representing the government on behalf of Dr. Beatrice Muganda Inyangala, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Higher Education, Consolata Alawo, Assistant Director at the State Department of Higher Education and Research, remarked: “By integrating climate education and green skills into institutional curricula, we can nurture a generation of informed and proactive individuals who are not only well-equipped to adapt to the realities of climate change, but also ready to champion environmental sustainability across all sectors of society.”
She further invoked the wisdom of the late Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai, emphasizing: “You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people. You inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own and that they must protect them.”
During the high-level breakfast to mark the consortium’s formation, Professor Daniel Mugendi, the Chairman of the Vice-Chancellor’s Committee of Public Universities in Kenya, commended the initiative and reiterated the need for students and the youth to understand the full spectrum of opportunities available to them.
He also highlighted the importance of collaboration between universities, government, private sector, development partners, and civil society to create an enabling environment for student and youth empowerment.
Over the next five years, the program aims to scale to all 42 public universities in Kenya, while expanding to one new African region each year. It is set to deliver more than 150 university activations, directly engage over 150,000 young people, and achieve an estimated digital reach of more than 5 million impressions through podcasts and media platforms.
Kenya’s green transition is already supported by robust policy frameworks, including the ILO Green Jobs Programme and national green growth strategies aligned with Vision 2030, which embeds sustainable development principles in the country’s overall growth strategy.
The Green Careers Caravan builds on this momentum by directly engaging the country’s youngest demographic and ensuring they are prepared to seize new opportunities.
JLA is calling on industry leaders, mentors, and development partners to contribute to scaling GCC by offering internships and apprenticeships and supporting entrepreneurship through funding and technical support.
This as well as sharing expertise as mentors and guest speakers and partnering to expand the Caravan to more universities across Kenya and Africa.
