Written By: Faith Jemosop
Across the African continent, a vibrant generation of youth is rising not with apathy, but with action. As climate disasters intensify from floods in Mozambique to droughts in the Horn of Africa young Africans are stepping up as champions of environmental advocacy, innovation, and justice. In a region where over 60% of the population is under 25, their role is not just important, it is transformative.
From Nairobi to Lagos, Kampala to Accra, young Africans are emerging as the face of climate justice. One notable figure is Elizabeth Wathuti, a Kenyan environmentalist who addressed world leaders at COP26, urging them to prioritize climate justice. Her Green Generation Initiative has planted more than 30,000 trees and inspired climate education in Kenyan schools.
In Uganda, Vanessa Nakate has become a globally recognized climate activist, drawing attention to the unequal burden of climate change on African nations. She founded the Rise Up Movement to amplify voices of African youth often excluded from global climate conversations.
In South Africa, 23-year-old Ayakha Melithafa stood alongside Greta Thunberg and others in a petition to the United Nations, demanding accountability from high-emission countries. Her work underscores the legal and moral dimensions of intergenerational climate justice.
These young leaders represent just a small portion of a growing movement across Africa, one that is reshaping the narrative from helplessness to hope and from victimhood to leadership.
Youth-Led Climate Initiatives
Beyond global platforms, many African youths are taking local action to combat climate change. In Accra, Ghana, the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) has trained thousands of young people in climate education, waste management, and sustainable agriculture.
In Kenya, the Green Teens Movement organizes clean-ups in urban slums and mobilizes schoolchildren in tree-planting campaigns. In Nigeria, the youth-led initiative Climate Live has planted more than 200,000 trees since its inception in 2022, working closely with schools and rural communities.
Such grassroots efforts, often operating with limited funding and support, demonstrate a deep sense of responsibility and resilience among African youth. They are not waiting for top-down solutions; they are acting now, in their communities, with what they have.
Youth-Founded Green Start-ups
Africa’s climate crisis is not just fuelling activism it’s also sparking innovation. Across the continent, young entrepreneurs are building start-ups that tackle environmental challenges while creating jobs and economic opportunities.
In Nigeria, MitiMeth, founded by Nkem Okocha, transforms invasive water hyacinth into crafts and home furnishings, simultaneously cleaning rivers and empowering women. In Kenya, engineer Anthony Mutua founded Solar Freeze, which provides solar-powered cold storage to smallholder farmers, reducing post-harvest losses and preserving food.
In Zimbabwe, Fresh In A Box is revolutionizing urban agriculture with a digital platform that delivers fresh, organic produce straight from farms to city dwellers, all led by a team of young innovators.
Also read: East Africa’s Dairy Sector Gets $150M Climate Lifeline
These examples show how Africa’s youth are building businesses rooted in sustainability addressing climate challenges while driving economic transformation.
The New Battleground for Climate Advocacy
Social media has become one of the most powerful tools in the hands of Africa’s climate-conscious youth. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are being used to educate, organize, and pressure decision-makers. Campaigns like #AfricaIsNotADumpster have gone viral, protesting illegal waste dumping in African countries.
In Tanzania, youth-run platform Sauti ya Mazingira (“Voice of the Environment”) uses WhatsApp groups and YouTube channels to educate rural communities in Swahili about climate resilience and conservation.
Students at Makerere University in Uganda developed GeoGreen Africa, a digital mapping tool that tracks illegal deforestation and enables citizens to report environmental violations in real time.
These digital efforts amplify youth voices across borders, bridge urban-rural divides, and fill gaps left by traditional media showing that Africa’s climate warriors are as comfortable coding and tweeting as they are planting trees.
Barriers Youth Encounter in Climate Leadership
Despite their passion and energy, young Africans face significant barriers in their climate advocacy and innovation journeys.
Funding remains a major hurdle. Many youth-led initiatives rely on volunteer work or out-of-pocket support, with limited access to grants or seed capital. When funding is available, the application processes are often bureaucratic or geared toward larger, Global North organizations.
Exclusion from policy processes is another challenge. While youth are often invited to attend climate conferences, they rarely have meaningful decision-making power. Many have voiced frustration about being treated as symbolic participants rather than stakeholders.
Access to education and digital tools is uneven. Millions of African youths, especially in rural areas, lack access to the internet, smartphones, or quality environmental education limiting their ability to participate in or benefit from climate conversations.
In some regions, youth activists also face political threats. Environmental protests are at times met with arrests, intimidation, or backlash, particularly when they challenge powerful corporate or governmental interests.
Who’s Stepping In: Governments and NGOs Providing Support
Some African governments and international organizations have begun supporting youth-led climate action. In Rwanda, the Green Jobs Program is training and funding youth to enter green industries such as renewable energy, agroecology, and eco-construction.
South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission has launched a Youth Desk to involve young people directly in climate policy development. These initiatives signal a shift toward recognizing youth not as recipients of policy, but as its architects.
NGOs are also stepping up. UNDP’s YouthConnekt Africa provides mentorship, funding, and platforms for young climate entrepreneurs. Climate Action Africa, an NGO based in Nigeria and Ghana, runs incubators and innovation hubs to help youth scale their green solutions.
Globally, platforms like Fridays for Future MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas) are amplifying African youth voices and demanding climate justice from a perspective of those most affected by climate disasters.
However, youth continue to call for more locally-led support, fairer funding mechanisms, and deeper partnerships that empower them rather than overshadow them.
Also read: South Africa Faces a Crisis Worse Than Load-Shedding
Africa’s youth are not waiting for governments or the international community to act. They are already reshaping the continent’s response to climate change, planting trees, launching start-ups, building apps, cleaning rivers, and educating communities.
For their full potential to be realized, structural barriers must be dismantled. That means investing in accessible education, inclusive policies, reliable internet, and fair funding opportunities.
Africa is at a turning point in its climate journey. Its youth are offering a bold, sustainable, and equitable path forward. The challenge now is for the world and Africa’s institutions to listen, learn, and follow their lead.
