South Africa green-skills project maps jobs linked to clean energy
A partnership backed by a $1 million grant is mapping skills demand and planning local training zones for South Africa’s energy transition.
The African Development Bank and South Africa’s National Business Initiative are advancing a skills programme intended to connect clean-energy investment with jobs. The first phase of the Just Energy Transition Skilling for Employment Programme is supported by a $1 million bank grant.
One component, JET ATLAS, maps expected demand and supply for skills across municipalities. The partners have also completed a feasibility study for Skills Development Zones intended to link training with local employers and businesses.
According to the bank, zones are planned in Nkangala, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape, with launches scheduled from late October 2026 into March 2027. Two further studies on skills and progress are due to be presented at COP31.
The National Business Initiative has set an ambition of enabling 100,000 green jobs by 2030. That is a goal, not a count of jobs already created. The partners say training in established trades such as electrical work, welding and construction will be important alongside new energy projects.
Source: African Development Bank (published 26 October 2026).
