Equipping women with green economy skills and training can help to address both gender inequality and climate action simultaneously, advancing both environmental sustainability and women's economic empowerment

This book chapter examines the critical role of equipping African women with green skills to address both gender inequality and climate change challenges. The authors argue that despite women comprising nearly half of Africa's agricultural workforce, they face significant barriers including wage disparities, lack of formal agreements, and limited resource access.

The transition to a green economy presents both opportunities and challenges for African women. The chapter defines a green economy as one that is low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive. Within this framework, the authors identify four key areas of green skills that need development:

1. Natural asset management skills - including environmental accounting, impact evaluation, and ecosystem service planning

2. Climate resilience skills - such as climate modeling, early warning systems, and adaptation strategies

3. Resource efficiency skills - focusing on carbon accounting, lean manufacturing, and waste minimization

4. Low-carbon industry support skills - covering renewable energy, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction

The authors highlight that digital green skills are becoming increasingly important, particularly in areas like eco-marketing, environmental monitoring, agricultural technology, and green communication. However, they identify two major constraints to implementing green reskilling programs:

1. The green economy sector remains poorly defined and unstructured, making it difficult to develop targeted training programs
2. There is a lack of coherent frameworks for women's green reskilling initiatives

To address these challenges, the paper recommends:

• Developing gender-inclusive policies and programs that specifically target women's needs and challenges

• Creating sustainable and structural retooling programs focused on transformative green skills

• Establishing mentorship programs and support systems, particularly in male-dominated sectors

• Implementing proactive labor market reforms that consider both gender dynamics and green economy requirements

The authors conclude that successfully transitioning to a green economy requires not only developing specific technical skills but also addressing underlying gender disparities. They emphasize that empowering women through green reskilling is essential for both environmental sustainability and economic growth in Africa. This approach can help create more resilient communities while also advancing gender equality goals.

For practitioners, this research highlights the importance of developing comprehensive, gender-sensitive training programs that combine technical green skills with broader empowerment initiatives.