Building the next generation of African sustainability professionals driving the green economy.
Tapping into Africa's demographic dividend through collaboration — positioning young professionals to work with SMEs, drive the green transition, and unlock the opportunities sustainability creates.
Businesses need the talent to lead their transition. Graduates need the bridge to become it.
Every year, an estimated 10–11 million young Africans enter the labour market against only around 3 million formal jobs created, and fewer than 1 in 10 have completed tertiary education — at the same time, businesses face growing regulatory, investor, and consumer pressure to demonstrate real sustainability performance, and need versatile, skilled people who can deliver on it, not just report on it.
Africa's green economy could generate between 3.8 and 7.9 million new jobs by 2030, rising past 65 million by mid-century — but only if graduates are ready to step into roles the market hasn't fully defined yet.
We're building the bridge between the two.
Three ways we build the pathway
From real placements to rethinking how business is taught, each pillar puts young East African talent at the centre of the green economy.
Future of Work & Employability
Structured placements that put graduates into real sustainability work, building the experience the green economy demands.
Rethinking Business Education
Working with academia and think tanks to rethink how and what we teach — embedding systems thinking so graduates can solve real, complex problems, not just learn theory.
Youth at the Forefront
Showcasing youth leadership and innovation in action — young people building SMEs, creating jobs, and harnessing the creativity already happening across the continent.
The Sustainable Business Internship Programme: what this looks like in practice
A tri-partnership between Sustainable Kenya, the Club of Rome, and Strathmore University Business School — systems-thinking-trained graduates placed inside Kenyan SMEs for structured, paid internships, delivering real sustainability work while businesses gain the capacity to act on it.
Our pilot cohort — graduates trained in systems thinking, embedded across Kenyan SMEs to deliver real, paid sustainability work.
Building alongside the institutions and businesses shaping this work
From academic partners and global think tanks to the SMEs hosting our interns — these are the organisations building the pathway with us.
How to build with us
Whether you bring funding, a host placement, or a platform, there's a way to invest in the next generation of African sustainability talent.
Fund or co-design a programme
Shape a programme around your sustainability goals — from research focus to placement sectors — and fund its delivery end to end.
Support the internship programme
Back the internship programme financially and help us place more young fellows into real, paid sustainability work across the region.
Partner on youth content or research
Collaborate on consumer research, toolkits, and youth-facing content that moves sustainability from theory into everyday practice.