Africa-Press – Rwanda. Members of Parliament are urging the government to allocate a dedicated quota for green jobs as part of its ambitious plan to create 1.2 million decent and productive jobs by 2029.
The employment drive falls under the Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), a five-year development blueprint running from 2024 to 2029. This translates to an annual target of 250,000 jobs.
“We need clarity on how many of these jobs will be green,” said Senator Pélagie Uwera during a parliamentary workshop on promoting climate finance and environmental stewardship recently.
Why green jobs matter
Green jobs are those that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment—span multiple sectors, from renewable energy and sustainable transport to eco-friendly construction and agriculture. Roles include solar panel technicians, energy-efficiency experts, electric vehicle mechanics, recycling facility operators, and practitioners of smart agriculture.
A green jobs quota would ensure that a guaranteed share of all new jobs contributes directly to environmental sustainability. For instance, a 10% quota within the 1.2 million jobs target would require at least 120,000 green jobs over five years.
No clear target yet
Fred Sabiti, National Technical Advisor on Environment and Climate Change Mainstreaming at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), told lawmakers that green jobs have yet to be specifically quantified under NST2.
“We’re currently referring to all planned jobs as ‘decent’ jobs. The disaggregation hasn’t happened yet, partly because we still lack an agreed definition of green jobs,” he said.
Sabiti added that Rwanda is working with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on a ‘green jobs model,’ which is expected to provide a clearer definition and categorisation. “Once completed, this model could guide how we classify green jobs within the national employment strategy.”
Can green taxonomy offer clarity?
Sabiti noted that Rwanda’s Green Taxonomy, approved by Cabinet in April 2025, could complement the green jobs model in helping policymakers identify and track environmentally sustainable employment.
“When a project is labeled green—such as renewable energy or landscape restoration—the jobs created under it are considered green. That’s how we credit institutions like the Rwanda Green Fund with generating green jobs,” he explained.
The taxonomy, one of the first of its kind in Africa, defines which economic activities qualify as green investments. It aims to foster transparency, support responsible finance, and guard against greenwashing.
Initially, it covers four key sectors—agriculture, energy, transport, and construction—with additional sectors such as livestock, forestry, manufacturing, water management, and waste treatment included in subsequent phases.
So far, the taxonomy has identified 60 activities with high mitigation potential and over 400 measures for climate adaptation and resilience.
Experts are calling for a Green Jobs Assessment Model to be incorporated into Rwanda’s revised $11 billion climate action plan (Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs). The aim is to ensure that green policies create, rather than cost, jobs.
The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) is leading the revision process and consulting various stakeholders.
“We recommend including the Green Jobs Assessment Model in the revised NDCs,” said François Murwanashyaka, ILO National Project Coordinator for the UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), in May 2025.
The model, he explained, could help the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda better track green jobs through its Labour Force Survey. The ILO is also set to assist in gathering relevant data to inform government policy.
For More News And Analysis About Rwanda Follow Africa-Press
