New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
An internship model to close Africa’s green skills gap
24/9/2025
8 min read
Feature
As the world races towards net zero, Africa’s transition must not only be rapid but just. With the right approach, young Africans will drive this just transition for themselves. An example of that is a new internship model, piloted in 2025, whose low-cost design, adaptability to different geographies and partial cost-recovery mechanism through employer reimbursements make it a candidate for replication across Africa, writes founder Promise Chukwukadibia Nwogu.
By 2075, one in three people of working age globally will be African, according to the World Bank, a staggering demographic shift that could define the century. Yet, while 12 million young people enter Africa’s labour market each year, only about three million formal jobs are created, the African Development Bank reports. This structural gap leaves millions without viable employment pathways, even as the renewable energy sector promises to generate 3.3 million jobs by 2030 and over 100 million by 2050.
But jobs alone are not enough. The continent faces a critical skills mismatch: young Africans are not being equipped with the training and industry access required to seize opportunities in the clean energy transition. Most universities lack undergraduate renewable energy programmes, and early-stage renewable energy companies are reluctant, or financially unable, to take risks on untested graduates.
The Clean Energy Catalyst (CEC) Program, designed and led by youth, offers a novel apprenticeship model to bridge this gap. This article explores how the CEC initiative connects young people, training institutions and industry partners to build a skilled workforce ready to power Africa’s transition.