Jobs don’t appear by chance

Hey,

Welcome to Green Jobs Rising!

Today, we want to show you where the money is going.

January quietly set the tone for what the renewable energy job market could look like this year.

Across the continent, hundreds of millions of dollars were committed to the sector. 

And while funding announcements can feel distant if you are job hunting, they are often the earliest clues about where jobs will emerge next.

At Green Jobs Rising, we track funding because money drives expansion, which means roles open up.

In January:

1. The African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a $10 million loan to support early-stage development of the massive Hyphen Hydrogen Energy green hydrogen and ammonia hub in Namibia. This funding goes toward front-end engineering and design (FEED) work, a critical phase that often signals readiness for larger private investment. 

2. British International Investment and Alexforbes committed $63 million to the Revego Africa Energy Fund in South Africa. This investment isn’t tied to a single project but is aimed at a secondary market for renewable energy assets, enabling developers to recycle capital into new wind, solar, and energy storage installations.

3. Germany reaffirmed and expanded its funding commitment to South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), raising its contribution to $2.92 billion. This large envelope supports decarbonisation efforts, including renewables.

4. The World Bank approved $50 million to scale solar-powered agricultural solutions, from cold rooms to water pumps, in Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the DRC. The funding will support the deployment of solar irrigation systems, improve energy access for agricultural activities, and strengthen climate-resilient farming systems. 

5. Mirova invested $19 million in Cold Solutions Kiambu SEZ Limited to support the development of sustainable solar-powered cold storage and logistics infrastructure. The investment will help build energy-efficient cold storage facilities powered by solar energy to reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen agricultural supply chains.

6. The European Union committed roughly $39.0 million to support Tunisia’s renewable energy expansion and electricity grid upgrades. The funding will help scale renewable power generation while modernising transmission infrastructure to improve grid stability and support higher integration of renewable energy sources.

7. Egypt launched a $1.8 billion initiative to expand domestic manufacturing capacity for renewable energy technologies. The programme is focused on developing local production of renewable energy components, strengthening supply chains, and supporting industrial growth linked to solar and wind energy deployment.

8. Mali secured $60 million to upgrade electricity transmission infrastructure in Bamako. The funding will support improvements to transmission networks to enhance electricity reliability, reduce power losses, and strengthen the integration of renewable energy into the national grid.

9. Pan-African company Izili raised $5 million and acquired Qotto to scale off-grid solar solutions across West Africa. The deal aims to expand the distribution of off-grid solar and digital energy solutions in underserved communities.

So what does this mean if you are looking for a job?
Funding announcements can feel distant and technical, but they are powerful signals. 
They tell you: 

• Which countries are likely to see new project rollouts

• Which sectors may begin hiring before vacancies are widely advertised

• Which organisations will soon need teams as projects move from planning to implementation

This newsletter is meant to help you look in the right direction, at the right time, before competition peaks.

Jobs in the green sector do not appear randomly. They will appear where the money has already gone.

And that is exactly where we will keep pointing you.

Before then, take a minute to explore the roles that are already open.