Policy Outcome Report
High-Level Pan African Legislative Dialogue on Renewable Energy
Theme: Powering Africa together: aligning energy access with continental trade and youth-centric solutions
Date: 5 May 2025
Location: The 1st National Legislative conference and Expo on renewable energy
Background
This high-level roundtable convened key legislators, ministers, private sector leaders, and multilateral partners to deliberate on a harmonized policy and legislative agenda for Africa’s energy transition. Jointly curated by the INCLUDE Knowledge Platform and the House Committee on Renewable Energy (Nigeria), the session aimed to advance national and continental frameworks that embed job creation, youth inclusion, and cross-border energy trade into Africa’s renewable energy strategies–while aligning them with AfCFTA ambitions.
Key Highlights and Outcomes
1. Leadership Endorsement for Inclusive Green Legislation
The Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, formally recognized INCLUDE’s contribution to the summit and its ongoing work in Nigeria. In a bilateral discussion with Speaker Abbas, Anika Altaf (Executive Director, INCLUDE), and Victoria Manya (INCLUDE Knowledge Platform), the Nigerian speaker welcomed the idea of the National Inclusive Green Jobs Act (NIGJA). He emphasized the importance of legislative innovation to ensure that Africa’s energy transition is not only green, but also inclusive, job-generating, and rooted in economic justice.
Alongside the First Deputy Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, who represented the Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria represented by the chairman house committee on renewable energy participated in a Pan-African Legislative Dialogue on Renewable Energy curated by INCLUDE. This roundtable was attended by representatives from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, African Development Bank, Foltì Technologies, African Finance Corporation, the Executive Governor of Abia State, the Vice President of the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN), and other Nigerian legislators
2. Pan-African support for a continental green jobs vision
Hon. Bernard Ahiafor (Ghana) expressed strong support for the Pan-African perspective shared by INCLUDE, noting that regional coherence and legislative synergy are essential to scale renewable energy markets, build investor confidence, and boost youth employment. He advocated for peer learning across parliaments and encouraged shared legislative benchmarks to guide Africa’s transition.
3. Formal introduction of NIGJA by house committee on renewable energy
Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, Chairman of the Nigerian House Committee on Renewable Energy, officially introduced the National Inclusive Green Jobs Act (NIGJA) in his speech and through the legislative round table.
“This proposed framework aims to link renewable energy investments directly with job creation mandates, skills development targets, and youth and gender inclusion benchmarks,” Hon. Ogene stated.
“NIGJA envisions a future where every solar panel, mini-grid, and clean cooking initiative not only powers homes but unlocks employment opportunities, particularly for Africa’s growing youth population.”
He emphasized that NIGJA is not designed as a one-off intervention but as a foundational pillar of Nigeria’s national development strategy, with clear alignment to AfCFTA regional trade frameworks to ensure a competitive and scalable green workforce across Africa.
This session marked a significant step toward institutionalizing inclusive green growth across African legislatures. With strong national and regional endorsement, the National Inclusive Green Jobs Act (NIGJA) represents a transformational legislative pathway that aligns Africa’s energy ambitions with its most abundant resource–its people. The session reaffirmed that energy access must not only power economies but create dignity-rich employment and intergenerational equity across the continent.