Kunle Olawoyin
African youth have been urged to turn conservation ideas into viable businesses that create jobs, strengthen community livelihoods and protect natural resources as the continent pursues a green economy.
Kunle Olawoyin, Director of Communications, Policy and Advocacy at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), said conservation must be treated as an economic opportunity rather than a narrow environmental activity reserved for scientists and environmental organisations.
Addressing the African Youth Conference on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance (AYC-NREG 2026) in Accra on Friday (23 October), he said Africa’s green transition must connect environmental restoration with economic opportunity, strengthen community ownership of natural resources and support innovations that deliver lasting results.
“A green economy cannot be built on the depletion of natural capital that sustains it, and conservation cannot succeed if communities are asked to protect the nation without viable means to make a living,” he said.
Mr Olawoyin stressed that the loss of forests threatens more than biodiversity, warning that it also undermines food security, employment, public health, energy access and community resilience.
He called for greater investment in youth-led enterprises in sustainable agriculture, recycling, clean energy, nature-based solutions and digital technology, arguing that promising ideas must be supported to grow beyond pilot projects into businesses that deliver measurable environmental benefits.
The conference, held under the theme “Scaling Youth-led Innovations for Africa’s Green Economy,” brought together young people and stakeholders to discuss opportunities for youth-led solutions to Africa’s environmental and natural resource challenges.
Conservation as a source of jobs
Drawing on the Nigerian Conservation Foundation’s work, Mr Olawoyin highlighted opportunities across the restoration value chain, including seed collection, nursery management, seedling production, planting, maintenance and monitoring.
He cited Nigeria’s Green Recovery Initiative, which he said recorded 265,561 trees planted across 19 states in 2025 and reached more than 19,000 beneficiaries.
He said the initiative demonstrated that restoration could create employment and enterprise opportunities beyond the act of planting trees, provided there was sustained investment in maintaining them and ensuring their survival.
“Each stage is an opportunity for enterprise and employment,” he said, encouraging young entrepreneurs to explore businesses that support restoration and landscape recovery.
He also highlighted the importance of community participation in forest protection, citing NCF-supported initiatives involving community forest governance, engagement with traditional authorities and the establishment of community eco-guards.
According to him, 50 young people across participating communities had been engaged to patrol and monitor trees, while 2,400 farmers had received training in sustainable agriculture and agroforestry.
He added that 400 women had been trained in green farming activities, including mushroom and vegetable production.
Mr Olawoyin said such initiatives demonstrated that conservation was more effective when communities had a voice in managing natural resources and could benefit economically from protecting them.
“Communities are not just obstacles to conservation. They are essential partners,” he said, urging young innovators to understand local needs and livelihood pressures before designing solutions.
Calls for financing and market access
The NCF representative said scaling youth-led environmental enterprises required more than good ideas, calling for stronger support from governments, development partners, research institutions, financial institutions and private investors.
He identified access to finance, research, infrastructure, technical assistance and markets as essential to helping young entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses.
He also urged governments and development partners to create opportunities for young people to turn environmental innovations into viable, nature-positive enterprises.
Mr Olawoyin encouraged participants to develop solutions that respond to practical community challenges, including climate risks, land degradation, forest loss and youth unemployment.
He further called for stronger cooperation between Ghana and Nigeria, noting that the two countries face common environmental and development challenges.
He proposed youth-led enterprise partnerships, knowledge exchange, innovation challenges, mentorship and connections between community initiatives and regional markets as ways to strengthen cross-border collaboration.
Africa, he said, did not have to choose between protecting its natural heritage and creating prosperity, but needed economic models that recognised the relationship between the two.
ACT Ghana calls for inclusive climate innovation
Also addressing the conference, a representative of ACT Ghana called for young people, women and local communities to be recognised as contributors to climate solutions rather than merely as people affected by the climate crisis.
The organisation said the green economy should incorporate disaster risk reduction, humanitarian action and environmental peacebuilding alongside conventional climate and environmental initiatives.
It noted that floods, conflict and other environmental shocks could destroy livelihoods, disrupt children’s education and place additional burdens on women and vulnerable communities.
ACT Ghana cited its work on community-level disaster risk reduction, women’s resilience and educational initiatives for children in flood-prone areas of the Greater Accra and Volta regions. It also highlighted engagement with basic and senior high schools to strengthen young people’s awareness of environmental and climate challenges.
The organisation urged young innovators to consider how their ideas could help communities prepare for disasters, keep essential services operating during emergencies and create decent green jobs.
It also called for stronger collaboration among youth organisations, governments, development partners, academic institutions and private businesses to provide the resources and technical support needed to scale effective solutions.
“Think beyond the product. Think about the people whose lives your innovation could change,” the ACT Ghana message urged young entrepreneurs.
MPEC reaffirms support for youth leadership
In a separate solidarity message delivered on behalf of Mrs Mary Ama Kudom-Agyemang, Executive Director of the Media Platform on Environment and Climate Change (MPEC), the organisation reaffirmed its support for youth participation in climate and environmental governance.
MPEC said informed youth were central to building resilient communities and described climate literacy as a national development imperative.
It commended the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) and the Youth-NREG Platform for providing a space for young people to contribute to discussions on environmental governance and climate action.
The organisation called for climate action that was inclusive, evidence-based and grounded in truth, urging young people to continue pushing for accountability and stronger environmental commitments.
