Why African Women are the Undeniable Leaders of Climate Action.
The climate crisis is a reality that is acutely felt across Africa, a continent that has contributed least to global emissions yet bears the most severe consequences. Within this reality, the impacts are deeply gendered: climate change is not a neutral force. It is a powerful threat multiplier that preys on existing inequalities, disproportionately affecting women and girls. However, to view African women merely as victims is to miss the most critical part of the story: they are, in fact, the most effective and innovative agents of change, the architects of our continent’s resilience.
The burden of a changing climate first falls upon women because of their vital societal and economic roles. Across sub-Saharan Africa, women make up the majority of the agricultural labour force, producing up to 80% of the food. As erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and severe floods decimate crops, women’s primary source of livelihood and food security for their families is destroyed. This instability forces them to work harder and travel farther, sometimes for hours to secure dwindling supplies of water, firewood, and fodder, increasing their unpaid care burden and often compromising their safety through exposure to violence and exploitation. When men migrate to urban centres in search of work, women are left behind to manage the family farm and household, a situation that is compounded by discriminatory land tenure laws that often prevent them from owning the land they cultivate, thereby limiting their ability to invest in long-term adaptation solutions. Climate-induced poverty and displacement further escalate the risk of gender-based violence, early marriage, and a decline in girls’ access to education, trapping families in a vicious cycle of vulnerability.
Yet, this intimate and often painful relationship with the changing environment has equipped African women with unique, invaluable knowledge, establishing them as the frontline leaders in adaptation and mitigation. Their collective, daily experience of securing vital resources like water makes them the most authoritative source of information on local environmental shifts, water harvesting techniques, and the efficacy of different drought-resistant crop varieties. This practical expertise is not just anecdotal; it is forming the foundation of women-led climate solutions that are now reshaping African agriculture and energy landscapes. For example, women-led enterprises are pioneering the use of clean energy, such as the successful scaling of solar home systems by initiatives like Solar Sister across sub-Saharan Africa, a model that simultaneously addresses energy poverty and creates economic empowerment for women distributors. In agriculture, female farmers are leading the adoption of climate-smart practices like agroforestry, conservation tillage, and the cultivation of early-maturing seed varieties, moves that bolster local food security and enhance soil health. In Kenya, women entrepreneurs are leveraging technology, such as one firm using innovative air-to-water technology to provide a life-sustaining resource to drought-stricken farmers, showcasing a blend of traditional knowledge and high-tech adaptation.
To achieve lasting, truly resilient climate solutions in Africa, we must move beyond simply acknowledging the vulnerabilities of women to deliberately investing in their leadership. This requires policy and practice to be genuinely gender-responsive, ensuring women’s voices are not just present, but central, at every table from local Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs) to national climate policy forums. Providing women with secure access to and control over productive assets like land, credit, and climate information services is not a side project; it is the single most effective lever for closing the climate adaptation gap. By recognizing the critical role of women as not just survivors, but as indispensable innovators and climate stewards, Africa can unlock a powerful wave of community-based resilience, ensuring a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
