Justice in Motion: Turning Promises into Progress in Africa’s Business and Human Rights Landscape
and
Green for Who? Debating the Justness of Africa’s Transition

Session partner:

• DanChurchAid

• UN Development Programme

Background 

​​

Across Africa, there is growing recognition that commitments on business and human rights must translate into meaningful action. Yet, with rising investments in agriculture, extractives, and renewable energy, many communities still face land dispossession, labor exploitation, gender-based discrimination, and environmental harm often without effective pathways to remedy or redress. The idea of a just transition, ensuring that climate action and economic transformation do not reproduce old injustices or create new ones, has gained momentum. As Africa positions itself as a key player in the global green transition, justice must not be left behind. Workers, Indigenous peoples, women, and local communities must be meaningfully included, protected, and compensated in the shift to low-carbon economies. Emerging guidance, such as tools linking human rights due diligence with environmental impacts, provide a framework to assess whether Africa’s transition is truly just. However, evidence shows persistent gaps: the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reports that over 40% of global human rights abuse allegations linked to renewable energy involve African communities, often tied to land rights violations and the lack of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). Meanwhile, the ILO estimates that green growth could generate 2 million jobs in Africa by 2030 but warns of exclusion and informality without strong social protection. As Africa positions itself as a key player in the global green transition, justice must not be left behind.

​

Key Objectives

​​

This session aims to achieve the following key objectives:

• Illuminate on-the-ground realities of communities harmed by business operations.

• Share emerging models of remedy legal, administrative, customary being piloted by NHRIs, CSOs, and communities.

• Examine barriers to reparations and how cross-sector collaboration can bridge them.

• Spark a lively and solution-oriented exchange on whether current just transition commitments in Africa are sufficient to deliver real human rights protections, remedies, and reparations.

 

Guiding Questions

​​

• What does effective remedy and reparations look like in African agricultural contexts?

• What are the opportunities and constraints faced by communities, NHRIs, CSOs, and businesses?

• How have various programs, projects and initiatives helped test or influence new approaches?

• What are some promising models or mechanisms, i.e. legal, policy, or programming that have helped advance just transition principles on the ground?

• How can we ensure that just transition plans do not reinforce historical inequalities especially for women, youth, and Indigenous communities?

• How can cross-country learning strengthen remedy mechanisms?

​

Expected Outcomes

 

• A shared understanding of just transitions in the African context

• Highlighting tools and lessons from local partners and organisations to support learning and experience sharing, connecting community voices, national institutions and regional actors.

• Clear articulation of the opportunities and limitations of just transition efforts in Africa

• Energy and momentum for deeper discussions in subsequent sessions on remedy, reparations, and corporate accountability