When it comes to discussing Egypt’s future, there are few government statements that don’t mention the country’s green transition as a key pillar. From large-scale solar projects on the Red Sea and ambitious — albeit delayed — green hydrogen goals to companies greening their production lines, the official narrative is one of inevitable growth.

This growth applies not just to the economy, but also to jobs, with the World Bank estimating in a report(pdf) that it will create 2 mn jobs a year between 2020 and 2050 under its baseline scenario. “Under certain parameters,” the World Bank sees this reaching as high as 3.8 mn years of employment in another report (pdf).

We need sustainable employment, not just energy

Figures for expected job years are encouraging, but the outlook for permanent jobs is unclear. Large-scale wind and solar farms often create a vast amount of jobs when they are being built, but after the project is finished and connected to the grid, many of these jobs disappear. Construction and development jobs often only last two to three years.

Long-term, sustainable green jobs are often for those in operation and maintenance roles. Solar stands out as a key creator for these kinds of jobs, with 56% of solar power jobs dedicated to them, according to the World Bank. Wind also creates a sizable amount of permanent jobs, with operation and maintenance roles accounting for 43% of the direct jobs created.

Localizing the manufacture of the hardware used in renewables projects is one way we could get a jobs dividend from the green transition. While the components used in renewables projects have historically been centered in China, the US, and a handful of European countries — in large part due to the newness of the technology — the tide is turning as manufacturing bases spread out away from the nations that pioneered the technology.

Recent announcements signal that Egypt is making progress in onshoring the manufacture of key components for renewables. Just this month, local industrial services player Kemet and China’s energy storage batteries manufacturer Cornex laid out plans to establish a USD 200 mn energy storage battery cells factory in Egypt using local raw materials, along with another project with China’s CCL Group to establish a USD 500 mn solar cells and panels plant. Throughout 2025, numerous similar projects were also announced — almost exclusively with Chinese partners.

Renewable projects struggle to find the right workers in the right place

Even where jobs exist, they are often not filled by Egyptians. In the wind energy sector, many companies operating farms are foreign, and the technicians they employ are often foreign as well, according to the World Bank. The lender attributed this to two primary factors: a shortage of skilled technicians despite an abundance of qualified engineers, and a language barrier, as English is the primary language used in most technical manuals and safety protocols.

The country’s EV ambitions also face a similar reality check. Egypt is looking to significantly increase the number of EVs on the road and the volume of vehicles assembled or manufactured within the country’s borders, but the average car mechanic in Egypt does not have the know-how for these new types of vehicles.

The right workers are also often in the wrong place. Most of Egypt’s population and skilled workforce are based in Cairo and Alexandria, which leaves projects in remote areas in Upper Egypt and the Red Sea — where the bulk of our solar and wind projects are located — with a significant lack of an already resident workforce to recruit from. Getting young professionals to relocate for these roles requires salary premiums and significant relocation costs, which, even when generous, are often not enough to persuade many.

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