Lindiwe Majele Sisulu

Pioneering African environmentalist and entrepreneur driving sustainable development across the continent

Lindiwe Majele Sisulu (born 1968) is a South African environmental economist and social entrepreneur whose work has profoundly impacted Africa's approach to sustainable development. As founder of the Earthworks Project, she pioneered community-driven environmental initiatives that combine climate action with economic empowerment. Between 2014-2019, her Green Jobs for Youth program trained over 50,000 young Africans in renewable energy technologies, creating green enterprises across 12 countries. Sisulu's innovative model integrates carbon credit systems with microfinance, enabling communities to monetize environmental stewardship while addressing unemployment. Her TED Talk "Africa's Green Future" (2016) became a viral blueprint for climate action strategies. As UNDP advisor, she designed policies that increased solar energy access in rural areas by 300% in 5 years. Sisulu's 2018 book 《African Environmental Renaissance》 remains a seminal text on post-colonial ecological governance. Her work has been featured in National Geographic and the Financial Times's Africa Climate Series.