Ochendo: An African Journal of Innovative Studies

This study examines the role of leadership in advancing climate action, environmental sustainability, and green governance in Africa. Against intensifying climate change and growing policy commitments such as the African Union's Agenda 2063, the study explores how leadership styles shape environmental outcomes and sustainability transitions. Grounded in leadership theory and climate governance frameworks, it analyses the mechanisms through which leadership drives climate resilience, innovation, and coordinated environmental action. Adopting a qualitative analytical approach, the study synthesises conceptual insight and policy-oriented evidence to examine five leadership dimensions- transformational, visionary, crisis, economic, and technological- and their contribution to climate mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development. Particular attention is given to leadership roles in renewable energy adoption, institutional strengthening, and stakeholder collaboration. The findings show that effective leadership is central to translating climate policy into action: transformational and visionary leadership sustain long-term commitment and strategic direction, economic and technological leadership drive green growth and innovation, crisis leadership strengthens adaptive capacity, and accountability mechanisms sustain transparency and effectiveness, while weak leadership structures significantly constrain environmental governance. The study contributes to climate governance scholarship by positioning leadership as a pivotal, multi-dimensional, and institutionally contingent determinant of sustainability outcomes in Africa, concluding that environmental sustainability requires integrated leadership approaches that align policy, innovation, and institutional capacity with climate action priorities.

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