Meet women pioneers creating green jobs in Arab countries

Green growth is a consulting opportunity, not only a corporate one

The International Labour Organisation projects that green policy measures could create roughly 400,000 jobs for young people in the Arab region. However, less than 10 per cent of those positions are expected to go to women, a gap that reflects persistent gender inequality rather than a shortage of capable professionals.

Independent consultants and freelancers are well placed to help close that gap. Large institutions often move slowly, while a solo operator or small consultancy can design a solar feasibility study, draft a water-efficiency plan, or train a rural team in months rather than years. Green Watech, launched in 2018, has installed low-tech water treatment systems in 22 Moroccan villages, including Dr Bougarrani’s grandfather’s village of Ait Bouguemez. Kesk supplies solar-powered air-conditioning, engineering services and solar energy systems to Iraqi businesses. Both show that specialised, locally informed expertise can become a marketable consulting offer.

The numbers reveal what it means to be underestimated

Only 19 per cent of women in Arab countries are part of the labour force, according to the ILO, compared with a global average of 48 per cent. In green jobs specifically, the gap is even wider. Funding figures tell a similar story. In the first nine months of 2022, women-founded start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa received just 2 per cent of the US$2.4 billion invested across nearly 500 start-ups, according to a report by Wamda, which advises and invests in regional start-ups.

Among 125 female founders surveyed by Wamda, more than half said investors in the Mena region were less likely to back women-led ventures than international investors. Almost two-thirds identified securing investment as their single biggest obstacle. Dr Bougarrani has described how investors sometimes assume that caregiving responsibilities make women less available, leading them to prefer male founders.

For freelancers and consultants, the equivalent barrier often appears as client scepticism about commitment, availability or authority. The practical response is the same: build an evidence base that overrides assumptions. Case studies, measurable outcomes, client testimonials and clear technical credentials become your portfolio of proof.

Positioning: turn being the only one in the room into an advantage

Dr Bougarrani has said that of the 20 firms selected by one Moroccan business incubator in 2022, hers was the only one led by a woman. Basima Abdulrahman, a former United Nations structural engineer, spent nine months securing her first client after launching Kesk. Both women built their businesses in rooms where they were not expected to succeed.

Their strategy was not to wait for the culture to change before acting. Abdulrahman has spoken about focusing on the small chance of a positive answer and working to expand it. For consultants, that means defining a precise niche, stating the problem you solve in one sentence, and arriving at every meeting with proof points already prepared. When you are the only person in the room offering a specific green specialism, your difference can become your positioning rather than your disadvantage.

Client management and the long runway to trust

Green services often require buyers to change how they procure, power or manage resources. That makes the first sale slow, even when demand is obvious. Iraq has strong solar potential, yet Kesk still needed months of conversations before signing its first customer. Green Watech succeeded by listening to villagers first rather than importing a standard solution.

For freelancers, this is a reminder that co-design beats hard selling. Start with diagnostic conversations, document what you learn, and translate it into a clear proposal. Once the work begins, over-communicate progress, quantify savings or emissions reductions, and ask for referrals. A single village installation or a pilot solar system can become the reference story that unlocks the next contract.

Pricing, negotiation and raising money

Women founders in the region report that investors sometimes expect them to be less committed because of family responsibilities. Freelancers can face a softer version of the same assumption: clients asking for lower fees, faster turnaround or out-of-scope extras because they imagine you have unlimited flexibility.

The counter is professional discipline. Quote fixed project fees or day rates that reflect value, not time. Write scopes clearly, specify revision limits, and explain deliverables in outcomes the client cares about, such as litres of clean water produced, kilowatt-hours saved or compliance deadlines met. If you are seeking funding rather than fees, prepare a robust business case, compare regional and international investors, and diversify your funding sources so one rejection does not stall the venture.

Practical hurdles and the support systems behind success

Feminist researcher Farah Daibes, of the German political foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, has highlighted the structural changes needed for women to gain a bigger presence in the labour market. These include affordable childcare, parental leave, a fairer share of senior positions, and an end to discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Freelancers must build similar support structures for themselves. That means joining peer networks, subcontracting administrative or technical help when workload spikes, using contracts that protect payment terms, and setting working hours that preserve wellbeing. Green Watech also shows that hiring matters: despite operating mainly in rural Morocco, where traditional gender roles are often more entrenched, more than half of its staff are women, including all its engineers. A consultancy’s culture and hiring choices can reinforce its market position.

Skill-building for a green consulting career

The technical skills in demand span water treatment, renewable energy design, energy auditing, carbon accounting and project management. Equally important are the consulting skills that turn expertise into revenue: writing proposals, running stakeholder workshops, negotiating contracts and presenting data clearly.

For independent professionals in Nigeria and other fast-growing freelance markets, the green economy offers a way to serve clients across borders. Remote diagnostic work, training programmes and advisory retainers can be delivered from Lagos to Beirut, Marrakech or beyond. The key is to keep learning: follow policy changes, pursue relevant certifications, and find mentors who have already won the kind of contracts you want.

What this means

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