Quantitative country studies on the potential of investing in a green economy were conducted between 2013 and 2016 in eight African countries, namely, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mauritius , Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal. The main purpose of these studies was to inform the formulation and adoption of policies related to the green economy aimed at achieving sustainable development and combating poverty. Are these studies – and more precisely the methodology used – still relevant for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? This article is an attempt to answer this question through a meta-analysis of the eight country studies. This leads to three main conclusions: (i) the green economy is seen as a viable alternative to face significant development challenges such as energy and food security, better access and management of water, and infrastructure development, particularly in the transport sector; (ii) implementation of policies to "green" priority sectors would be a national effort to achieve multiple targets of at least eight Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and (iii) the methodology used in carrying out these studies would still be valid under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, although its update would be beneficial for better capturing the links and contributions that a green economy makes to different objectives and targets of the SDGs.