Purpose - Across the African continent many colleges and universities are facing hurdles in sustaining green building initiatives. Often the barriers to green building are not purely financial, they include a significant number of non-financial issues directly connected with the way green building initiatives are integrated within the management of these higher learning institutions (HLIs). The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons behind widespread barriers and the ways in which the barriers could be overcome through strategic project management. Design/methodology/approach - The paper includes a critical review of existing literature on barriers to sustaining green building initiatives and an argument is built on the need to manage these initiatives as projects. Consequently it establishes that there is a seamless connection between HLIs strategies and projects, hence strategic project management as a framework to sustain the green campus culture. Findings - Despite numerous barriers facing African HLIs in embracing green campus buildings (GCBs) as part of their permanent business undertakings; this review strongly suggest a change of direction from "traditional approaches" to strategic project management, where all green building initiatives are transformed to programmes and portfolios dealing with sub-sets of the core business of HLIs. Practical implications - Strategic decision to include green campus building initiatives (GCBIs) as part of HLIs core strategic business projects will bring permanence in GCB thinking and resources will be allocated to GCBIs and green campus thinking may become a norm and one of the metrics for organization success. Social implications - Strategic project as a way to creating a conducive-environment for GCBIs success will become a constant and part of the way in which African HLIs are managed. Originality/value - Contemporary management approaches like strategic project management is embraced as mean for allowing under-resourced African HLIs achieving significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.