Telecel Ghana holds sustainability workshop for SMEs

Telecel Ghana has held a workshop to help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to integrate sustainable business practices into their daily operations.

The sustainability workshop forms part of the activities and benefits for businesses participating in the Telecel SME Month celebration this September, aimed at empowering, supporting and strengthening the growth of emerging businesses.

Hosted and facilitated by environmental and climate advocacy organisation, Mckingtorch Africa, the sustainability event drew a diverse group of entrepreneurs and their employees from SMEs including Landmark Homes, CTA Investments, Abii National Savings and Loans, Equity Health Insurance, G&J Ghana, Reime Ghana, Moolre Limited among others.

A release issued by Telecel said: “Participants were enlightened on the best ways to incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into their SMEs to drive long-term business success. 

The workshop also threw more light on how sustainable practices could help SMEs to attract investment, grants and long-term support from global donors.”

Founder and CEO of Mckingtorch Africa, Makafui Awuku gave a talk on the business case for ESG practices, design thinking for sustainable solutions and achieving sustainability within SMEs. 

She highlighted how SMEs could reduce waste, pursue ecological sourcing and packaging, conserve water in their operations, engage host communities, become energy efficient and employ upcycling and sustainability games to spark positive environmental change. 

“Profitably and sustainability are mutually inclusive. You don’t have to finish developing our business before you think about sustainability. It can be integrated as part of the core elements because sustainability is profitability. SMEs will save a lot of money from the reduction of waste, water and energy and other elements which help the SME to be better off in the long run,” Ms Awuku said.

Director of Enterprise Business and Wholesale at Telecel Ghana, Tawa Bolarin, who joined one of the breakout group sessions, said: “It’s been an enlightening and useful hands-on sustainability workshop.” 

“I’m pleased that all SMEs in attendance have learned the various ways they can add sustainable practices to their business operations. More importantly, they have been exposed to how sustainable practices can help them unlock grants and investments for their business.”

Attendees engaged in breakout sessions on upcycling to create earrings and lip balm containers out of glass and plastic waste and develop creative art pieces from plastic waste, recycled material and discarded refrigerator insulation foams. 

These hands-on activities showed participants how to convert waste into useful artefacts and items.