GrEEn Innovation Challenge: 15 SMEs to receive 25,000 Euros matching grant

Fifteen green businesses and entrepreneurs from the Ashanti and Western regions will each receive a matching grant of 25,000 Euros, under the second edition of the Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) Innovation Challenge.

The GrEEn project is a four-year initiative by the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

GrEEn is implemented under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa, with a total contribution of 20,600,000 Euros.

It seeks to make local communities and economies greener and more resilient to climate change, while creating much needed jobs for women, youth and returning migrants.

Launching

At the launch of the second edition of the Green project in Kumasi on Tuesday, August 30,2022, Genevieve Parker-Twum, the Senior Incubation and Acceleration Advisor, SNV Ghana, said the move was to support innovative products and services in the areas of agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

The livelihood empowerment project is on the theme: “Promoting Job Creation through Green Innovation”.

She said beneficiaries would be given a six month business development support, access to industry experts, improved access to funding, and peer-to-peer networking and exchanges.

The deadline for entries, Mrs Parker-Twum said, was September 20, 2020, and that an award ceremony was slated for December to present the grants to the respective winners.

She advised the beneficiaries to use the grant for its intended purposes, adding that as implementers of the programme, SNV would continue to visit them regularly and monitor their business activities.

Some of those who benefited from the maiden edition were at the event to share their testimonies, how the grant had helped changed their fortunes and that of their communities.

Commendation

For his part, Osman Mamuda, the Ashanti Regional Director, Ministry of Trade and Industry, commended the organisers for augmenting government’s efforts in creating sustainable employment opportunities for the youth, especially women.

He said the ministry was ready to partner SNV in rendering continuous support to SMEs in the GrEEn sector.

Background

Last year, a total of 12 businesses received a total matching grant of GH¢1.17 million under the maiden GrEEn Innovation Challenge.