Lincon Winimi Peedah of Neat Meat Enterprises and one of Ghana Climate Innovation Centre’s entrepreneurs, has been selected by African Entrepreneurship Award’s Global Mentors as one of the Top 50 Entrepreneurs whose idea is one of the Most Significant and Sustainable in Africa.

Neat Meat Company Ltd, is a local poultry and livestock processing and packaging factory established in July 2014. The company located in Zebilla District in the Upper East region of Ghana produces fresh and smoked livestock, local poultry meat and provides other services within the meat market.

As a green business, Neat Meat innovatively converts waste products from its operations to produce maggots, a cheap and nutritious feed for local poultry suppliers. This initiative protects the environment by helping reduce farmers’ dependence on termites, which are useful in maintaining soil fertility, as feed.

He was chosen over a series of rounds, from a pool of over 500 innovative entrepreneurs across Africa. The Africa Entrepreneurship Award is powered by BMCE Bank of Africa and it includes $1 million in prizes and a fully funded trip to Morocco for the winners. The award also mentors entrepreneurs through free online mentoring from more than 400 entrepreneurs, investors and business owners.

Lincon Winimi Peedah will be meeting the team from African Entrepreneurship Awards from September 19 – October 19 after which, the Finalists will be announced on October 25.

GCIC wishes Lincon Winimi Peedah and Neat Meat all the best.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. 

 

The Global Climate Action Summit brings together leaders and people from around the world and celebrates the extraordinary achievements of states, regions, cities, companies, investors and citizens with respect to climate action. One of the ways it does this is through their Climate Trailblazers. Climate Trailblazers are people who spread awareness about climate change activities and those who show through their actions that everyday people can do extraordinary things to reduce the effect of climate change.

One of the pioneer entrepreneurs in the GCIC incubator, Bernice Dapaah, Founder and CEO of Ghana Bamboo Bikes, was selected as one of the 22 Climate Trailblazers in this year’s Global Climate Action Summit that took place on the September 12^th-14^th in San Francisco.

She was recognized for her role in leading the change in driving down global carbon emissions through the creation of innovative and sustainable bamboo bicycles.

“I am deeply committed to driving an ambitious campaign to promote cycling against emission. Moreover, I am proud to be a Climate Trailblazer because I believe that the noblest expression of all human achievements is found in those that make life better lived for generations”, Bernice says.

Increasing the modal share of bicycles is one of the surest ways of ensuring eco-mobility and building the next generation of sustainable cities and communities. Since the transport sector is one of the biggest contributors to emissions, innovation in the sector is a potent way of adapting to the effects of climate change by neutralizing negative externalities emerging from the auto industry. This is envisioned to have long-lasting effects on the global greenhouse gas emissions trajectory.

In the fight against climate change, every voice counts, however faint it sounds, insofar as it adds to the global call to action. The additive effect resulting from the contributions from various individuals, organizations, agencies and regulatory bodies is sure to lead to lasting gains. Meeting the challenge of climate change is within our reach but requires a healthy impatience in searching for solutions.

Featuring two plenaries and several high-profile sessions, the Summit ended by reinforcing odd commitments and made new pledges in renewables and climate investments.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. 

These factsheets provide information about the areas that will help GCIC clients to be abreast with relevant and up-to-date intelligence on the sector in order to optimize and effectively play their respective roles and make the desired impacts. This fact sheet provides some information on market trends, value chain dynamics, challenges and opportunities, as well as policy interventions, and some notable interventions for the Solar Energy industry within the Ghanaian context.

Solar Energy Applications and Climate Benefits

Several applications of Solar Energy exist. Solar photo-voltaic panels (solar-PV) turn light from the sun into electricity: solar lanterns, solar lighting kits, solar home systems, mini-grids, on-grid net metered solar, backup solar, on-grid large scale solar power generation and hybrid systems. Direct thermal uses the heat of the sunlight: solar water heating, solar drying, and solar cooking. Finally, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) concentrates solar light onto a small area and generates electricity with the heat.

The above applications are climate friendly because they come with virtually no CO₂ emissions; emissions occur only in the production process of the solar components.

Market Trend Analysis

Ghana is a high potential country for solar energy, as solar irradiation per square meter is very high in most of the country; up to 6 kWh/m²/day. Electricity penetration in Ghana (measured as number of the population with access) is estimated at about 78% (World Bank, 2016). This situation is owed partly to various strategies adopted to navigate various power generation and supply constraints by successive governments. The only issue with this statistics is that the percentage share of solar in the generation mix is less than one percent (Energy Commission, 2015). There is, therefore, a need of concerted efforts to increase this ratio. There are plans in place to shave off 200MW of power from the grid, through the National Rooftop Solar Energy Programme (NRSEP) expected to cover some 200,000 homes (Energy Commission, 2015). The overall target for renewable is to increase the capacity of renewable energy to 10% by 2020 (Renewable Energy in Ghana: Policy and Potential, 2015). The Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Action Plan of the Government of Ghana, launched in 2012, identifies off-grid solutions (solar home systems for smaller and dispersed communities, solar for ICT in schools in remote communities, solar for remote/river bank health facilities, solar lanterns for remote off-grid communities, and mini-grid renewable energy electrification for off-grid communities) to be strategic in achieving this target (Energy Commission, 2012).

Sector Value Chain, Projects & Programmes

The power supply industry in Ghana is regulated by the Energy Commission (EC), Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EC is responsible for technical regulation of the power sub- sector, including licensing of operators. In addition, EC also advises the Minister of Energy on matters relating to energy planning and policy. The PURC is an independent regulatory agency, and is responsible for economic regulation of the power sector, specifically approving rates for electricity sold by distribution utilities to the public; as well as monitoring of quality of electricity services delivered to consumers. Some major solar companies in Ghana include: DENG, Pumptech, 3SIL, Wilkins, PEG Ghana, Translight Solar, and Greenlight Planet among others.

The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MoEP), with its partners, is focused on the promotion of off-grid solar photo voltaic (PV) systems for more than two decades. It has focused primarily on lighting and other rural community household needs (distribution of solar home systems and solar lanterns). Under its auspices, the International Development Association (IDA), through the Association of Rural Banks (ARB) Apex Bank deployed a finance model for off-grid rural consumers. This helped install 15,000 systems for 90,000 rural people. Through this model,  systems are paid for,  using a 10% cash contribution from the beneficiary, a rural bank loan from the IDA  fund  and  grant support from the  Global Partnership on Output Based Aid (GPOBA) [International Renewable Energy Agency, 2015]. Installation, operation and maintenance is carried out by locally recognised companies. The most significant constraint to the successful implementation of the project was the absence of sufficiently trained solar installers. Luckily, the Energy Commission is offering subsidized training for solar technicians in 2018. Another intervention, an initiative of the World Bank, and financed by IDA and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other partners is the Ghana Energy Development and Access Project (GEDAP). This initiative has a focus to improve electricity access and distribution in Ghana. Solar PV systems were provided to 170,000 remote rural households who have little prospect of getting grid supply in the near term (World Bank, 2015).

In March 2018, while addressing a plenary session during this year’s International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit at New Delhi, India, President Akuffo Addo outlined the following energy programmes to be implemented in Ghana by 2030: 1. to increase utility-scale solar electricity from about 22.5 megawatts to 250 megawatts by 2030, 2. to install 200,000 solar systems for households and industry in urban and selected non-electrified rural communities, 3. to establish of 55 solar/hybrid mini-grid electrification systems with an average capacity of 100kW, 4. to deploy 2 million solar lanterns to replace kerosene lanterns in rural areas. (Myjoyonline, 2018).

Challenges Facing the Solar Energy Sector

Following are some constraints hindering the growth of the solar energy sector in Ghana.

Demand & Supply

• High concentration of solar PV system retailers in Accra and Kumasi, making products not easily accessible to smaller communities.
• On-grid systems require a battery (where energy needs to be stored to serve peak load household demand in the night), thereby increasing installation cost.
• Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have difficulty in signing power-purchase agreements (PPAs) with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

Policy, Regulation & Enabling Environment

• Obtaining the right licenses and permits can be cumbersome and expensive for businesses.
• Uncertainty about duties and VAT on solar products. Only exempted when importing complete solar system (components).
• Uncertainty about mini-grids policy, especially in the area of grid extension

Financing

• For most renewable energy technologies, start-up costs are high, and upfront. Investment costs are relatively high for the low-income rural households needing renewable energy technologies.
• High commercial interest rates and unstable local currency (Cedi) makes production cost high for service providers
• Interest rates for off takers makes solar unattractive and limits the market to only users who can afford the upfront costs of the system.

Opportunities for Solar Energy Industry Players

Demand & Supply

• High potential for solar systems in urban areas for cost reduction and power generation stability in urban areas if a financial solution to remove the upfront cost and establish monthly payment can be established.
• Potential for solar home systems in peri-urban areas around big cities, where the grid has not yet arrived
• Potential for solar lanterns and lighting kits in remote rural areas
• Improvements in efficient appliances (TVs, radios, light bulbs) reduces system size, potentially reducing installation cost
• Innovative DC-appliances reduce need for inverters, which in turn reduces cost of installation
• Knowledge transfer of business models from other countries (in Africa) bodes well for emerging sector players
• Prices of solar panels continue to go down, potentially resulting in reduction in installation cost

Policy, Regulation & Enabling Environment

• Relative clarity on feed-in-tariffs due to publishing of tariffs by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).

Financing

• Pay-as-you-go model, in connection with huge growth in mobile money usage in Ghana makes a good case for flexible and sustainable end-user financing
• Monthly payment for solar systems in urban areas will enable migration to distributed renewable energy.

Success Story: Black Star Energy – Off-grid Mini-grid Interventions

It is an undisputed fact that financing constraints remains a major setback for the solar energy sector. This affects businesses, as well as end users of the various products and services the businesses offer. Access to capital to support businesses, as well as robust financing schemes for end users is very critical. It is this regard that the work of Black Star Energy is commendable. The company employs a Pay-as-You Go (PAYG) financing model in providing off-grid solar-powered mini-grid solutions to about 1800 people in 6 rural communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana. End users sign up by making an initial deposit; and then make top-ups using scratch cards (sold from GHC1.00 and above) while using the system. An advantage of Black Star Energy’s mini-grids, over the use of stand-alone solar home systems is that these mini-grids can also provide power for productive use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

What role does disruption play in entrepreneurship? How do you build a trans-generational business? Debt or Equity in choosing a financing option for your business? Is external financing really needed for a business to succeed? What is a transformational business and how do you build one?

These were some of the topics tackled at the just ended Cohort 3 Residential Wellbeing Retreat at the Peduase Valley Resort.

The 2-day retreat that happened on the 18^th & 19^th October 2018, started off with a team building session led by Dominic Opoku-Manu, GCIC’s Entrepreneurship Officer. The entrepreneurs were tasked with the objective of working together in teams of five to build the tallest free-standing structure from 20 sticks of spaghetti, one-yard masking tape, one-yard string and one marshmallow in 18 minutes. This exercise aside from enhancing the entrepreneurs’ team work skills, taught them about resource utilization and the importance of constant prototyping in their entrepreneurial journey.

 

M.anifest has been shifting the status quo of the African music scene and is known for his signature sound that marries traditional African sound with Hip Hop. The first day of the Wellbeing Retreat ended with a chat with M.anifest where he shared his own experience on disrupting the status quo in Ghana. Through an exercise where he turned entrepreneurs and GCIC staff into rappers, M.anifest emphasized on the importance of fully embracing gifts or talents and allowing the different sides of you to flourish even as an entrepreneur.

 

“You cannot make an argument for eloquence shabbily”- Nana Kofi Acquah

How do you build and run a trans-generational business? It’s quite simple! By being intentional from the very beginning! Nana Kofi Acquah, an award-winning photojournalist, highlighted the importance of shaping perceptions through story telling in building a brand for your business.

What better way to learn about fundraising for your business other than from the investment practitioners? Ebenezer Arthur & Wole Oyeleye of Wangara Capital and Serengeti Capital respectively, shared tips on maneuvering the investment climate in Ghana and the different types of investments suitable at various stages of the business’ growth.

 

Rita Ifeyiniwa of Intellidigest Ltd spoke on how to build a business from a global perspective especially when it came to fundraising. Intellidigest Ltd is an organic waste management company that uses biodigester to convert unavoidable food waste to clean energy. One key lesson she had learnt in her entrepreneurial journey was on the importance of continuous innovation through constant prototyping to ensure she was meeting her customers’ needs. Selorm Brantie of Mpedigree Ltd. brought the retreat to an end at a high note by sharing lessons on how to build a transformational business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“For a transformational business, the impact is not in the product or service it delivers, but in the transformation it instigates” – Selorm Brantie, Mpedigree Ltd.

Since 2017, the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC), has organized a Wellbeing programme for each cohort of entrepreneurs. The Wellbeing aims at inspiring and instructing the entrepreneurs who have just come out of three months of entrepreneurship training and are getting ready to embark on an exciting 9 months of incubation/ acceleration at GCIC. The Wellbeing is structured to encourage bonding among the entrepreneurs and through interactions with transformational business leaders from Ghana and across the world, learn and be inspired to reach for excellence.

Inspired by James C. Collin’s book, Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos and Luck-Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, this year’s Wellbeing Retreat was themed Great by Choice: Social Enterprise, Transformational Leadership and The Intentional Business. Being Great by Choice is exactly what GCIC hopes to inspire its entrepreneurs to be- to rise to the challenge of being at the cusp of something great in the green economy they operate in.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

 

On the Thursday 15^th November 2018, for the first time since the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) was launched in 2016, the GCIC held an open house at its offices located at Ashesi University. The Open House  was aimed at creating awareness about GCIC among members of the Ashesi Community, and saw in attendance Ashesi students and staff. Ashesi University is the lead consortium partner of the GCIC, leading the implementation of the Centre’s programmes and activities together with Ernst & Young Ghana, SNV Ghana and the United Nations University’s Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

Primerose Katena, winner of the Treasure Hunt with one of the GCIC Ashesi Greengo Reps, Adam Ghaffar

The day’s activities included a Campus-wide treasure hunt, a Green elevator pitch competition and an information session about GCIC. For the Green elevator pitch competition, the participants were tasked with presenting their green business idea to a potential investor in 90 seconds or less. The Green elevator pitch competition saw innovative ideas being presented, from use of microalgae in harness energy to manufacturing of bags from plastics to organic vegetable farming, an already existing student-led business at Ashesi University. After 7 competitive pitches, Aisha Jallow, a Class of 2019 Business Administration student major, won the Green elevator pitch competition for her innovative idea in using education to spread awareness on Climate Smart Agricultural practices.

Aisha Jallow, winner of the Green Elevator Pitch

In line with GCIC’s values- curiosity, innovation and leadership- which are the foundations of GCIC’s daily operations, and to also create a much more impactful relationship between GCIC and the Ashesi student community, GCIC recruited its first set of 6 student campus ambassadors dubbed, GCIC-Ashesi #GreenGo Reps. The Ashesi #GreenGo Reps are tasked with not only creating awareness about GCIC within the Ashesi community but also encourage students to come up with innovative green businesses and help create awareness on lifestyle changes that can be adopted within the Ashesi community to reduce or help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Check out photos from the event here: https://bit.ly/2Q78FUs

About GCIC

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

About Ashesi University

Ashesi University is a Ghanaian private non-profit university globally recognized for quality and innovation in tertiary education. The mission of Ashesi is to educate a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; and to cultivate within the students critical thinking skills, concern for other and the courage it will take to transform their continent. Ashesi provides exceptional teaching, has expanding research capabilities and has a growing capacity to transfer research and projects into entrepreneurial solutions. The University has consistently received acclaim for the independent, critical thinking capabilities of its students and has a 100% placement record with its students receiving job offers or starting a business within 6 months of graduation.

 

With support from the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC), a student team from Ashesi University’s Design Lab, participated in the 2018 Global Retail Challenge held by Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Bensadoun School of Retail Management at McGill University in Montreal.

The Global Retail Challenge is a challenge that brings young, innovative students together to problem solve on how to create a circular business model in the retail industry that engages generations. The challenge started in September with a series of design thinking module assignments and 28 teams registering globally, with Ashesi University being the only African team.

The Ashesi student team comprised of; Desmond Mensa, Judith Dembaremba, Sibongile Sithole, Janet Fuah, Emmanuel Wanye and Isatou Jallow chose to explore how to reduce the negative effects of electronic waste in Ghana with interest an in Agbogbloshie.

 Agbogbloshie, a growing slum in Accra is one of the world’s largest e-waste dump sites. In 2009 alone, 129,000 tons of e-waste was dumped on the site. To earn a living, young scrap dealers try to extract metals such as copper from the waste by burning. The effect of this method of metal extraction is air and land pollution, exposing the young people and nearby communities to dire health problems.

In addressing the problem of electronic waste at Agbogbloshie, the team designed a wire stripping machine to eliminate the burning process of extracting the copper wires

GCIC, which has the mandate of supporting ventures that provide solutions that mitigate and /or adapt to climate change, was keen on not only providing financial support but also providing advisory support to the student team in fine-tuning their business model ensuring sustainable revenue streams that delivered value for all identified stakeholders.

Prior to the team’s departure for the 2018 Global Retail Challenge, they met with Ahuma Adodoadji, the Marketing Manager at the Ghana Climate and Innovation Center during which they discussed the business model of the solution and brainstormed on making the business model economically sustainable.

 

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. 

 

On the 23^rd of November 2018, one of GCIC’s cohort 2 entrepreneurs, Black Star Energy, ranked 2^nd from a pool of 432 projects from 24 countries in the EDF Pulse Africa competition. The competition identifies and supports African innovators committed to growing Africa’s energy sector.

Black Star Energy is a developer, owner, and operator of solar-powered off -grids. Through their services, formerly off-grid communities now have access to electricity that is affordable, reliable and scalable to meet every household and commercial need. In addition to serving rural communities, Black Star Energy also provide off-grid electricity to health clinics – enabling them to provide better care for their patients-with vaccines fridges, ultrasounds and lab equipment. The company already operates 15 of them in Ghana and aims to connect more than 12 000 Ghanaians to the grid by the end of the year. The system has a very high capability factor (over 98%) and allows clients to track their energy usage and pay their bills via smartphone.

The prize-winners were awarded endowments ranging from 5 000 to 15 000 Euros. EDF Pulse Africa also gave the winners a comprehensive support package including:

• Operational and financial advice;
• Project development partnerships with local players such as Energy Generation (a Togo-based incubator and training centre dedicated to start-ups in the energy sector) and with EDF experts, including its subsidiary EDF Pulse Croissance;
• Access to EDF’s innovation ecosystem: EDF’s R&D function and creativity labs.

About EDF Pulse Africa: a unique initiative

EDF is actively developing low-carbon energy solutions in Africa while continuing to provide the continent with access to electricity. With its EDF Pulse Africa awards, EDF is seeking to drive entrepreneurship in Africa and achieve two goals:

• Identifying potential partners by unearthing the continent’s technological talents;
• Supporting innovation by involving local businesses in the development of innovative offerings.

The EDF Pulse Africa initiative follows on from the EDF Pulse awards which, since they were launched in 2012, have already helped to spotlight and support 1500 innovative projects developed by start-ups in France, the UK and Italy.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

12 entrepreneurs graduated as the second cohort of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) business incubator. The ceremony, held on the 12^th December 2018 took place at the premises of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) on Ashesi University campus.

Some members of GCIC’s Cohort 2 graduating class

Their graduation comes after one year of incubation which among other activities included; 3 months of Entrepreneurship classes, Executive Coaching with renown life coach Lanre Olusola, peer exchange trips and  a 2-day Residential Wellbeing Retreat where they interacted with speakers who had substantial business leadership and entrepreneurial experience across sectors and industries.

Executive Coaching Masterclass with Lanre Olusola

The 5 female entrepreneurs in cohort 2 also took part in GCIC’s first ever Women Entrepreneurship Transformation Program held in collaboration with women’s leadership coach Rachel Allen. Aside from the premium business advisory and mentorship services GCIC offered to the entrepreneurs, they also received technical support in the development, prototyping and testing of their innovation as well as financial Proof of Concept Grants totaling $180,844.

Women Entrepreneurship Transformation Program

Speaking on behalf of the graduating class, Lincoln Peedah, founder of  livestock and poultry company, Neat Meat Company Ltd, hailed the benefits that he and his other colleagues had gained from GCIC, noting that the assistance grounded their business well enough.

Lincoln Peedah, Founder of Neat Meat Company Ltd

“This graduation is not an exit from GCIC, but rather a refreshing journey. The training has helped in the remodelling of our businesses by creating valuable models for revenue generation. We have also made an impact on the environment and sustained our businesses as well”  he added.

What’s next after graduating from the GCIC incubator? The entrepreneurs go on to join the Climate Innovation Enterprise Network of Ghana (CIENOG), a GCIC alumni network where they shall enjoy benefits such as recoverable grants of up to $10,000 per entrepreneur and GCIC business advisory services.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

 

 

 

 

Maggots? Yes. You read it right. Maggots!

Demand for poultry rises in Ghana by 13.9% annually – however importers of poultry benefit the most from this increasing demand because local poultry costs four times more to produce than imported poultry.  This is attributed to the cost of feed, which comprises up to 70% of the total cost of production.

The rise of fish meal and soy meal production is causing global issues such as overfishing and deforestation.  Meeting the growing demand for protein to feed farm animals requires an alternative source of protein, and with a global population estimated to be 9 billion by 2020, demand for animal protein will be on the rise, which will also increase the amount of organic waste going into landfills.

Enter Neat Eco-Feeds.

Africa produces less than 1% of the feed produced globally, despite the continent’s ever increasing demand for feed.  Neat Eco-Feeds produces alternative protein animal feeds from maggots, using waste sourced from Neat Meat, their sister butchery company which produces up to 300kg of waste weekly.  Operating in Zebilla in the Upper East region of Ghana, Neat Eco Feeds produces maggot feed for fish and poultry farmers, providing them with an affordable alternative to costly feed such as fishmeal.

The company has the potential to improve the Ghanaian fish and poultry market and become a global player that will compete with industrial global feed manufacturers.

It was no surprise therefore that at the 4^th Edition of the African Entrepreneurship Award (AEA) held in Casablanca, Morocco, Neat Eco-Feeds won the  $100, 000 prize after being shortlisted by the AEA Global Mentors as one of the Top 50 Entrepreneurs whose idea is one of the Most Significant and Sustainable in Africa.

Lincoln Winimi Peedah, one of GCIC’s cohort 2 entrepreneurs, is the Founder of Neat Meat Enterprises which produces Neat Eco-Feeds. Neat Eco-feeds gathers waste from abattoirs and other vendors and recycles it to produce maggots. The maggots are processed and sold as feed; alive, dried and powdered forms. The by-product from the maggot production process is bagged and sold as compost.

With Neat Meat’s intervention, farmers can produce larger quantities of poultry at a cheaper cost thus putting them at a more advantageous position of competing with the menace of influx of imported chicken. Neat Meat’s entire value chain not only lowers feed costs for farmers but also helps in protecting the environment as they deploy a zero-waste production cycle.

In addition to this innovation and cost reduction in the feed production industry, Neat Meat Enterprises is also recognized for their role in creating numerous employment opportunities. Currently, Neat Meat Enterprises employs 16 direct employees, 18 indirect employees as well as several retailers and wholesalers generating additional income from the sale of Neat Eco-Feeds.

In June 2018, with an $18,000 Proof of Concept Grant from the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC), Neat Eco-Feeds established a 175*175 substrate tank capacity maggot farm at Bazunde near Zebilla in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

Congratulations to Lincoln and the Neat Eco-Feeds team from the GCIC.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. 

As part of an effort and process to impact the entrepreneurial ecosystem for entrepreneurs working in the green economy, and to provide a peer support and networking mechanism for entrepreneurs that have completed business incubation at GCIC, on the 17^th October 2018, the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre launched The Climate Innovation Enterprise Network (CEIN) – an  association of businesses in the green economy that have successfully completed business incubation at GCIC.

The purpose of the Network is to create a national association of pioneering green business leaders and businesses that serve as a driving force for accelerated social, environmental and economic benefit through enterprise.

Eric Nyanteh, CEO of Translight Solar, and President of the Climate Innovation Enterprise Network (CEIN) of Ghana, during the launch expressed enthusiasm about the potential of the network and its role in promoting the development of scalable and sustainable businesses in Ghana.

The objectives of the CEIN shall be to:

• Pioneer clean technology and innovation – to develop scalable business solutions, and promote their implementation, for sustainable development
• Promote sustainable business leadership – to change the way business leaders and their businesses interact with their communities by:
• being committed to, and demonstrating, sustainable business practices and
• individually and collectively exhibiting thought leadership that advocates for the sustainable economic, ecological and social development in Ghana
• Champion policy advocacy and development – to spearhead policy development, statutory change as well as advocacy in climate business innovation in a manner that contributes towards sustainable development.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

 

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) graduated entrepreneurs from the GCIC-Mowgli Mentorship Programme on 17^th October. In line with GCIC’s aim of providing entrepreneurs in the green economy with a robust, holistic business incubation experience to buoy their lifetime entrepreneurial journey,  , GCIC partnered with Mowgli Mentoring to deliver its award-winning mentoring methodology and programme for entrepreneurs at the business incubator.  This represented an additional mechanism to support GCIC’s entrepreneurs to optimise their mindset for entrepreneurial success – and to become extraordinary.

The inaugral rollout of this 6-month programme involved 12 GCIC entrepreneurs and 12 volunteer mentors selected and matched through a rigorous search and selection, as well as  matching process. The graduation marked the end of a pilot mentoring programme and the beginning of institutionalizing mentoring as part of the GCIC curriculum.

Dr. Elikem Tamaklo, Managing Director of Nyaho Medical Centre and Guest Speaker at the graduation in his speech, emphasized on the role mentorship and coaching play in the journey to creating self-awareness as an entrepreneur.

Also in attendance were the Danish and Dutch ambassadors, Her Excellency Tove Degbnol and His Excellency Ron Strikker respectively. In responding to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s call of moving Ghana Beyond Aid, they both expressed the willingness of their countries to collaborate with competent Ghanaian businesses, such as those managed by the entrepreneurs supported by the GCIC.

Kathleen Bury, CEO of Mowgli Mentoring, in her speech read by Eva Waweru (Mowgli Communications and Business Development Executive), described an entrepreneur’s journey as one of the toughest, yet the most satisfying and rewarding. “Entrepreneurs are critical for the development of society because they create wealth for the economy, create employment, develop philanthropists – since 95% of the world’s philanthropy is given by entrepreneurs – and are passionate believers in social democracy and the empowerment of people.”

There were also awards given to the mentors and mentees of the maiden GCIC-Mowgli Programme. The project award categories and their winners are:

Most Promising Entrepreneur Award: Awarded to any entrepreneur who has been proactive in making the most out of mentoring and has shown outstanding commitment to the project as well as took the business to the next level –inclusive of job creation increase and business sustainability.

Winner: Lincon Winimi Peedah of Neat Meat Enterprises

Serve to Lead Mentor Award: Awarded to a mentor who has embodied serve to lead ethos/value and has been highly proactive in supporting their mentee, has inspired interest in their personal and business challenges, or has sought out and arranged opportunities for their mentee beyond the requirements of the programme, someone who has truly embodied the serve is to lead philosophy of mentoring.

Winner: Seth Akumani

Most Impactful Mentoring Relationship Award x 2 (Entrepreneur/Mentor): Awarded to a mentor and mentee who have developed a particularly good relationship, shown outstanding commitment and achieved significant goals together. This award will be award to the mentor and mentee within the award-winning relationship

Winners: Simon Turner & Emmanuel Asaam (Gamma Energie)

Most Inspirational Mentoring Ambassador Award: Awarded to a project participant who actively sought opportunities to support the sustainable development of the mentoring culture in Ghana, build the alumni community, support their peers and embody the serve is to lead philosophy on a wider scale.

Winner: Seth Akumani

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

Climate change discussions rarely make their way into everyday conversations and, more often even when they do, such discussions have been left mostly to policy makers, environmentalists and academics. In disrupting this trend, for the first time since its launch, climate change has found a voice at this year’s Social Media Week, Accra.

Social Media Week is a leading news platform and worldwide conference that shares ideas and insights into the impact of social media and technology on businesses, society and culture. It is scheduled to take place in Accra from the 10^th September 2018 to 14^th September 2018.

In partnership with the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC), this year’s edition of Social Media Week Accra will host distinctive green economy and climate related activities, whilst also highlighting the work of Ghanaian entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers whose passion, work and innovations are providing solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Planned activities include: a green tech innovation exhibition, discussion forums, as well as presentations from entrepreneurs who are demonstrating tremendous thought leadership and creativity in the green space.  These activities will be crowned with “the Search for the Next GreenGo” and launch of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre’s DO BETTER, GO GREEN campaign.

The Search for the next GreenGo is a call to all green and eco-entrepreneurs to pitch their idea or innovation to a panel of judges and stand a chance to win over $10,000 worth of incubation support from the Ghana climate innovation Centre.  GreenGo’ -a word play on “go green” and “Gringo”- refers to the green heroes of the environment who are saving the natural ecology by offering and providing environmentally sustainable solutions and products to the general populace. Applications can be submitted at: http://smwaccra.com/

The theme for this year’s event is, “Closer”. The choice of the theme explores the dynamics in social media and how it is affecting the lives of individuals globally.

Celebrated individuals and celebrities are scheduled to speak at this year’s event, including Lexis Bill of Multimedia Group; Abimbola Craig, a Nigerian Actress and lawyer who features in one of the popular TV comedy series in Nigeria, “Skinny Girl in Transit”; Joshua Kissi, a U.S based freelancer who has worked with Adidas; and Phiona Okumu, a BCC Africa news agent.

Participants will be given the opportunity to interact with event speakers as well as create and establish connections with brands and other invitees.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.