On the 4^th of May, in Accra, at the Kempinski Hotel, the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) held its flagship thought leadership annual event, Incubating Innovation.  . The event, convened as a symposium, sought to examine and analyse the measures that can be taken to ensure that business innovation within the start-up ecosystem in Ghana is purposefully stimulated, nurtured and realised.

Recognising that the past four to five years has seen a proliferation in the emergence of business hatchery organisations offering a range of services to fledgling entrepreneurs and start-ups, the symposium brought together start-up thought leaders, incubator managers, investors and entrepreneurs to discuss how to build excellence in business incubation management for start-up incubation growth and more intentional national development.

The thought leadership symposium commenced with  a Spoken Word performance on ‘Innovation’ by  Chief Momeen, after which the audience heard two key note address from  Oren Simanian, founder of StarTau, Tel-Aviv University Entrepreneurship Centre in Isreal, and Ms Seapei Mafoyane, CEO of Black Umbrellas, South Africa.  Both keynotes spoke to “The Purpose of Incubation” drawing lessons from their respective countries, Israel and South Africa.

Israel is renowned for its success in building start-up ecosystem.  The nation has the highest number of start-ups outside of Silicon Valley and receives the most VC investment per capita. With a population of only 8 million, Israel has over 6,000 start-ups, and 1,000 new start-ups are launched every year.  In 2016 alone, Israeli start-ups raised over $4.8 billion.  A global innovation hub, Israel boasts 277 global R&D innovation centres.

As an innovator in the Israeli start-up ecosystem and a mentor of early stage start-ups, Oren Simanian has helped thousands of Israeli entrepreneurs establish their businesses..  A key-thought leader in developing Israeli start-up ecosystem, Oren works with entrepreneurs, creators, and community builders across Israel to bring their ideas to the world.  He is a mentor of early stage startups, and an inspiring guest speaker about innovation.  As a key-person in developing Israeli start-up ecosystem, Oren Simanian is called an “Entrepreneur for Entrepreneurs”.

Oren spoke impassionedly about his work in building the Isreali start-up ecosystem. He inspired and motivated as he shared how deliberate and intentional economic, educational and financial infrastructure has shaped his start-up ecosystem.

Seapei Mafoyane’s address highlighted the importance of having a structured mechanism to drive and fuel successful innovation and entrepreneurship not in the small and growing business sector, but in the case of South Africa, the black business sector.  “Research shows that 80% of small businesses in South Africa fail within the first two years. If you exclude white South Africans from the figures, then there is a 90% failure rate among the black community.”  The imperative therefore is to reshape South Africa’s economic environment

Shanduka Black Umbrellas is South Africa’s premier business incubator and accelerator for black owned businesses, partnering with the private sector, government and civil society to support black-owned businesses in the critical first years of their existence, with a special additional focus on enterprise and supplier development (ESD).  ESD is an international best practice philosophy which drives economic growth through the inclusion of SMES in supply chaings of large enterprises.  ESD positively impacts the triple bottom line and fosters sustainable businesses.   To date, Black Umbrellas has incubated 1408 SMEs, created and preserved 11,522 jobs, turned over ZAR2.6bn, paid ZAR584m in salaries, and tax paid by SMEs have totaled ZAR133m.

The key note address was followed by a series of panel discussion moderated by Bernard Alve (Citi Breakfast Show), Abdul-Nasser Alidu (GCIC) and Charlotte Ntim (World Bank).

 Panel Session 1: Purposeful Incubation – Lessons from Africa

Panelists:

• Mr Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone
• Djabanor Narh, Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst and Young Ghana
• Ruka Sanusi, Executive Director, Ghana Climate Innovation Centre
• Patrick Awuah, President, Ashesi UniversityPanel Session 2: The Profit of Incubation – Successfully Exiting an Incubator: The Lows, The Highs, The Expectation

  Panelists:

  • Eric Nyanteh, CEO, Translight Solar Ltd
  • Charles Hansen-Quao, co-Founder, DreamOval
  • Gerard Badaweh Yitamkey, CEO and co-Founder, Ahomya.com
  • Ivy Appiah, -CEO, Tiwajo Industries Limited

  Panel Session 3: The Practice of Incubation – The Privilege and The Responsibility

  Panelist:

  • Abdul-Nasser Alidu, Entrepreneurship Director, GCIC
  • Ebenezer Arthur, CEO, Wangara Capital
  • Dr Rethabile Melamu, General Manager, Green Economy, Climate Innovation Centre, South Africa
  • Ashwin Ravichandran, Head of Operations and Partnerships, MEST

  Key take out from the panelist during their session include:

  “….incubators play a critical role, together with business , accelerators and tech hubs to support small and growing businesses” – Henry Kerali

  “…….You need to know people who know people…..that is how you can survive as an entrepreneur. What governance structures do you have in place?? We always suggest to entrepreneurs that have their own personal board of directors” – Djabanor Narh

  “its really about the mindset change, that we have to move from to dependency to responsibility and we [incubators] are facilitators in the eco-system to help you to get to where you want …” – Ruka Sanusi

  “ the idea [of incubation] is to give an entrepreneurial mindset” – Patrick Awuah

  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.

Black Star Energy Limited, an entrepreneur of GCIC providing reliable solar electrification to households and businesses has begun its first project in Sierra Leone through its sister company – Power Leone.

As a result of its operations, some 2000 people now enjoy clean electricity supply all day long within the Petifu Junction settlement of the Port Loko District in Sierra Leone after being in the dark for over a century. Black star Energy’s ambition is to provide electricity to the 6 million people across Sierra Leone whom are off the grid.

Nicole Poindexter, CEO of Black Star Energy Limited, reiterated the company’s commitment to providing clean electricity. “We at Power Leone are pleased to be able to bring affordable, reliable electricity to tens of thousands of people in rural Sierra Leone. From returning light to Bauya to providing reliable power for surgeries in Kambia District, to providing electricity and ice making to fishermen to enable fishermen to double their incomes in Port Loko, we are certain that the power we bring will transform the lives of Sierra Leoneans today and for generations to come.”

In Ghana, Black Star Energy is known to provide off-grid electricity to a number of communities and health clinics . The company already operates with 15 health clinics and aims to connect more than 12 000 Ghanaians to the grid by the end of the year.

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 24th July 2023, the Ghana Climate Innovation Center (GCIC) celebrated the induction of Cohort 8, marking the beginning of an exciting journey for these environmentally- conscious entrepreneurs. Simultaneously, GCIC bid farewell to Cohort 7, the most recent group of successful enterprises to complete the Incubation program. 

The induction of Cohort 8 represents another step forward in GCIC’s mission to support and amplify climate-friendly businesses that contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. These new businesses hail from diverse sectors of operation, including climate smart agriculture, waste management, energy efficiency, water purification, and greening.  

During the intensive nine-month incubation program, these entrepreneurs will benefit from a range of valuable resources, including expert business advice, personalized mentoring, technical training, grants, and comprehensive research analytics on market trends, competitors, and sector insights.  

The event commenced with a warm welcome address from Dramani Bukari, Director of Partnerships, Entrepreneurship, and Investments at GCIC. This was followed by a farewell and congratulatory message from Ruka Sanusi, the Executive Director of GCIC. In her speech, Ruka commended Cohort 7 for their outstanding achievements during their incubation period, such as saving 298,637.21MT in carbon emissions, employing 586 people, and serving 3,025,777.82 households. She also highlighted the individual successes of entrepreneurs in Cohort 7 and inspired Cohort 8 to surpass those milestones. 

The graduation ceremony held a touching moment as Cohort 7 entrepreneurs passed on asparagus fern potted plants to their successors in Cohort 8. This symbolic gesture represents the passing of the baton to the new cohort, signifying the continuation of the mission to foster and grow green businesses. The tradition of presenting asparagus fern potted plants has become a poignant reminder for the budding entrepreneurs to cultivate dedication and perseverance during and beyond the incubation period.  

GCIC, an Institute of Ashesi University, is generously funded by Global Affairs Canada. The event was honored by the presence of Shauna Flanagan, First Secretary at Global Affairs Canada, who took the opportunity to interact with the entrepreneurs, learning more about their businesses and the invaluable work they are doing for a sustainable future. 

The event concluded with three presentations that shed light on the core pillars driving GCIC’s operations specifically, the School of Sustainable Entrepreneurship (SSE), presented by Dramani Bukari, the Director of Partnerships, Entrepreneurship and Investments at GCIC, Strategic Communication and Story Telling for a Green Economy (STAGE) presented by Juliet Buntuguh, Marketing and Communications Officer at the Centre and Policy Advocacy for a Green Economy (PAGE) presented by Yvette-Marie Ntrakwah, Associate Director, Business Transformation and Innovation at Ernst & Young (EY) 

GCIC remains committed to nurturing and empowering environmentally-conscious businesses, fostering innovation, and driving positive change. With Cohort 8 ready to embark on their transformative journey, GCIC is confident that these enterprises will play a pivotal role in creating a greener, more sustainable future. 

For six decades the Atlantic Council has convened world leaders to address the most pressing challenges facing our plant.  In 2015, the Millennium Leadership Program (MLP) was launched as a central pillar of this enduring legacy.  Its mission is to connect and empower the next generation of changemakers who will shape the twenty-first century.

It has been our pleasure at the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre to partner with The Atlantic Council for the inaugural Climate Leadership Program, and to welcome the inaugural team of global climate leaders to Accra from 10^th to 13^th July 2023.  The talented cohort of climate-focused venture capital fund managers from the US, EU, Africa and China gathered in Accra for intensive networking, strategy building, and action planning meetings; and brought diverse perspectives and global experiences to foster collaboration, learning, and practical commitments in climate finance.

The program commenced with a welcome address from Professor George Gyan-Baffour, the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and a representative of the Minister of Finance. Professor Gyan-Baffour emphasized the significance of private investments in overcoming debt constraints and promoting sustainable growth, highlighting the importance of capacity building for local businesses and entrepreneurs in the low-carbon economy. A question-and-answer session, moderated by Ruka Sanusi, Executive Director of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, followed the address.

The first day continued with facilitated table discussions led by Jonah Fisher, Senior Director of the Millennium Leadership Program (MLP) at the Atlantic Council, and Natalia Etten, Deputy Director of MLP. These discussions focused on connecting the cohort members and exploring their businesses and journeys in the climate sector. Key issues discussed included the specific needs of the African continent, addressing basic concerns before prioritizing climate change, the high capital costs in developing countries, accessing various forms of commercial capital and grants (particularly innovation grants for the African continent), and the role of venture philanthropy in designing financial mechanisms for innovation.

The day concluded at Impact Hub Accra, where the visiting fellows engaged in asset mapping, sharing their skills, resources, and contacts while identifying areas where they needed assistance and offering support to fellow participants. The event featured a networking session and dinner with Ghanaian climate entrepreneurs, climate finance and venture capital firms, private and public sector institutions such as such as Injaro Investment Advisors, Third Way Capital, Solar Taxi, Farmerline, True Moringa, Wawu, Sustainable Energy for All, Pure and Just Food, ShaQ Express, and Kaeme Body Care Limited.

On the second and final day of the Program, the cohort actively engaged in dynamic brainstorming sessions, exemplifying their dedication to discovering innovative solutions. The central question that drove their discussions was how this group of climate investors could practically address the lack of inclusivity within the Climate Finance Ecosystem over the next six months.

The day concluded with an art exhibition featuring Ghanaian artist Dela Anyah at the James Town Café in Accra. Dela Anyah was specifically selected to spend the evening with the fellows due to his remarkable ability to express art through upcycling and transforming waste into valuable creations. His sculptures and installations incorporate discarded objects such as butyl inner tubes, polypropylene sacks, license plates, and rubber tires, employing garment-making techniques such as weaving and patchwork.

Blessed Blooms, established in 2017, was born out of a passion to cultivate a wide range of exquisite flowers for Ghana’s thriving floral market. Our initial offerings included tuberose, Amazon lilies, solidago, aster, and roses. However, with the ever-increasing demand and the evolving market trends, we made a significant expansion. Today, Blessed Blooms proudly occupies a sprawling 7-acre farm in Akwatia Kwaso, nestled between Aburi and Koforidua in the Eastern region of Ghana. 

Stepping onto our farm is like entering a floral wonderland. The meticulously maintained greenhouses and expansive open fields are bursting with an extensive variety of flowers, all grown with care and love. Blessed Blooms caters to a discerning clientele, including event planners, wedding organizers, florists, and the public, all seeking the freshest and most vibrant blooms for their special occasions. 

What truly sets Blessed Blooms apart is our unwavering commitment to environmentally friendly practices. We are dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint and have embraced eco-conscious growing methods. By cultivating our own flowers instead of relying on imports, we actively contribute to cutting carbon emissions. Our forward-thinking approach includes the utilization of drip and fertigation systems, ensuring that plants receive precise amounts of water and nutrients while conserving resources. Moreover, Blessed Blooms has integrated solar energy systems into our operations, replacing fossil fuels and traditional electricity sources. 

The most important highlight of our journey as Blessed Blooms has been our selection as part of the GCIC (GHANA CLIMATE INNOVATION CENTRE) cohort 7 incubator. This invaluable opportunity has heightened our awareness of environmental issues and the urgent need to address climate change. Inspired by this experience, we have implemented various initiatives, such as recycling and reducing plastic usage on the farm. By embracing sustainable practices, we strive not only to excel in the floral market but also to become a beacon of environmental responsibility in Ghana and West Africa. 

Beyond our achievements in business and sustainability, Blessed Blooms recognizes the importance of personal growth. The gender classes offered through the GCIC program have been a source of inspiration and empowerment, benefiting both our business and personal lives. We have embraced the concept of “Me time,” fostering a healthier work-life balance and nurturing our mental health. 

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre’s Cohort 6 is made up of an excitingly diverse group of entrepreneurs, one of which is Midunu, a lifestyle company that celebrates Africa’s cultural and culinary heritage.

The name, Midunu, is an Ewe word which means ‘Let us eat’, inviting all those present to partake in the food  being served.  Midunu’s goal is to create experiences where culture, traditions, community, and cuisine, intersect and unite, using both old techniques handed down by generations, and new ones that enhance the experience, using local, seasonal, and underutilized traditional grains and proteins to deliver healthy meals that should be accessible to all.

The founder, Selassie Atadika, holds a Master’s degree from Columbia in International Affairs, which took her on trips through several African countries, whilst working for the United Nations.  These trips exposed her to the rich stories of the origin of cuisines she encountered as well as the injustices that plagued food systems throughout the continent. Selassie was moved to introduce her “New African Cuisine” to her home in Ghana which brings together local, seasonal, and under-utilized ingredients to the forefront in the dishes she started creating.

Midunu was launched with Nomadic pop – up dining experiences in different locations in and around Accra, offering a multi-course menu. Off and on-site private dining, either at the bespoke Midunu House or at the client’s venue of choice, were also another to offer unforgettable culinary experiences.

Not losing sight of her desire to impact in the fight against food insecurity, Selassie actively involves herself in research and collaborations across the continent, to bring together people from the food and agriculture space to share inspiration, create connections and work together, by tapping into the continent’s rich and abundant food traditions, ingredients, and systems, to educate and make the changes in the Ghanaian food system.

Rooted in a country with a cocoa heritage dating back to 1879, Midunu also expanded into the development of artisanal handcrafted chocolates, using Ghanaian cocoa, and featuring the flavors and essences of Africa found in fruits, spices, coffee, teas, and herbal infusions. Selassie saw a gap in the market for quality, handmade chocolates, made from one of the most popular tree crops  grown in Ghana for both export and local consumptions.  It is key to note that the export of Ghanaian chocolates has dropped since 2018 and in 2020, imports of chocolates exceeded exports, and the production of cocoa beans has only grown minimally.

Source: www.statista.com

 

According to research carried out by selinawamucii.com Ghana exported 6,817 tons of chocolate in 2019 but in the same year, the interest in processed chocolate from Ghana shrunk by around 45% compared to year 2018. Overall, between 2017 and 2019, chocolate’s exports decreased by -41.24%.

With limited processing of cocoa done in-country, jobs are lost to this multi-billion-dollar industry. www.africafeeds.com reported in 2019 that Ghana’s Cocobod, the agency that coordinates the Cocoa production sector, revealed that processing of the commodity from its raw form into other products had increased from 23 to 34 percent. Ghana was projecting to have about 50 percent of its cocoa processed into refined products such as Chocolate and Cocoa beverages and in 2021 it was reported that production had increased to 40%. With limited processing of cocoa done in-country, jobs are lost to this multi-billion-dollar industry and smaller artisanal companies like Midunu are helping to bridge the gap.

Midunu chocolates has since gone on to win the 2021 International Chocolate Alliance Award.  The inspiration for each of Mindunu’s chocolates comes from different parts of the continent and is reflected in the name given to each truffle; names of African women who are culinary custodians throughout the continent, like Kukua. The range has since expanded to include drinking chocolate, bar and gourmet treats and candles.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, over a period of nine (9) months, has worked with Mindunu to build capacity with its “High-Value Mini MBA” program specially curated in partnership with Coursera to develop business acumen.  The overall incubation program  comprises  Portfolio management, Market growth and Access, Access to finance, Investor readiness program, Climate smart technology and product development, Environmental and social safeguards, and the Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Program (www.ghanacic.com). This led to Miduni’s commitment to work towards drastic energy savings in developing the best possible quality chocolates and therefore a pitch for a grant to under the program secured Midunu a tempering machine and magnetic molds.  The tempering machine ensures that Midunu is producing the highest possible quality of chocolate due to a higher melting point and smaller crystals. The machine also ensures a reduction in water and power used of up to about 80% compared to a traditional temper machine. It also ensures longer shelf life of the chocolates, a reduction of production costs as well as the ability to achieve environmental and or energy reduction targets.

Magnetic chocolate molds are also specially designed to give chocolates unique and colorful decorations. Molds consists of 2 distinct parts: a polycarbonate frame with integrated magnets and a removable metal bottom plate with a transfer sheet with colored cocoa butter or food ink for various logos, designs and messages placed between the frame and the bottom plate to transfer the designs.

It is important to note that chocolate manufacturer, Ritter Sport is the first major international manufacturer of chocolate bars to adopt a new energy management system that cut its energy consumption by an additional 1.5 percent each year whilst general improvements on energy waste can reduce contributions to global warming potential by chocolates by 14%-19% (https://www.ritter-sport.com/history_alt).  Other key areas to address that could significantly address GWP are water use, of which over 10,000 liters are needed to produce a kilogram of chocolate and land use, which could improve GWP by 3–4 times if significant changes are made.

During their incubation, Midunu’s revenue grew by 19% between Q1 and Q2 and we believe that with energy savings, a reduction in water and longer product shelf life, there will be an overall reduction in production costs which will allow the business to increase its revenue year on year.

Selassie will be continuously looking at how she can keep on embracing sustainability in her business streams, and we look forward to celebrating her wins.

RESOURCES

• statista.com
• https://www.selinawamucii.com/insights/market/ghana/chocolate/ states
• Ghana Climate Control Website gcic.org
• https://www.ritter-sport.com/history_alt
• https://us.midunuchocolates.com/
• http://midunu.com/

Kawa is an Arabic word that literally translates into “wine of the bean” or coffee, whilst Moka is the name of a seaport city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen, which was originally coffee’s gateway into Europe.  Moka was the major marketplace for coffee (Coffea arabica) from the 15th century until the early 18th century and is still prized for its Mocha beans. These two words lend themselves to the name of a female led Ghanaian Coffee Company, Kawa Moka, that specializes in the production of artisan, small batch roasted coffee. Their green beans are grown organically by over twenty women, small farm owners in Leklebi in the Afadjato South District of the Volta Region of Ghana.

Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, the founder, CEO and Chief Caffeination Officer of Kawa Moka, describes the organization as a “social enterprise coffee shop and creative space” that has vertically integrated to include roasting and sustainable farming while empowering underprivileged women through employment and mentorship. The company, under the incubation program of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is seeking to deepen its use of sustainable and climate smart agricultural practices in its manufacturing processes.

The GCIC is funded by Global Affairs Canada and has supported Kawa Moka to invest its grant into mechanizing its production line to improve production efficiency, product quality and reduce net emissions from its production. Some of the machinery secured includes green grader, destoner, solar system and Vortex Eco Filter. The Eco Filter will screen smoke, dust, chaff, odor and reduce harmful carbon emissions during coffee roasting.

According to Examining the Carbon Footprint of Coffee | The Eco Guide and  Here’s Why Zero-Emissions Coffee Roasting Matters (forbes.com), it is determined that on average, the roasting stage of coffee processing  contributes approximately 15% of the overall footprint (1.25 pounds to a pound of coffee).   A 2013 study by the Incae business school in Costa Rica, found 21 per cent of total emissions from the country’s coffee industry came from farming, and most of that figure from the use of fertilizers. Transportation accounted for 5.5 per cent, grinding and purchasing (5.5 per cent), packaging (2.5 per cent), and eventual disposal (3 per cent). The disproportionate figure was from the point of consumption, in this case a customer buying and making their cup of coffee. This end point accounted for a surprisingly high 43 per cent of total emissions in the whole cycle from a farm in Costa Rica to a European consumer.  The reduction of emissions at the roasting stage is therefore quite a significant contribution in reducing these figures.

The financial grant provided to Kawa Moka by GCIC, also facilitated the installation of solar panels, to not only provide clean energy at the production plant, but also to ensure consistent power for production, in the age of interrupted power supply by the national grid. Solar energy is an important source of renewable energy in Ghana and the nation has good solar power potential, with solar irradiation levels ranging between 4.5 to 6.0 kWh/m2 per day. Following international trends, in the last three years, solar power in Ghana has attracted more investment than any other power technology and this is because very year, there is an average of 1800 to 3000 sun hours which might not be the highest in the world, but is comparable to, for example, the south of Europe. https://ourworldindata.org/co2/country/ghana.

The challenges that Kawa Moka faces continue to be financial support to grow their value chain and increasing the impact on their farmer network. There are also several challenges in operating in the present business environment for growing enterprises including the acquisition of several business operational licenses and certifications  (fire, local authority, data protection, Food and Drugs Authority etc.), the requirement for compliance with several different authorities (Pensions – tier 1 and 2, various Ghana Revenue Authority taxes and respective payment deadlines and the cash flow implications. SMEs in Ghana still complain of complicated tax regimes, insufficient tax breaks and a favorable business environment to enable them to grow and have the impact on job and wealth creation particularly for the youth.

In addition to the changes Kawa Moka is making to green her production process, the company within six months of incubation (Dec 2021 to June 2022), has increased its number of employees within the local community by 22% and looking ahead, it is estimated that with a more efficient production line, the savings made will be invested into growing global sales and purchasing additional raw materials for production that will also  increase job creation by 56% , which will equate to 25 jobs in the community by 2025, as the business becomes more efficient and expands and over 1000 households impacted in the rural communities. Kawa Moka is also working on obtaining organic certification for the company.

 RESOURCES:

https://ourworldindata.org/co2/country/ghana

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2020/07/28/heres-why-zero-emissions-coffee-roasting-matters/?sh=3e48d76b12f5

https://theecoguide.org/examining-carbon-footprint-coffee

Imagine clean, clear water bodies in which communities can fish and swim without being fearful for their health! 

This vision and target is why Yvette Tetteh, an agribusiness entrepreneur and CEO of Yvayva Farms, literary winner of the Koffi Addo Prize for Non-Fiction in 2016, an activist and a Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) Cohort 5 entrepreneur, has swum a total of 350km across the Volta River, from Buipe to Akosombo, in the longest known swim expedition in West African history.  This was possible after a year and a half of scientific research by the Or Foundation into the environmental impact of secondhand clothing waste flowing through Ghana, which is one of the largest recipients of used clothing in the world. 

As well as swimming between 10 to 20 kilometers every day, Yvette, and the expedition crew of the Or Foundation’s accompanying research vessel, The Woman Who Does Not Fear, take water, and air samples every day to check for microfibers and microplastics following the same protocols as the Or Foundation team gathering samples in Accra to raise awareness about Textile Pollution.  

 On 1st May 2023, she swam the last 100km stretch south of the Akosombo Dam to the Gulf of Guinea with the crew to raise awareness about the impact of waste colonialism on the ecosystems that give life to millions of people throughout the region. 

The project, called the Agbetsi Living Water Swim, is tracking the impact of textile waste throughout the country. “Agbetsi” is an Ewe word, for living water, reflecting the team’s passion to keep Ghana’s waterways alive. 

The Or Foundation has also released “The Untold Stories from The Volta”, a series of 12 commissioned stories from along the expedition route accessible through the campaign website https://livingwaterswim.org as Yvette swims past the location of each story. 

Yvette reasons that, with the same approach that she undertook the swim; stroke by stroke, so too can Ghanaians tackle the cleaning of the polluted Korle Lagoon that was once considered a sacred swimming hole and source of food for Accra natives. 

Yvette’s initiative has marked a series of groundbreaking firsts: the first time the largest manmade lake in the world has been crossed by swimming, the first time a solar powered research vessel that has been built in Ghana and the first study of microfiber pollution undertaken along 450km of Ghana’s internal coastline. 

The Or Foundation, an Accra-based NGO estimates that Ghana receives around 15 million items of secondhand clothing from the Global North and that on average, 40% of every bale opened in Kantanmanto, Accra, is discarded as waste, causing enormous environmental and social problems.  

The GCIC is in awe and so proud of Yvettes commitment to ecological prosperity. 

 ABOUT THE OR FOUNDATION 

The Or Foundation (pronounced “or”) stands for choice. Choice is agency – agency to escape the predominant violent socio-economic system of corporate colonialism and to change it from within. They are a 501(C)(3) public charity in the USA and a registered charity in Ghana that has been operating in both countries since 2011. Working at the intersection of environmental justice, education and fashion development, their mission is to identify and manifest alternatives to the dominant model of fashion – alternatives that bring forth ecological prosperity, as opposed to destruction, and that inspire citizens to form a relationship with fashion that extends beyond their role as consumer. 

Their goal is to catalyze a Justice-Led Circular Economy, including immediate relief through direct action on human rights and environmental abuses, educational programming, and awareness to shift individual actions, and research and institutional advocacy to steer systems level policies and investments. 

Visit the Or Foundation website at visit www.theor.org and sign their petition at https://stopwastecolonialism.org/#take-action . Visit their twitter page @theORispresent    

At GCIC we get to know men and women whose minds, ideas and green business ethos shape their unique climate friendly business models. In the Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Programme (WETP) workshops, topics recurring frequently include navigating tradition and culture, barriers to finance, gaining self-confidence and work-life balance and these sessions provide support and opportunities for experience sharing. So, with solid support initiatives already in place, are there additional ways that could be found to meet the needs of climate entrepreneurs, and in particular women? Difficulty of access to finance is the most cited challenge and therefore an appropriate place to look for new solutions.

Empowered women empower others and research has found that women entrepreneurs’ self-actualisation, or self-fulfilment, includes both succeeding in business and enabling the success of others. Women frequently seek to empower other women, who then go on to improve the lives of their families and communities, creating a ripple effect of benefit. In the case of women climate entrepreneurs, their success could be interpreted as:

• Thriving personally whilst creating and running a profitable business;
• Economically improving the lives of others including women; and
• Contributing to a healthier planet by working to reduce carbon emissions and engaging in sustainable business practices.

This last feature – contributing to a cleaner, healthier world, has the potential to unlock further financial benefit for all green entrepreneurs, but especially women.

Globally, the growth of green business is increasingly promoted and encouraged through carbon trading and green finance. Ghana is making important progress in this regard with the Ghana Carbon Market Framework and membership of groups like the World Bank Climate Market Club and the West African Alliance on Carbon Market and Climate Finance.

Greening processes including carbon sequestration, reducing carbon emissions, promoting cleaner energy, and engaging in sustainable business practices, are all core to our entrepreneurs’ models, and vital for sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

GCIC’s entrepreneurs are therefore endowed with an invaluable resource by virtue of their green businesses. Commodification of their greening effect could add immense value by earning revenue alongside other goods and services and making these businesses more attractive for investment.

Some of the ways in which business owners might benefit include:

• Attracting funders who pursue investments in sustainable businesses.
• Monetizing carbon credits by:
• trading them to entities wishing to offset their large carbon footprint; or
• Selling them on an international carbon emissions market.

This is already starting to happen in Ghana and in 2023 the country earned almost $5 million from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.

Coming back to women entrepreneurs who run great businesses, empower and improve the lives of others, actively include other women in their networks, and operate green enterprises, a few things could happen:

• Like other high calibre climate entrepreneurs, they could attract funding from green investors.
• They could sell their reserve of carbon credits for money.
• Carbon credits could be used as a unit of exchange to buy needed resources and inputs.
• They could pass on sustainable practices to their business value chain participants, in particular women, who could in turn spread these practices to others, further broadening greening activities and their positive impact.
• Their economic empowerment of others could extend to becoming aggregators of carbon credits by buying them back from value chain participants and selling them on carbon markets.

Government’s pioneering work in facilitating carbon trade could be extended through innovative policies that enable SMEs to both buy and sell carbon credits and use it as an alternative currency. The result would be additional value for green business models, increased recognition for climate friendly enterprise, and more participants being attracted to the sector, resulting in its expansion. This would be good for the economy and the environment through job creation and more people working towards a cleaner world.

These ideas would benefit green entrepreneurs in general, but for women the implications would be even farther reaching. The problem of difficult access to finance for women would be partly solved by having a new tradeable commodity and currency. Further, more women could be employed and become employers in green value chains, all of whom would have increased disposable income that would contribute towards improving the lives of additional families and communities.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre offers specialized programs for entrepreneurs in the green economy that are tailored to the needs of both male and female business owners, and this includes gender-sensitive business advisory services to ensure that t SMEs led by both genders can participate in the business sector on an equal footing.   

 One of these innovative programs is the Inclusive Masculinity program, which explores the evolving concept of masculinity in the context of changing social norms and that men no longer need to conform to traditional hypermasculine behaviors to be accepted in society. This week, GCIC’s Cohort 7 male business were privileged to benefit from this program, as the last workshop of their incubation.  

  The sessions were facilitated by Kwami Williams, CEO and Co-founder of Moringa Connect and Alloysius Attah, founder and CEO of Farmerline.   

 Kwami Williams is an alumni of the GCIC Business Incubator. His company, Moringa Connect, uses its vertically integrated supply chain to turn nutritious moringa leaves and seeds into moringa-powered superfood beverages, snacks, and clean beauty products, mitigating the effects of climate change in Ghana through climate smart farming of the moringa crop.   

 Farmerline on the other hand, supports Smallholder Farmers to adopt drought-resistant seeds, use a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers, crop rotation best practices and transition to solar-powered equipment, at scale.   

  The masterclass, titled “Masculinity and entrepreneurial leadership” was carefully curated for male GCIC entrepreneurs to learn from the lived experiences of their fellow men, who have painstakingly nurtured and established a successful business or businesses. The session was primarily interactive and involved Q & A’s between the facilitators and the male entrepreneurs in attendance and touched on self-leadership, sustainable entrepreneurship, operational and managerial challenges of running a business, as well as work-life balance for the modern man who does not limit himself to financial provision only.   

 Speaking on the expectations and pressure of leading a business, Kwami Williams said, “Because you are the leader, there is little room for mistakes. And when you do make mistakes, your mistakes are magnified because the people who work for you can see and feel your energy.”  

He advised entrepreneurs to be mindful of their self-care and mental health, even in the face mistakes.  

On compliance with statutory and regulatory frameworks, Alloysius Attah advised strict compliance by sharing “If you want to do well, you must follow the rules. You are young and people are suspicious of young people sometimes. We paid one of the big four Consulting Firms to audit us because we wanted to preserve the integrity of our work. The last thing we want is for people to doubt the integrity of our work.”  

The masterclass concluded with a networking session between the facilitators and the participants. 

 

Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC has welcomed 20 female owned businesses into Cohort 3 of the Standard Chartered Women in Technology (SCWIT) Incubator programme. The women entrepreneurs will participate in a comprehensive nine-month incubator aimed to empower women-led start-ups and provide them with the necessary resources and support to thrive in the technology industry.

After a rigorous pitch process, five (5) outstanding participants will be awarded seed funding of $10,000 equivalent in Ghana cedis to invest into their businesses.

The SCWIT speaks to the Bank’s strategy of investing in female- owned businesses to bring greater prosperity and diversity to the communities in which they operate with emphasis on supporting innovation, infrastructure, and technology. Through this initiative, women entrepreneurs have a platform to build capacity and realize their full potential in the world of business.

The programme is implemented in partnership with the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, an Ashesi University business incubator.

Delivering the keynote address, Ms. Winifred Kotin, CEO, Eagle Innovations shared her experiences as an entrepreneur. She said, “Successful entrepreneurs and enterprises are like the good foundation on which economies are built.” She advised the women entrepreneurs to have an unclouded vision, define their ideal businesses and customers as well as think of the mitigation strategies for potential challenges. “Enjoy the journey to greatness and never stop innovating,” she added.

Welcoming the inductees, Kwame Asante, Head Transaction Banking, Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC, said, “We are committed to promoting economic and social development, doing so sustainably and equitably in line with our purpose, Driving commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity. The SC WIT incubator aims to empower women-led start-ups and provide them with the necessary resources and support to take their businesses to the next level.”

Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) had the honor of partnering with the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA), on the 12th of May 2023, to co-host a Green Economy Innovation Session and to hold conversations with the donor community within and outside Ghana, on issues around the Ghana climate and enterprise ecosystem. 

IDIA is a collaborative platform that unites the top leadership of innovation teams, labs, and departments from renowned development agencies worldwide. Together, their mission is to promote and advance innovation as a vital means to accomplish sustainable development, as outlined by the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Through this unique partnership, IDIA aims to foster innovation across different sectors to create lasting and meaningful change towards a more sustainable future.  

During the Green Economy Innovation Session, the Executive Director of GCIC, Ruka Sanusi, gave an overview of the current climate trends in Ghana and highlighted the opportunities and challenges that exist in using innovation as a catalyst for transitioning to a green economy. Drawing from insights gained from the GCIC’s Policy Alternatives for a Green Economy initiative, Sanusi presented key learnings on how innovation can be leveraged to achieve sustainable economic growth in Ghana. These learnings were taken from the work that the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre carries out, supported by Global Affairs Canada, over a period of four (4) years from August 2021 to August 2025. During this time, GCIC will incubate a total of 240 climate entrepreneurs in the small and growing business sector from across Ghana. 

The session explored the current landscape of climate ‘green economy’ innovation in Ghana, combining insights at a national ecosystem level with the experiences of two climate entrepreneurs from Ghana, Valerie Larbi of Mana Mobility and Kobina Nyanteh of Translight Solar & Transvolt Ghana Ltd, a GCIC Incubator alumni. The two innovators gave insights into bringing new green economy innovations to the Ghanaian market and reflected on their experiences as green entrepreneurs in the Country.   

Valerie spoke about the work her company is carrying out in Ghana, designing, and building electric bikes and cars to satisfy the demand for low cost, sustainable transportation whilst Kobina Nyanteh spoke about his business accelerating electricity access in Africa through renewable energy.   

According to Valerie, African markets are home to 40% of global used vehicles, 80% of which do not meet basic emission standards. Many of these cars are exported to African markets after 10-15 years in markets such as US and Europe and do not last long on the Ghanaian roads. Her company, Mana Mobility, has aptly realized that no local manufacturer is producing vehicles to fulfil the emerging demand for electric vehicles to be used on the continent, and has embarked on a journey to create electric vehicles that have been designed to suit the context of Africa. 

By 2028, the MANA ecosystem intends to generate over 100,000 quality inclusive jobs and to sequester 1.1 million tons of CO2 saving. 

 Kobina Nyanteh, CEO of Translight Solar & Transvolt Ghana Ltd was an entrepreneur in cohort 1 of the GCIC Business Incubator. Translight has been focused on marketing solar solutions for the past couple of years and defining solutions for the technology and financial challenges.

In the next ten years, they hope to install an aggregate of 10GW solar systems, to create 10,000 jobs, 40% of which will go to women and to offset 16.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.