Climate Innovation Centre admits entrepreneurs into incubator
Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) has admitted its first group of entrepreneurs to its business incubator at the Ashesi University College.
The GCIC, a pioneering business incubator, aims at supporting Ghanaian entrepreneurs to develop profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The 11 entrepreneurs were selected from a total of 72 across the country who applied to the GCIC’s call last year for businesses to express interest.
The centre’s mission is to constantly create and support an exceptional set of transformational innovative ventures which are pioneering adaptive and mitigating solutions for climate change issues in Ghana.
The centre aims at supporting over 100 climate innovation businesses by the year 2020.
Benefits
The Executive Director of the GCIC, Ms Ruka Sanusi, announced this at the induction of the first cohort of entrepreneurs at the Ashesi University College.
According to the centre, the successful businesses will receive business advisory and support facilities at the centre including the provision of office space and facilities, business skills training and mentoring by a select group of established business leaders and social entrepreneurs, as well as ‘proof of concept’ grants.
Others are funding facilitation, market growth and market access support services, technical assistance with technology and product development and policy advocacy and regulatory support services.
The GCIC is part of the World Bank’s Climate Technology Programme and its global network of Climate Innovation Centres which include centres in the Caribbean, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa and Vietnam.
Ms Sanusi stated, “We incubate businesses and business leaders to operate their enterprises at the place of joint value — that point where the needs of society, the CEO/business, client and stakeholder values and needs can be maximised,” she said.
The centre in perspective
GCIC is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support Ghanaian entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The centre’s key focus is on businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate smart agriculture.
Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and includes Ernst & Young, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.