32 Hubs train in green economy
MORE than 32 hub leads and enterprise support organisations have been trained to enable them to assist start-ups, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the green and circular economy.
The two-day training of trainers’ workshop which took place in the Volta Region was an initiative of SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, in partnership with Social Enterprise (SE) Ghana.
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The training covered various topics, including green business models, green product development, green product marketing and green financing.
It was intended to enable the hubs and enterprise support organisations to understand the green and circular economy and how they could support the businesses in their portfolios to improve their environmental impact.
Held between April 20 and 21 this year, the workshop was facilitated by an official of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-Accra), Dr Boniface Yeboah Antwi.
Concerted effort
The Executive Director of Social Enterprise Ghana, Edwin Zu-Cudjoe, said the training was important because it promoted and strengthened the skills of hubs and enterprise support institutions and positioned them to help businesses to promote environmentally friendly operations and transition into the green sector.
He stated that Social Enterprise Ghana was the national network of high-impact social enterprises and hubs of the country.
According to him, Social Enterprise Ghana had a current membership of 840 social enterprises operating in diverse sectors of climate-smart agribusiness, green and circular economy, WASH, health services, inclusive financial services, TVET and education.
He said SE Ghana advocated business-friendly policies for social enterprises and supported members with training, research, access to skills, access to market, access to technology and access to finance.
He said the network had a goal of increasing funding to social enterprises by catalysing US$1 billion for social enterprises in the country by 2030.
Working together
The Senior Incubation and Acceleration Advisor at SNV Ghana, Genevieve Parker-Twum, noted that by working together with social enterprise hubs across the country, SNV Ghana was dedicated to promoting the development of businesses which minimised the environmental impact of their activities while providing green jobs for the youth and women in their communities.
“SNV Ghana has been working with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to finalise and implement the National Green Jobs Strategy.
“This training forms part of the GrEEn Project, which aims at creating sustainable jobs for youth looking for employment, as well as providing support to businesses so they can grow.
“By training business hubs and organisations that provide support to SMEs and start-ups, SNV is joining efforts to transform Ghana from a linear to a circular economy by highlighting the numerous opportunities the green sector brings,” she said.
Green practices
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mawutwueni Ghana Ltd, Catherine Boafo, said the training had been beneficial to MHub as it would inculcate green practices in the hub.
“It is a timely initiative to enable us to create more green and circular activities to meet the UN SDG 13 on climate action and to train the women and youth in communities,” she noted.