In a bid to expand and upscale small businesses, fifteen Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) from the Western and Ashanti regions have been empowered with GH¢2.3 million grant thanks to SNV, a Dutch development non-profit organisation’s Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) Project funded by the European Union.
As part of the project, the SNV Ghana launched the GrEEn Innovation Challenge in June 2021 to award matching grants to selected businesses engaged in innovative green businesses in SNV’s three sectors; agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in the Ashanti and Western regions.
Green Ecoworks emerged the overall winner receiving GH¢ 321,500.00,
Davnak Ventures – GH¢128,600.00
Kozobiz Biogas Technology – GH¢128,600.00
Ginadoom Waste Management Services – GH¢192,900.00
Asaasepa Naturals – GH¢192,900.00,
Eggs and More – GH¢192,900.00,
Romilla Farms -GH¢192,900.00,
The others are;
Chabed Enterprise – GH¢90,020.00
Emmy’s Shop Afrik – GH¢128,600.00
Aniwasu Garments – GH¢128,600.00
NasagLach – GH¢128,600.00
Moreplex Company Limited – GH¢128,600.00 Brofoshelle Ventures – GH¢128,600.00
AgriCentric Ventures – GH¢128,600.00
Uvuko Company Limited – GH¢128,600.
The Project Manager of SNV Ghana, Saddam Laouali speaking at a ceremony in Accra on Thursday to award the grant to the winners of the challenge, said the inaugural Green Innovation Challenge was held in December 2021.
He said 12 green businesses were awarded a matching grant of GH¢ 1,170,000.00 in the maiden edition.
“They included six businesses in the Ashanti Region, five in the Western Region and one in the Greater Accra Region who established an outlet in the Western region,” Mr Laouali.
According to him, in August 2022, SNV Ghana and the European Union will launch the 2022 GrEEn Innovation Challenge for only green businesses enrolled in the GrEEn Incubation and Acceleration Programmes, a 6-month free training program that offers business advisory support to green businesses and entrepreneurs in the two project regions.
According to Mr. Laouali, 70 businesses entered the competition, and 15 were ultimately chosen.
“Out of over 70 applications received, 32 (17 from Western Region, 15 from Ashanti Region) were shortlisted to go through a two-day pitch event from October 27-28, 2022 in Accra where a panel, including representatives from the European Union Delegation to Ghana, Fidelity Bank, Kosmos Innovation Centre, Ghana Enterprises Agency, Holland Greentech, and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and SNV Ghana, analysed their application and interviewed them on their green products and services,” the Project Manager said.
Seven businesses from the Ashanti Region and eight from the Western Region are among the SMEs that have been shortlisted, according to him.
Timothy Dolah, the team leader for the EU’s Macroeconomics and Trade Sector delegation, stated that the EU was committed to assisting green entrepreneurs and innovators who have local solutions to lessen the effects of climate change while simultaneously generating employment for women and youths.
He claimed that the EU was using a number of programmes, including the GrEEn Project and the GrEEn Innovation Challenge, to help climate adaptation and spur the expansion of local enterprises.
Emmanuella Appiah, the chief executive of Green Ecoworks, thanked the SNV and the EU for their assistance.
