Invest for Jobs, an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has launched the Kumasi edition of the “Green SME Networking Festival”.
The German Development Cooperation (GIZ) initiative seeks to assist Ghana’s small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in improving environmentally friendly production and goods.
Representatives from business associations and governmental organizations, including the co-host of the festival, the Ghana Enterprises Agency, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, the Association of Ghana Industries, and the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others, are to attend the event from August 17–19.
It is being held under the theme “Promoting Green Business Practices for a Sustainable Future.”
About 100 SMEs with interest in eco-friendly manufacturing especially, in agro-processing, fashion & textile, and cosmetics sectors are expected to partake in a series of workshops in sustainable business practices.
The festival will also host seminars on access to markets through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and e-commerce which is being supported by the German Alliance for Trade Facilitation and the Pan-African E-Commerce Initiative, both programmes which are being implemented by GIZ.
The participants will also get the opportunity to network with financial service providers and business organisations, present company ideas, and take part in events where products are on display.
Speaking at the launch in Kumasi, Mr. John Duti, Team Leader of Invest for Jobs at GIZ Ghana, explained that the participating SMEs were in industries that were most strategically vital for the green agenda, job creation, and export potential.
“It is therefore imperative that businesses in these sectors are supported to grow in an eco-friendly way to employ more people.
We expect that they will create green and decent jobs following this training and the support we provide”, he stated.
Mr Duti pointed out that the world was at a brink, saying “we are all witnesses to the effects of global warming, we see the harm we are causing to the environment and the effects are grave.”
He indicated that although the government had implemented programmes to curb the effects of climate change in Ghana, the SMEs needed to be enlightened on the effects and how they could advance towards mitigating it through their activities.
He believed that “green” was the way to go now, and encouraged SMEs to play roles that could sustain the ecosystem.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Mrs. Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, said it was soothing that initiatives to provide businesses with the necessary data and tools to execute more green business practices and address environmental issues were gaining traction.
She said sustainable business norms had become a moral imperative and added that with relevant information operators would make astute business sense.
The Green SME Networking Festival has already been launched in Accra and will be launched in Tamale in the weeks to come.
