Twenty Ghanaian startups have taken part in a bootcamp designed to promote local entrepreneurship and innovation in clean technologies, organised by the soon-to-be-launched Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC).
Disrupt Africa reported in January applications opened for the Green Innovators Bootcamp run by the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC), established by the World Bank’s infoDev Climate Technology Programme.
The programme is establishing a network of Climate Innovation Centres (CICs) in selected countries to accelerate the development, deployment and transfer of locally relevant climate and clean energy technologies.
Twenty startups took part in the bootcamp, which was aimed at identifying and launching growth-oriented Ghanaian entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally relevant solutions to climate change.
“Ghana is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and as such, its prospects for continuous growth will depend on the country’s ability to build competitive and climate-resilient industries,” said Yusupha B. Crookes, World Bank country director.
“In line with the National Climate Change Policy, by accelerating the development of local clean technology companies the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre will help reduce the country’s vulnerability to climate change, while also creating jobs and promoting investments in new clean technologies.”
The 20 clean tech startups were selected after a nationwide campaign that saw almost 90 applications in a few weeks.
“With the support from our mentor and various experts, we asked ourselves questions that we had not previously thought about,” said Sylvia Akotia, one of the entrepreneurs who participated in the bootcamp and won one of the seven awards of the pitching competition.
“Having an external perspective has helped us identify our niche, our unique proposition, and the challenges we need to address to move forward with our business.”
The bootcamp is the first of a series of activities that the GCIC will implement to support the country’s National Climate Change Policy. After its official inauguration in mid-2015, the centre will provide up to 200 local companies with business facilities and a targeted suite of services that includes early-stage financing, technology commercialisation, business development and capacity building support.
