The SEED Africa Symposium 2015 will take place in Nairobi, Kenya on September 9-10, with its theme “Building Bridges for Impact” looking at supporting innovation and startups in the green energy space.
SEED is a global partnership for action on sustainable development and the green economy, established in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Development Programme (UNDP), and International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Last year’s symposium in Nairobi took place under the theme “Making Growth Sustainable: Co-creating Solutions through Social and Green Entrepreneurship”, with participants discussing ways of building effective ecosystems for green and social enterprises in Africa.
This year, the event centres on “Building Bridges for Impact”, bringing together more than 500 entrepreneurs, practitioners, investors, donors, and policymakers.
“How can social and eco-enterprises help to accelerate the transition to green and inclusive growth? With products as diverse as affordable solar lamps, sustainable cooking fuel, and goods from recycled waste, small-scale social and eco-enterprises around the world are already achieving success and contributing to poverty reduction and sustainable development at the grassroots,” SEED said.
“But they could do more with the right sort of support and ecosystems frameworks. Through partnerships with policymakers, other innovators, and support institutions their impacts can be enhanced, so enabling these innovative businesses to play an important role in promoting and fostering a new, green economy.”
The symposium will also celebrate the 2015 SEED Winners at the International Awards Ceremony and provide the launchpad for the SEED Virtual Exhibition.
It will also witness the publication of a report illustrating SEED’s 10 years of experience in promoting social and eco-entrepreneurship.
