With the world reeling under the increasing dangers of global warming due to climate change, Ghanaian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been urged to rethink their business models and become more sustainable by going green.
Team Leader of Invest for Jobs at GIZ Ghana, John Duti, who made this comment during the launch of the Green SME Networking Festival aimed at supporting SMEs toward creating decent jobs and improving eco-friendly production and products in Ghana, said: “We are aware that climate change is a major threat to animals and mother nature, people and societies, and businesses. Please don’t wait for your competitors to go green. Go green now!”
Mr. Duti further stated that SMEs have a key role to play in the green agenda to ensure sustainable business growth as they the main drivers of the Ghanaian economy, representing about 85 percent of businesses, and contributing about 70 percent of the country’s GDP.
“The world is moving to a point where climate change and our own practices are endangering lives. There has already been a temperature increase of more than 1°C since the start of industrialisation. Experts have warned that if we do not undertake urgent steps to stop this global warming by applying green concepts to our businesses, we stand the danger of increasing the number of environmentally related crises, increased hunger levels, mass migration challenges, as well as other social and economic disasters,” he stated.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, who also spoke under theme: ‘Promoting Green Business Practices for a Sustainable Future. So why Green?’, called for concerted efforts to equip businesses with the relevant information and tools to enable them to implement more and more green strategies.
“Those of us who are following events in other countries will notice that not only are we dealing with crisis caused by the effect of the Russian-Ukraine war nor the effects of the COVID Pandemic, but real serious environmental challenges amid heat waves causing wildfires, destroying lives and properties. Sustainable business practices, therefore, become a moral imperative; and of course, the relevant tools and information will also make excellent business sense,” she stated.
GIZ has been a strategic partner in these efforts, continuously supporting the sustainable growth of SMEs in the country through the provision of financial incentives and training.
GIZ is commissioned by the German Government through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implements international cooperation services for sustainable development in partnership with state and non-state actors based on agreements reached by governments.
