SNV Netherlands Development Organization has ended a three-day 2023 GrEEn Regional Trade Show in Takoradi themed ‘Sustainable Trade and Investment, the Future of the Ghanaian Economy’.
The trade show saw 39 businesses along the green economy value chain showcase their products, services and inventions.
The three-day event stimulated sharing and exchange of ideas within the circular economy, promoting market opportunities to boost production and sales.
Also, it educated the public on the best practices needed to sustain investments in the sector, all in a bid to promote environmental sustainability.
Laouali Sadda, GrEEn Project Manager, said the initiative aims to support the growth of green, climate resilient and sustainable businesses as well as provide skills development to youth in the Ashanti and Western Regions.
“The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana, popularly known as the GrEEn Project, is an action funded by the European Union (EU) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Ghana jointly implemented by SNV Ghana and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) since 2019,” he said.
He explained that 39 of the business owners are graduates of SNV’s six-month GrEEn Incubation and GrEEn Acceleration Programmes, and have received training and business advisory support from SNV and partner hubs, with some being awarded grants to grow their businesses.
Also, he mentioned that SNV provided business-to-business visits, market linkages, and coaching through partner hubs to green businesses in addition to the trade shows and the matching grants provided to some of these SMEs under the GrEEn Project.
“At SNV, we strongly believe that supporting indigenous sustainable enterprises and communities to cultivate climate resilience is a way to mitigate the effects of climate change on livelihoods” he said.
He disclosed that SNV is partnering with the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs to extend by September this year the Young Entrepreneurs and Start-ups Support fund (YESS Fund) to provide financing to more MSMEs in the green sector.
Isaac Yankson, Western Regional Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, expressed hope that products being showcased by green innovators would benefit from the incessant export opportunities under the AfCFTA and the Ghana National Export Development Strategy.
