By Buertey Francis BORYOR
Regional Coordinator – United Nations Capital for Development Fund (UNCDF), Christel Alvergne, has averred that the organisation’s boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project has not only focused on job creation, but has also been instrumental in enhancing the entrepreneurial capabilities of beneficiaries, as well as their access to services.
Additionally, she said that the UNCDF’s collaboration with the country’s local government ecosystem has fostered the development of climate-resilient local economies.
Also, she noted that the organisation has empowered the nation’s MMDAs with the tools to engage in participatory and gender-sensitive local economic development planning.
Ms. Alvergne brought this to light in remarks at the UNCDF GrEEn Project Closing and Knowledge-Sharing event in Accra, October 3, 2024.
Furthermore, she said the project has facilitated access to financial services for many individuals and MSMEs, creating local ecosystems that support youth and women-led businesses.
She reaffirmed UNCDF’s commitment to scaling up these projects in the future, ensuring that its work in the country continues to make a meaningful contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
She, however, acknowledge the UNCDF partners’ contributions to the project’s success. “The success of the GrEEn project would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders involved – our partners at the European Union and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Ghanaian Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, and the invaluable contributions from our numerous partners and local communities.
“This moment signifies not only the culmination of our collective efforts over the past five years, but also a pivotal step toward a more sustainable and inclusive future for Ghana. Together, we have demonstrated what is possible when we align our resources and expertise toward common objectives,” she said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, in a speech read on his behalf at the event said that, the GrEEn project far exceeded its original target of providing access to financial services to 70,000 individuals, reaching over 190,000 people instead.
He added that it created over 2,300 short-term jobs, with 80 percent filled by women, among other.
The UNCDF’s, mission is to assist developing countries in building their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance. Its core vision is to support local communities in addressing climate challenge, while unlocking economic opportunities for those who need it the most.
Through a combination of grants, technical assistance and convening power, it has created pathways for investments that may have otherwise been deemed unbankable.
The GrEEn project is funded by the European Union and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
