GrEEn Incubation and Acceleration Programme 2021 for young Ghanaian Entrepreneurs

Application Deadline:  29 January 2021.

The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project is a four-year action from the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). The project aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in two selected regions in Ghana: Ashanti and Western.

GrEEn is implemented under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa. 

As part of your application to join the project, we are asking you to complete an application form. When you are selected to participate in the project, you will be requested to provide additional detailed information about you. This form is intended to seek your consent before any data is collected on you and your business. 

The GrEEn incubation and acceleration programmes aim at serving and strengthening enterprises in:

• Eco-inclusive business model development
• Financial management
• Product development
• Access to Finance
• Market development and linkages
• Business regulatory compliance
• Investment readiness (under the Acceleration Programme)

The programmes consist of;

• Online and offline training sessions in business model development, leadership, financial management, marketing and sales, etc.
• Coaching and mentoring by industry experts and successful businessmen/women
• Pitching sessions with investors and financial institutions
• Opportunity to compete for a matching grant from the GrEEn challenge fund

Why participate?

• Get 6 months business development support from our partner hubs
• Get access to industry experts and successful businessmen/women (local and international) who will serve as mentors
• Improved access to funding – through innovative financial services as crowdfunding, concessional financing, etc.
• Market linkages to complementary service providers and actors in the green ecosystem  
• Peer-to-peer networking and exchanges
• Expert support to achieve business growth and expansion (Acceleration Programme)

Requirements

• The owner(s) of the business must be aged 15-35 years. (*Women can be above the age of 35 but no older than 40)
• The business must have an innovative product or service in the Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector
• The entrepreneur must be resident and have their business located in the Ashanti or Western Region for at least 6 months
• The business must have a green or eco-inclusive model  
• The start-up must have a high potential for job creation among youth
• The business must have been registered for at least two years. Exceptions will be made for unregistered businesses with a proof of concept of an innovative solution or product.The business can be for-profit or not-for profit, but the product/service offered must be financially viable
• The entrepreneur must be available for the duration of the programme and must be able to attend at least 80% of all programme activities.
• The entrepreneur must not be engaged in any conflicting programme for the duration of the incubation programme. A conflicting programme may be another programme providing incubation and acceleration and/or business development services.

Selection Criteria

• All applications submitted to GrEEn are assessed
• GrEEn staff, its partner hubs and external experts review the applications according to a standard set of criteria
• Those SMEs that pass the initial screening will be invited to complete a more detailed application form
• SMEs that are shortlisted will be invited to an interview: a panel consisting of GrEEn staff, its partner hubs and external experts will discuss the business idea and model in detail with the applicants. The judges will score applicants according to a set of selection criteria.

For More Informaiton:

Visit the Official Webpage of the GrEEn Incubation and Acceleration Programme 2021