Supporting green businesses run by women can have a number of benefits, including promoting sustainability and gender equality. There are a variety of ways that organizations and individuals can support green businesses run by women, including:
Designing green business incubation programs to support the development and growth of environmentally-focused businesses, and many of these programs specifically target women entrepreneurs. The Green Business Incubation programs provide a range of support and resources to help businesses succeed, including Mentorship and coaching – from industry professionals and experienced entrepreneurs, which can be valuable for new business owners looking to grow and scale their businesses. There are also networking opportunities – the participants have the opportunity to connect with potential customers, partners, and investors, which can be crucial for building relationships and securing funding. Access to resources and facilities are also made available – participants are supported to access resources and facilities, such as office space and equipment. The participants in our programs have strong support to grow their businesses through our assistance and that of our partner support programs and networks.
The Social Entreprneuership Hub is partnering the SNV Ghana to offer incubation support for women-owned and women-led businesses in the Western region of Ghana. The project is known as Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn). It is a project financed by the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
The focus of the GrEEn project is to contribute to addressing the root causes of “irregular migration by supporting sustainable and climate-resilient local economies, green jobs, and development in departure, transit, and return regions”. GrEEn is implemented in coordination with the Ghanaian Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (and other relevant ministries) alongside the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
We have already completed the incubation training process for the first cohort and the second cohort is in progress. It is a six months incubation program. In each cohort, four businesses are incubated. After the six month training the startups go through a post Incubation period of mentorship and coaching.
The incubatees have/had the opportunity to engage the public through a series of Radio and TV interview sessions. They also had an opportunity to apply to the GrEEn Innovation Challenge organised by SNV and pitch their businesses for a grant support. One of our incubatees, Madam Emelia Anderson, was awarded an amount of €10,000.00 grant support to expand her business.
Overall, supporting green businesses run by women can help promote sustainability and gender equality while also supporting the growth and success of these businesses. It is important for individuals and organizations to consider the ways in which they can support these businesses and take action to make a positive impact.
