The grant is part of a programme to create greater economic and employment opportunities for the youth in Ghana, especially those who have graduated or currently enrolled in its six-month GrEEn Incubation and GrEEn Acceleration programmes.

The boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project, which is being funded by the European Union, provides business advisory support services to start-up businesses.

Madam Genevieve Parker-Twum, Senior Incubation and Acceleration Manager at SNV’s GrEEn Project, speaking at the 2022 launch at Fumesua in the Ejisu Municipality, said this year, the project would be awarding 15 green SMEs from the Ashanti and Western regions.

Under the theme: “Promoting job creation through Green innovation” winners of the challenge will benefit from technical and operational skills that would help them to develop operational excellence and be investment ready.

Madam Parker-Twum explained that the free-six months training programme would provide services such as supporting SMEs to build businesses that had proper management systems, operated eco-inclusive business models that offered environmental and social benefits to their communities.

Start-ups would also be supported to fine-tune business modules, re-align models to make them sustainable and climate resilient.

According to Madam Parker-Twum, the GrEEn Incubation and Acceleration Programmes targeted businesses operated by youth, especially women and returning migrants between ages 18-35 in agriculture, renewable energy and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sectors.

Mr Mamuda Osman, the Ashanti Regional Director, Ministry of Trade and Industry, pledged the region’s readiness to partner SNV Ghana to render support to SMEs in the GrEEn sector.

He urged Ghanaians, especially businesses to be innovative to generate useful products from waste, adding that, as a country, people could create wealth and employment from the millions of tonnes of waste created annually.

The GrEEn project is a four-year action from the European Union, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

The project aims at creating employment opportunities by promoting green businesses in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana.