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The Government of Denmark (GoD) has awarded a grant of $500,000 (about GH¢5.8 million) to support more than 250 local companies in transitioning to sustainable production methods and meeting global market demands.
The grant, which will fund technical support activities, was made possible through a strategic partnership between the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) to help businesses integrate sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices over the next three years.
Dubbed the Sustainable African Value Chain Initiative (SAVI), the project is expected to help local companies gain access to global markets through practical training and support in five key areas.
The areas include ESG compliance and reporting, decarbonisation support to facilitate the transition to low-carbon operations, water-efficiency strategies to reduce costs and environmental impact, value chain management to improve traceability and accountability, and guidance on compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Speaking at the launch of the SAVI in Accra last Wednesday, the President of AGI, Kofi Nsiah-Poku, stated that the programme would equip Ghana’s agribusiness and manufacturing sectors with tailored training, technical support and partnership opportunities to enhance their competitiveness in regional and international markets.
He said the SAVI project represented another important chapter in that relationship and demonstrated what could be achieved when governments, industry associations, development partners and businesses worked together towards a common goal.
The AGI president said sustainability was increasingly becoming a key determinant of business success across the world, influencing investment decisions, consumer preferences and market access opportunities.
He explained that investors were increasingly favouring companies with strong ESG credentials, while consumers were demanding greater transparency throughout supply chains.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Jakob Linulf, said the SAVI project reflected the strong and longstanding partnership between Denmark and Ghana, built on collaboration between governments, industry associations and the private sector.
He explained that the initiative aligned with Denmark’s Africa Strategy, which sought to build equal partnerships that created mutual economic benefits through sustainable trade, investment and industrial development.
He added that the project would help connect AGI member companies directly with Danish businesses through a newly established African network, creating opportunities for increased exports, job creation and sustainable growth in both countries.
The Programme Manager for SAVI at DI, Tobias Hansen, said the initiative was building on a strong partnership that had already been established between DI and AGI, expressing confidence that the collaboration would deliver meaningful results for businesses in Ghana.
He stressed that sustainability should not be viewed only as a social or environmental obligation but as a business opportunity that could improve competitiveness and drive growth.
The Chief Technical Officer of the AGI Energy Service Centre, Isaac Kofi Batini, explained that the SAVI programme was designed to help businesses treat sustainability as a strategic business advantage rather than merely a regulatory obligation.
He said the initiative would support companies in five key areas — decarbonisation, water efficiency, ESG compliance and reporting, value chain management and EU deforestation regulation compliance — while helping them build systems for data collection, reporting and continuous improvement.
