Vanuatu-GGGI Greenpreneurs Incubator Program successfully launched
Port Vila, 25 October 2021– At this time when the world is struggling with a host of intertwined sustainability challenges, recovering from the COVID crisis and building resilience to deal with the climate crisis, the top priority for many countries including Vanuatu is to create employment opportunities and keeping companies survive through the transition.
Green jobs in green sectors from renewable energy to circular economy to climate smart agriculture including green investments has proven to be more effective in building back better amid the chaos of COVID-19 and extreme events caused by climate change.
Implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and made possible by funding from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the first ever green entrepreneurship incubator program was launched and commenced with three days face-to-face orientation workshop from 25 - 27 October in Port Vila. Seven early-stage green enterprises make up the 2021 Vanuatu Greenpreneurs Incubator cohort, of which 5 are female-led and 2 are male-led enterprises.
GGGI recognizes the need for a new generation of entrepreneurs in the region that will initiate and develop new green businesses that will be the heart of tomorrow’s green growth economy.
Speaking at the workshop opening, Mr Jesse Benjamin, representing GGGI as Senior Officer for Vanuatu congratulated the seven successful Greenpreneurs participants for their passion and confidence in green innovation and creating green jobs. He further added “Investing in green businesses makes general, macro-economic sense. We also recognize that most new jobs in developing and emerging economies are created by micro, small and medium enterprises. Such private sector small start-up enterprises are the engine of innovation and will be at the heart of a green transition.”
The Vanuatu Greenpreneurs Incubator program is part of the QFFD-funded Pacific Greenpreneurs Incubator program which offers training and mentoring programme to existing innovative early-stage green micro, small, and medium-enterprises (MSMEs) in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. Participants are MSMEs with green business models who demonstrate growth potential that are in pursuit of a scalable and repeatable business model. Successful entrepreneurs in the incubator program will have the opportunity to participate in a business competition to secure grant seed fund capital of USD$5,000.
The Vanuatu Greenpreneurs Incubator kick-off workshop was facilitated by Chris Elphick from the Breadfruit Consulting and Jean Philippe Sewere. They also serve as business consultants and mentors to the programme for Vanuatu. There will be a series of weekly trainings over the next few months.
More information on the Pacific Greenpreneurs can be found on www.pacificgreenpreneurs.com.
About Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI):
Based in Seoul, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization that supports governments of developing countries to transition to a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. GGGI delivers programs in over 40 partner countries with technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and by helping to build a pipeline of bankable green investment projects. More on GGGI’s events, projects, and publications can be found on www.gggi.org. You can also follow GGGI on Twitter and join us on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
About Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD):
Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) is a Qatari public institution committed, on behalf of the State of Qatar, to implement foreign aid projects by international best practices and standards.
Since 2012, QFFD has been providing aid to many countries in accordance with the international cooperation goals of Qatar National Vision 2030. Its primary goal is to achieve inclusive and sustainable development by addressing global priority issues in education, health, and economic development. In this context, priority is given to the following Sustainable Development Goals:
• SDG 3: "Ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all";
• SDG 4: "Ensuring fair and inclusive education for all and enhancing lifelong learning for all";
• SDG 8: "Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and keeping full and productive employment and decent work for all."
To realize the optimal development impact, QFFD projects are also designed to have cross-cutting co-benefits within SDG (2) on "Zero hunger" and SDG (6) on "Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all" in addition to SDG (17) on "Partnerships to Achieve Goals."
QFFD cooperates with many reputable actors through strategic partnerships both locally and internationally. These include Civil Society Organizations, government agencies, UN agencies, and the private sector.