Building a Bankable Green Future: Unlocking Funding for Sustainable Startups in Ghana

Tackling Climate change and adapting to its adverse effects is one that needs interventions and participation of various stakeholders including the youth. Though Africa remains a continent plagued with high levels of youth unemployment with “the national youth unemployment rate for young adults of 15-24 years, at about 32.8 percent”(Ghana statistical Service, 2023), there is a crop of Young Green Entrepreneurs who aim to tackle climate change with their entrepreneurial pursuits.

On October 3rd 2024, Maria-Ancilla Bombande, a UNU-INRA researcher participated in a Young Green Entrepreneurs Forum on “Building a Bankable Green Future” Unlocking Funding for Sustainable Startups in Ghana”. Partnering with YGE, which plays an active role as a catalyst for promoting and developing the country’s youth and their entrepreneurial roles in promoting renewable energy resources for sustainable economic growth, contributing to improved social life, and reducing adverse climate change effects, this forum served as an informative space for these young entrepreneurs/youth to learn how to access green loans, sustainably build their SMEs by enhancing both their hard and soft skills including building leadership skills, delegation of roles, gender inclusion, creating effective partnerships and most importantly, embedding climate and sustainability measures in their business models.

Having other panelists including representatives from Absa Bank, African Development Bank, Agricultural Development Bank, Africa Center for Energy Policy(ACEP), Africa Chamber for Youth Development, was critical in providing a rich variety of information and insights key for developing the youth in their green entrepreneurial pursuits. The Forum also brought together participants from high schools, Private partners, International Development agencies, media amongst other key sectorial players.

For an inclusive, democratic journey to a lower carbon development, partnerships with the youth play a critical role in strategising and taking impactful climate related actions. As agents of change, youth (young green entrepreneurs), need investments and support to build the required skills needed to thrive in a green economy.