Greenovations

Webinar 'Emerging Markets in The Green Sectors in Africa'
2024-05-30 11:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Berlin)
In this first installment of the Greenovations Webinar Series, the CEO of ABAN, Fadila Tchoumba; Briter Bridges Research Associate, Fortune Chuku; and the Director of the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, Bankole Boloruntola, will discuss valuable insights on the emerging patterns and trends in the funding landscape of Africa’s green sectors.

This session will:

Present the flagship Green Innovation Ecosystem Report

Outline the emerging funding trends and patterns in the green sectors

Best practices for scaling green startups

Funding opportunities in green sectors.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, May 30th at 11:00 AM CET / 9:00 AM GMT for an engaging discussion guided by Bertil van Vugt from VC4A.

The Greenovations Webinar Series

This webinar series is presented by the Greenovations project, implemented by the United Nations University and consortium of partners, to share key findings and insights with key actors to strengthen the African entrepreneurial community to meet global challenges.

Find out more

Speakers

Fortune Chuku is a Data and Research Associate at Briter Bridges, a data-driven research firm dedicated to collecting, curating, and visualising information about business and investment across underserved markets. At Briter, he manages end-to-end research projects, producing insightful reports that help key stakeholders understand the opportunities within technology ecosystems in emerging markets and their role in promoting the development of such ecosystems.

Bankole Oloruntoba is the CEO of the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center, a World Bank-backed initiative supporting Nigeria’s green economy. Since its inception, the NCIC has incubated over 60 green ventures and seed-funded 24 with a total of $240,000 USD, partnering with organizations like Coca-Cola Foundation and GIZ. Bankole is also the Honorary Consul to Finland in Lagos and holds degrees from ABU Zaria, Lagos Business School, and Business School Netherlands. He is a social and business tactics engagement specialist with a deep background in entrepreneurship development, business development and innovation management. Bankole started the Abuja startup Ecosystem and has supported the setup of over 15 innovation hubs in Nigeria. As a thought leader in climate-focused startups and entrepreneurship in West Africa, he advises numerous organizations and has been instrumental in developing Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.

Fadilah Tchoumba is the CEO of ABAN and the fund manager for Catalytic Africa, supporting early-stage startups in Africa. Previously, she managed investment portfolios for institutional investors and directed business innovation for the Royal Commonwealth Society. She is a founding member of Amzill, advises ENRICH in Africa, and has significantly contributed to the development of tech-driven funding solutions for African startups. Fadilah holds degrees from Connecticut College, Georgetown University, and the London School of Economics, and is a passionate advocate for innovation and sustainability in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Bertil van Vugt is Director of operations at VC4A , who is passionate about supporting start-ups and scale-ups to grow, and focused on building long-term partnerships between entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and support programs. He has over 15+ years of international experience and a demonstrated history of working in and with innovative businesses.

Webinar 'Synergy Between Research Centres and Tech Hubs in Africa for Knowledge-Based Innovations'
2024-06-12 11:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Berlin)
In the second installment of the Greenovations Webinar Series, Victor Konde, Scientific Affairs Officer with UNECA; the Head of GIZ Make-IT programme in Africa, Matthias Rehfeld; the Manager of Makerere University Innovation Pod, Cathy Ikiror; the CEO of UM6P Ventures, Yassine Laghzioui; and Board Member of AfriLabs, Itoro Emembolu, will examine the role and best practices of research centres and tech hubs in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa.

This session will:

Discuss the nature of innovations at technologies and innovation hubs and universities in Africa

Highlight the added value of integrating research and development process to tech hubs

Examine the successful models and best practices that research centres and tech innovation hubs should adopt in developing, supporting and promoting knowledge-based start-ups

Highlight the opportunities and way forward for strengthening the research-tech ecosystem agenda in Africa

Register now

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, June 12th at 11:00 AM CEST / 9:00 AM GMT for an engaging discussion guided by Erick Tambo, head of Pan African Cooperation and Educational Technologies at United Nations University Vice Rectorate in Europe and manager of the Greenovations Africa project.

The Greenovations Webinar Series

This webinar series is presented by the Greenovations project, implemented by the United Nations University and consortium of partners, to share key findings and insights with key actors to strengthen the African entrepreneurial community to meet global challenges.

Find out more

Speakers

Matthias Rehfeld is Head of the GIZ Make-IT program in Africa.

Itoro Emembolu is a Board Member of AfriLabs, a network of over 470 innovation hubs & centres across 53 African Countries. She is also the Lead of the AfriLabs Research Group, a Connector for Digital Africa and a researcher at University of Alberta, Canada. Itoro is a Director at TechQuest STEM Academy, a nonprofit organization that builds capacities and provides training, tools and resources, for digital literacy and capability building.

Victor Konde is a Scientific Affairs Officer at UNECA and ECA’s focal point on science, technology and innovation. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry (United Kingdom) and is a Post-Doctoral alumnus of Harvard University. He is the founder of the African Technology Development Forum (ATDF, Geneva/Switzerland) and a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Science. He works closely with AUDA-NEPAD, AU and about 70 universities and R&D institutions in Africa and beyond.

Cathy Ikiror is a lecturer and researcher in the department of Marketing and Management, College of Business and Management Sciences at Makerere University, Uganda. She is an adjunct faculty at Strathmore University Business School and the co-director for the Africa Research Network at York. Currently, Cathy is the Manager at Makerere University Innovation Pod (Mak Unipod) established in August 2022. The Mak Unipod is a platform that transforms research outputs through commercialisation into innovations for industrialisation.

Yassine Laghzioui is the CEO of UM6P Ventures and Director of Entrepreneurship & Venturing at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco. He plays a key role in driving innovation and fostering entrepreneurship across Africa. As the founder and CEO of Phova Tech, a leading hard tech startup, Yassine showcases his expertise in the tech industry. Through UM6P Ventures, the investment arm of UM6P, Yassine has built a significant presence in the venture capital world in Africa, focusing on identifying and nurturing DeepTech ventures.

Webinar 'Closing the Gap between Climate Finance and Green Innovators/Entrepreneurs in Africa'
2024-06-26 11:00 - 12:15 (Europe/Berlin)
Please join us for the third instalment of the Greenovations Webinar Series ‘Closing the Gap between Climate Finance and Green Innovators/Entrepreneurs in Africa’.

The session will:

Outline the existing climate finance pledges, mechanisms and their supporting provisions

Highlight climate finance access options for innovators and entrepreneurs in Africa

Provide solutions to bridge institutional silos and unlock climate finance for scaling green startups

Register now

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, June 26th at 11:00 AM CEST / 9:00 AM GMT for an engaging discussion guided by Sana Musanje – Innovation Specialist at UNFCCC Regional Lead for Southern and East Africa.

The Greenovations Webinar Series

This webinar series is presented by the Greenovations project, implemented by the United Nations University and consortium of partners, to share key findings and insights with key actors to strengthen the African entrepreneurial community to meet global challenges.

Find out more

Speakers

Bankole Oloruntoba is the CEO of the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center, a World Bank-backed initiative supporting Nigeria’s green economy. Since its inception, the NCIC has incubated over 60 green ventures and seed-funded 24 with a total of $240,000 USD, partnering with organizations like Coca-Cola Foundation and GIZ. Bankole is also the Honorary Consul to Finland in Lagos and holds degrees from ABU Zaria, Lagos Business School, and Business School Netherlands. He is a social and business tactics engagement specialist with a deep background in entrepreneurship development, business development and innovation management. Bankole started the Abuja startup Ecosystem and has supported the setup of over 15 innovation hubs in Nigeria. As a thought leader in climate-focused startups and entrepreneurship in West Africa, he advises numerous organizations and has been instrumental in developing Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.

Dr. Komlanvi Moglo is a senior climate change expert whom has extensive experience in climate change development projects having worked across the climate change agendas as a project coordinator, a researcher, a consultant, and an advisor. He is currently the Deputy Head of the IDFC climate Facility. Dr. Komlanvi has extensive experience in the governance and management of programmes and instruments related to green economy and climate finance,gained through his involvement in project design, implementation, and evaluation of related programmes, funds, or facilities by bilateral and multilateral organizations (e.g. GCF, GEF, AF). As a deputy focal point of the West African development Bank (BOAD) to the Adaption Fund (AF), he is constantly researchingand mobilizing existing and new resources to support climate finance demand. He is also a BOAD’s focal point to the Climate Technology Centre Network (CTCN-UNIDO) for the WAEMU region. Dr. Komlanvi has country experiences in Africa and in the UK where he obtained his Honour’s degree, Masters and PhD from the University of Derby.

Aliou Diouf is a geographer specialised in environmental and climate change issues. Dr. Diouf has prepared several climate and environment project documents (concept notes, full investment and readiness proposals, project preparation financing networks-PPFs) for the Global Environment Facility-GEF, the Adaptation Fund-AF and the Green Climate Fund-GCCF. It also reviewed for IFAD project proposals for financing by the Adaptation Fund in Cameroon and Liberia. Dr. Diouf conducted the mid-term review of climate and environmental resilience projects in Senegal and is supporting the implementation of climate projects in Senegal and Chad.

Julius Atulinde has nine years of experience in development and climate finance mobilisation and project design in over twenty countries. While at the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre, he has been instrumental in supporting regional capacity-building initiatives for youth and gender, and implementation of the Needs-Based Climate Finance project, a key initiative of the UN Climate Change that supports countries in assessing their climate finance needs and developing collective strategies to address common regional priorities.

Sana Naluwembe is an Innovation Specialist at RCC EAS Africa which is a collaboration centre to support national climate action through capacity-building, technical assistance and strategic networking. At RCC, she works.under the United Nations Global Innovation Hub working closely with cities to understand their challenges and sustainable goals, lead on innovation projects under the RCC and develop a database for innovation gaps in Africa.

Webinar 'Policy framework and enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship'
2024-07-17 11:00 - 12:15 (Europe/Berlin)
Please join us for the fourth instalment of the Greenovations Webinar series ‘Policy framework and enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship’.

The session will:

Outline the current policy, flagship projects and key actors driving green innovation and entrepreneurship

Highlight the challenges & barriers to effective legislation and robust mechanisms

Highlight the existing opportunities of the continental free trade agreement for innovators and entrepreneurs

Outline the successful models and best practices for developing a conducive enabling environment for green innovation and entrepreneurship

Register now

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, July 17th at 11:00 AM CEST / 9:00 AM GMT for an engaging discussion guided by William Otieno – UNFCCC Regional Lead for East and Southern Africa.

The Greenovations Webinar Series

This webinar series is presented by the Greenovations project, implemented by the United Nations University and consortium of partners, to share key findings and insights with key actors to strengthen the African entrepreneurial community to meet global challenges.

Find out more

Speakers

Mao Amis is the Founder and Executive Director of the African Centre for a Green Economy (AfriCGE). AfriCGE is a non-profit think thank and capacity building organisation based in South Africa. Prior to founding AfriCGE, Dr. Amis worked as programme Manager for a leading global environmental NGO and for a management consultancy firm, both in South Africa. He quit to set up the African Centre for a Green Economy in 2012. Dr Amis has extensive experience on green growth and wellbeing issues in Africa and regularly consults on the same for development agencies, government and the private sector across Africa and globally. Dr Amis holds MSc and PhD in Conservation Biology at the University of Cape Town.

Rosemond Phil-Othihiwa is a highly accomplished four-time award-winning Corporate-Commercial & Startup Lawyer with almost a decade of experience in delivering top-notch legal advisory services to business owners and corporate clients. In addition to her impressive legal background, Rosemond has cultivated a niche expertise in the tech startup ecosystem. She has consistently provided comprehensive consulting, due diligence, and investor readiness services to numerous companies in the tech sector. Furthermore, Rosemond’s extensive experience extends to offering invaluable guidance in regulatory compliance and corporate governance matters for tech-focused incubator and accelerator bootcamps.

Paul Mbua is an Investment and Business Development Expert, Consultant, Master trainer, and IT Expert with more than 17+ years of experience working in Africa’s technology, and entrepreneurship Ecosystem. He is the Africa Regional Chair for the Private Sector Advisory Group for D4DHUB, a certified ILO Trainer, OACPS Policy Expert. He has an exciting approach to startup building, and ESO support programs, with experience supporting 300+ startup ventures in Africa and beyond. He is the Co-founder and CEO of Zixtech HUB a Pan-African Support Organization operating in Africa based in Cameroon that has implemented projects and Contracts for AU, UNDP, EU, AFDB, World Bank, ITC, GIZ, IBM, Visa, Mastercard, AfriLabs, and more.

Nitin Arora, with an experience of more than 20 years, is a leading expert in climate innovation, working within the Mitigation division of the UNFCCC secretariat. He supports the development of carbon market regulations for measuring climate action, assesses carbon market projects and entities, and promotes innovative frameworks for climate initiatives. Before joining the UNFCCC secretariat in 2008, he worked with EY and TATA Group in India on several climate mitigation and environmental projects. Nitin is a CFA Charterholder and also has a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Management from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.

William Otieno is an experienced Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the international affairs industry. He is skilled in Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Analytical Skills, Government, and Global Human Resources Management. William is a strong community and social services professional with a Certified P3O Practitioner focused in Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P30) from QA London.

Webinar 'Women entrepreneurs driving Africa's Green Transformation'
2024-08-23 11:00 - 12:15 (Europe/Berlin)
Please join us for the fifth instalment of the Greenovations Webinar series ‘Women entrepreneurs driving Africa’s Green Transformation’.

The session will:

Present key finding from the Greenovations report “Analysis of the Gender Dimension in Green Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Africa”

Create awareness of the distribution patterns of women entrepreneurs in green sectors and their contribution to Africa’s climate transition

Identify the key challenges/barriers and support needs of women green entrepreneurs in Africa

Share best practices and success models to champion the business journey for women-led green startups in Africa

Identify existing gaps and opportunities to accelerate female green entrepreneurship in Africa

Register now

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, August 7th at 11:00 AM CAT / 9:00 AM GMT for an engaging discussion guided by Amazigh Dib – Private Sector Coordinator at the Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES).

The Greenovations Webinar Series

This webinar series is presented by the Greenovations project, implemented by the United Nations University and consortium of partners, to share key findings and insights with key actors to strengthen the African entrepreneurial community to meet global challenges.

Find out more

Speakers

Patricia Elotu is a dedicated Gender & Climate Change Analyst at UN Women, where she plays a crucial role in addressing the intersection of gender equality and climate change. Her work focuses on understanding and mitigating the unique impacts of climate change on women and girls, particularly in vulnerable communities. Patricia has a MSc in Environment and Natural Resource Management, and has worked extensively on projects and initiatives focused on women’s rights and environmental conservation.

Nambula Kachumi is the Executive Director of WECREATE, a women’s entrepreneurship center. She focuses on addressing gender barriers in entrepreneurship, increasing women’s access to economically empowering tools and resources, and supporting their transition from the informal to the formal sector. With over 12 years of experience, she has worked extensively within the Zambian entrepreneurial ecosystem and across the region to influence policy around financial inclusion, business leadership, and women’s participation in quality education. WECREATE centers aim to address gender-specific barriers in entrepreneurship and help women transition from the informal to the formal sector. They focus on creating a supportive environment where women can thrive and succeed in their business ventures.

Karima Kadda Touati Bergheul is the President of the Women’s Association in the Green Economy (AFEV) in Algeria and a member of the WGC network. She is a holder of a Masters in Renewable Energies and has written extensively concerning feasibility studies for the integration of renewable energies into the Algerian electricity grid and on female entrepreneurship. In her capacity as founder and president of AFEV, she is at the origin of several initiatives on the subject of female entrepreneurship. The organization works with youth, women, artisans, and entrepreneurs at a local, national level with a focus on driving climate transition. They focus on empowering women entrepreneurs through capacity training programs for youths, women innovators in rural areas of Algeria.

Maryanne Gichanga is the CEO and Co-Founder of AgriTech Analytics, a visionary company dedicated to ending hunger in Africa by leveraging technology and data analytics to empower smallholder farmers. With a degree in Procurement and Supply Chain Management and currently pursuing a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree (Climate Justice), Maryanne combines her extensive expertise with a personal understanding of the struggles faced by smallholder farmers. Raised on a modest 2-hectare farm in rural Kenya, she witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of climate change, soil degradation, and outdated farming practices on crop yields. This experience ignited her passion for leveraging technology to improve the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers in Kenya and across the continent.

Under Maryanne’s leadership, AgriTech Analytics has developed an innovative solution that integrates AI-powered satellite data analytics with solar-powered IoT sensors to address critical challenges such as soil degradation, crop pests, and climate change. The company’s technology provides smallholder farmers with precise, real-time data on soil health, crop conditions, and weather forecasts, enabling them to make informed decisions and optimize their farming practices. As a result, farmers have experienced significant increases in crop yields, reductions in input costs, and improvements in environmental sustainability.

Amazigh Dib is a notable figure in the field of entrepreneurship in Algeria. He serves as the Private Sector Coordinator and Entrepreneurship Hub Manager at the Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES). Dr. Dib has been instrumental in fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Algeria, focusing on innovation and economic growth. He has a background in theoretical physics and has held various academic and administrative roles at the University of Tlemcen. His work includes supporting startups and innovative projects, particularly in the fields of water and energy. Dr. Dib’s efforts are part of a broader initiative in Algeria to create a vibrant startup economy through a network of institutions and policies that support entrepreneurship.

Webinar 'Breaking Barriers: Empowering African Women Green Entrepreneurs'
2024-09-06 15:00 - 16:15 (Europe/Berlin)
Please join us for the sixth instalment of the Greenovations Webinar series ‘Breaking Barriers: Empowering African Women Green Entrepreneurs’.

The session will:

Present the flagship Green Innovation Ecosystem Report

Outline key actors and mechanisms driving female green entrepreneurship in Africa

Share best practices and strategies to support female green entrepreneurs in Africa

Highlight the gaps & opportunities to accelerate female green entrepreneurship in Africa

Register now

We look forward to seeing you on Friday, September 6th at 15:00 CAT / 13:00 GMT for an engaging discussion guided by Flaubert Mbiekop – Senior Programme Specialist at Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

The Greenovations Webinar Series

This webinar series is presented by the Greenovations project, implemented by the United Nations University and consortium of partners, to share key findings and insights with key actors to strengthen the African entrepreneurial community to meet global challenges.

Find out more

Speakers

Karnika Yadav is a seasoned development-finance expert passionate about designing and scaling market-led solutions for solving social and development challenges in emerging economies. She has worked with over 500+ innovative enterprises and impact-focused organisations across Sub-Saharan Africa in scaling their solutions while creating decent livelihood opportunities for underserved communities, specifically youths and women. Karnika brings in 17+years of experience in climate resilience, gender diversity and equality and women’s economic empowerment. She has designed, raised funds, and coordinated international development projects in various countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and India. In the course of her career, Karnika has directly supported private sector players, government entities and development sector organizations such as the World Bank, IFC, USAID, GIZ, FCDO, IDRC, The Rockefeller Foundation amongst others. She is a leader working at the nexus of gender and climate, leveraging her experience and networks in Sub-Saharan Africa to advocate for inclusive approaches to developing, financing and coordinating interventions that would best meet the needs of underserved communities in the Global South.

Elizabeth Pollitzer is a renowned expert, scholar and co-founder of the not-for-profit organisation Portia, established in 2001, which is dedicated to improving gender equality in science and integrating gender dimensions into scientific research. She has coordinated several European and international projects, including the genSET project and the Gender Summits, which bring together scientists, gender scholars, and policy makers to address gender issues in research. She also serves as an expert adviser on gender issues to the European Commission and is involved in various projects aimed at promoting gender equality in research institutions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Nambula Kachumi is the Executive Director of WEAC, a women’s entrepreneurship centre. She focuses on addressing gender barriers in entrepreneurship, increasing women’s access to economically empowering tools and resources, and supporting their transition from the informal to the formal sector. With over 12 years of experience, she has worked extensively within the Zambian entrepreneurial ecosystem and across the region to influence policy around financial inclusion, business leadership, and women’s participation in quality education. WEAC centres aim to address gender-specific barriers in entrepreneurship and help women transition from the informal to the formal sector. They focus on creating a supportive environment where women can thrive and succeed in their business ventures.

Urbans Benywanira is an Article 6 and Carbon Pricing Expert at RCC East and Southern Africa, where he supports outreach activities to develop understanding on the needs of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. He is also an Interim Coordinator of the Eastern Africa Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance, where he provides readiness support to both public and private sector actors within the Alliance member countries to implement Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Prior to joining the RCC, Urbans worked with a Programme of Activities (PoA) called Improved Cookstoves for East Africa, as a Carbon Finance Specialist. His duties among others included screening of projects prior to their inclusion in the PoA, supervision and monitoring of projects’ stoves databases in accordance with the PoA’s procedures to ensure an effective monitoring and verification process.

Flaubert Mbiekop is an international development expert with more than 20 years of experience. As a senior program specialist at IDRC he manages a diverse portfolio of projects aimed at promoting the economic empowerment of women and youth in the context of a transition to low-carbon economies, including through sound public policies and private sector action. Prior to joining IDRC in 2011, Flaubert has taught at Cornell University and Drew University in the USA.

Greenovations Collaboration Forum
2024-09-23 00:00 - 2024-09-25 23:59 (Europe/London) | Kampala, Uganda, Kampala, Uganda
The Greenovations Collaboration Forum is the culminating event of the Greenovations project, to be held from the 23rd to the 25th of September 2024 in Kampala, Uganda. The Forum will showcase the key outcomes of the Greenovations project and explore collaboration possibilities to address existing silos of engagement and challenges or hurdles facing innovators, entrepreneurship support organizations, and key enablers of the ecosystem. In bringing together funders, investors, research centers, tech hubs, universities, policymakers, youth and women green innovators, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders within the green sector, the Collaboration Forum aims to jointly map an actionable way forward to strengthen the green entrepreneurial ecosystem and shape the trajectory of the continent’s green transformation.

Objectives:

Present key results of the Greenovations Africa project

Co-create solutions to address silos of engagement within and between key actors of the green entrepreneurship and innovation space

Develop synergies and partnerships to address emerging issues within the green innovation space

Create awareness of innovative strategies and partnerships for accelerating green entrepreneurship for climate action

Stimulate impactful partnerships to address challenges within the gender dimension and the policy and enabling environment of Africa’s innovation space

Click below to join the open sessions:

Join

Overview of the Greenovations Project: Aim, Objectives, and Methodology

23rd September 2024 – 10:00 EAT

Presentations: Greenovations Project Outcomes

23rd September 2024 – 11:00 EAT

Greenovations Incubation Cohort: Impact Stories

24th September 2024 – 9:15 EAT

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Webinars

In the frame of the forum we present four hybrid webinar sessions on key areas of shaping and advancing the trajectory of the continent’s green transformation:

Universities, Tech-hubs and Research Centres: Exploring Collaboration Possibilities to Drive Growth of Knowledge-based Innovations

23rd September 2024 – 13:30 EAT

Co-creating a Platform for Enablers

23rd September 2024 – 15:15 EAT

Crowdsourcing Solutions to Support Women Innovators

24th September 2024 – 11:00 EAT

Bridging the Gap: Connecting Innovators with Finance Opportunities

24th September 2024 – 14:00 EAT
