12 entrepreneurs graduated as the second cohort of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) business incubator. The ceremony, held on the 12th December 2018 took place at the premises of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) on Ashesi University campus.
Some members of GCIC’s Cohort 2 graduating class
Their graduation comes after one year of incubation which among other activities included; 3 months of Entrepreneurship classes, Executive Coaching with renown life coach Lanre Olusola, peer exchange trips and a 2-day Residential Wellbeing Retreat where they interacted with speakers who had substantial business leadership and entrepreneurial experience across sectors and industries.
Executive Coaching Masterclass with Lanre Olusola
The 5 female entrepreneurs in cohort 2 also took part in GCIC’s first ever Women Entrepreneurship Transformation Program held in collaboration with women’s leadership coach Rachel Allen. Aside from the premium business advisory and mentorship services GCIC offered to the entrepreneurs, they also received technical support in the development, prototyping and testing of their innovation as well as financial Proof of Concept Grants totaling $180,844.
Women Entrepreneurship Transformation Program
Speaking on behalf of the graduating class, Lincoln Peedah, founder of livestock and poultry company, Neat Meat Company Ltd, hailed the benefits that he and his other colleagues had gained from GCIC, noting that the assistance grounded their business well enough.
Lincoln Peedah, Founder of Neat Meat Company Ltd
“This graduation is not an exit from GCIC, but rather a refreshing journey. The training has helped in the remodelling of our businesses by creating valuable models for revenue generation. We have also made an impact on the environment and sustained our businesses as well” he added.
What’s next after graduating from the GCIC incubator? The entrepreneurs go on to join the Climate Innovation Enterprise Network of Ghana (CIENOG), a GCIC alumni network where they shall enjoy benefits such as recoverable grants of up to $10,000 per entrepreneur and GCIC business advisory services.
The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator whose objective is to support entrepreneurs and ventures involved in developing profitable and locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. The Centre’s key focus is on building businesses operating within the areas of energy efficiency, domestic waste management, solar energy, water supply management and purification and climate-smart agriculture. GCIC is part of the World Bank Group’s infoDev Climate Technology Program. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.