The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) graduated entrepreneurs from the GCIC-Mowgli Mentorship Programme on 17th October. In line with GCIC’s aim of providing entrepreneurs in the green economy with a robust, holistic business incubation experience to buoy their lifetime entrepreneurial journey, , GCIC partnered with Mowgli Mentoring to deliver its award-winning mentoring methodology and programme for entrepreneurs at the business incubator. This represented an additional mechanism to support GCIC’s entrepreneurs to optimise their mindset for entrepreneurial success – and to become extraordinary.
The inaugral rollout of this 6-month programme involved 12 GCIC entrepreneurs and 12 volunteer mentors selected and matched through a rigorous search and selection, as well as matching process. The graduation marked the end of a pilot mentoring programme and the beginning of institutionalizing mentoring as part of the GCIC curriculum.
Dr. Elikem Tamaklo, Managing Director of Nyaho Medical Centre and Guest Speaker at the graduation in his speech, emphasized on the role mentorship and coaching play in the journey to creating self-awareness as an entrepreneur.
Also in attendance were the Danish and Dutch ambassadors, Her Excellency Tove Degbnol and His Excellency Ron Strikker respectively. In responding to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s call of moving Ghana Beyond Aid, they both expressed the willingness of their countries to collaborate with competent Ghanaian businesses, such as those managed by the entrepreneurs supported by the GCIC.
Kathleen Bury, CEO of Mowgli Mentoring, in her speech read by Eva Waweru (Mowgli Communications and Business Development Executive), described an entrepreneur’s journey as one of the toughest, yet the most satisfying and rewarding. “Entrepreneurs are critical for the development of society because they create wealth for the economy, create employment, develop philanthropists – since 95% of the world’s philanthropy is given by entrepreneurs – and are passionate believers in social democracy and the empowerment of people.”
There were also awards given to the mentors and mentees of the maiden GCIC-Mowgli Programme. The project award categories and their winners are:
Most Promising Entrepreneur Award: Awarded to any entrepreneur who has been proactive in making the most out of mentoring and has shown outstanding commitment to the project as well as took the business to the next level –inclusive of job creation increase and business sustainability.
Winner: Lincon Winimi Peedah of Neat Meat Enterprises
Serve to Lead Mentor Award: Awarded to a mentor who has embodied serve to lead ethos/value and has been highly proactive in supporting their mentee, has inspired interest in their personal and business challenges, or has sought out and arranged opportunities for their mentee beyond the requirements of the programme, someone who has truly embodied the serve is to lead philosophy of mentoring.
Winner: Seth Akumani
Most Impactful Mentoring Relationship Award x 2 (Entrepreneur/Mentor): Awarded to a mentor and mentee who have developed a particularly good relationship, shown outstanding commitment and achieved significant goals together. This award will be award to the mentor and mentee within the award-winning relationship
Winners: Simon Turner & Emmanuel Asaam (Gamma Energie)
Most Inspirational Mentoring Ambassador Award: Awarded to a project participant who actively sought opportunities to support the sustainable development of the mentoring culture in Ghana, build the alumni community, support their peers and embody the serve is to lead philosophy on a wider scale.
Winner: Seth Akumani
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 and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.