STORIES

Rukayatu Sanusi: At the Helm of the World Bank’s Ghana Climate Innovation Centre

By The World Bank

Rukayatu Sanusi saw an opportunity to address economic development through support to the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector. That is how she came to be the Executive Director of the Ghana Climate Innovation Center(GCIC), a pioneering business incubator with a unique focus on developing SME ventures and entrepreneurs in Ghana’s green economy.

The GCIC is funded by a grant from the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands through the World Bank and managed by a consortium comprised of Ashesi UniversityErnst and YoungSNV Ghana and the United Nations University.

Prior to leading GCIC, Sanusi worked for two decades in international consulting in both the UK and Africa. She then founded her own advisory firm, Alldens Lane, that focused on supporting small and growing businesses, especially those owned and run by women.

“I realized five years ago that even in African countries with strong growth, only large firms were being supported by the ‘big four’ consulting firms while the professional SME sector wasn’t being served at all,” she said. “Who was going to support the transition of these companies to becoming the giants of tomorrow?”

With this responsibility, it is perhaps not surprising that Sanusi is reticent of inviting just anyone to be part of the GCIC.