Innovative start-up ventures in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa are among this year’s winners of the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (SEED) Award.
The SEED Awards honours social and environmental entrepreneurs and helps them to expand their business operations. The SEED Initiative was founded, among others, by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the aim of supporting small scale innovative entrepreneurs working in partnerships in Africa and other developing nations.
The 30 award winners will each receive business support such as expert advice, help in drafting business plans, assistance in seeking financing to expand their operations, as well as partner netowking opportunities.
One of the winning ideas at this year’s SEED Awards was the “Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative” a youth led project in Ghana that makes affordable bicycles from bamboo trees.
Another notable initiative was “Solanterns: Replacing 1 Million Kerosene Lanterns with 1 Million Solar Lanterns”, a Kenyan project that has designed solar lanterns which are intended to replace commonly used kerosene lanterns, which a less eco-friendly and safe to use.
The Ugandan “ORIBAGS INNOVATIONS (U) LTD” venture which offers an alternative to plastic bags by using agricultural wastes such as elephant grass to manufacture printing paper and jewellery, was also one of the leading initiatives.
This year’s SEED award drew participation from 60 countries worldwide. Any innovative ideas that can successfully integrate partnerships between various stakeholders and local communities, as well as deliver economic and environmental benefits are eligible for the annual award. To read more about more entrepreneur’s innovative ideas at the SEED Awards go to http://www.seedinit.org/en/awards/winners-database/2010-awards.html
Tory
October 13, 2011
Thanks for spendiong time on the computer (writing) so others don’t have to.