Climate Action

Climate Action that supports social and environmental entrepreneurship delivers market-based solutions which are inclusive of the people most impacted by climate change. Small and growing enterprises – with environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive business models – adopt low carbon technologies and offer products and services that empower communities to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Enterprise Brief: Lagazel

Published: 12 June 2017
Lagazel produces and markets sustainable solar lamps to light urban and rural households without access to electricity. The local production generates employment and compared to conventional light sources, the use of solar lamps contributes to climate change mitigation and healthier living conditions. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Masupa Enterprises

Published: 12 June 2017
Masupa Enterprises offers cheap and environmentally friendly cooking solutions to both urban and rural communities. Its briquettes are made from waste such as dry leaves, paper, peels and other fruit and vegetable waste and are sold together with cookstoves to households and commercial customers. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: RECFAM - PRIDE Pads

Published: 12 June 2017
RECFAM produces organic and biodegradable sanitary pads – PRIDE Pads – out of banana and plantain fibre for schoolgirls and women. Women are integrated into the whole value chain, receiving training and income opportunities. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: TECOCARRE

Published: 12 June 2017
TECO2 markets school benches produced sustainably from plastic waste and other locally sourced input materials. As this mixture of materials substitutes wood in the production process, the enterprise contributes to the mitigation of deforestation and environmental pollution. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Umgibe Farming Organics and Training Institute

Published: 12 June 2017
Umgibe Farming Organics and Training Institute supports local farming co-operatives with access to technology, training and markets. The enterprise capacitates urban and small-scale farmers to graduate into commercial business units using Umgibe’s cost-effective and sustainable growing system. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Walali Company Limited

Published: 12 June 2017
Walali adds value to octopus and red bean – two products entrenched in the local culture of Rodrigues Island. The locally sourced raw materials are processed and packaged in retort pouches at the local production facility and marketed in Rodrigues and Mauritius. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: WASHKing

Published: 12 June 2017
WASHKing produces, supplies and installs biodigester toilets out of eco-friendly material for low-income urban households in order to improve health and economic conditions and to keep the environment clean. Training on using the toilet and after-sales services complement the package. Read more
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SAG–SEED Replicator Programme rolled-out in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda

Published: 28 April 2017
In April 2017, eight SAG – SEED Replicator Connect Workshops were implemented in Accra, Pretoria, Nairobi, Kisumu and Kampala. Read more
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How Burkinabe entrepreneurs are shaping a greener future

Published: 10 March 2017Authors: Damien N. Somé
Have you ever heard of Burkina Faso’s “Green Brigade”? Picture teams of dozens of women regularly cleaning the streets of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou at dawn! Many urban dwellers in the country’s capital have testified for the positive contribution of the green brigade to the cleanliness of the city. Read more
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Deadline Extension: Ghana & South Africa SAG-SEED Replicator

Published: 09 March 2017
The deadline for the Replicator in Ghana & South Africa has been extended to Thursday, 16 March! Read more
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Call for applications: launch of the SAG-SEED Replicator Connect Workshops in Kenya & Uganda

Published: 23 February 2017
SEED and SWITCH-Africa Green are pleased to invite applications for SAG-SEED Replicator Connect Workshops in Kenya and Uganda. Read more
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Soil: Appreciate what's beneath your feet

Published: 19 January 2017Authors: Amar Munnolimath, Elizabeth Mamo
Soil gives life and opportunities. Having land with “good” soil can mean the difference between thriving plants and those struggling to stay alive. Read more
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Call for Applications for the 2017 SAG-SEED Awards

Published: 10 January 2017
SEED has opened the call for applications for 15 SWITCH Africa Green (SAG) – SEED Awards for enterprises in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Read more
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Driving conservation through sustainable tourism enterprises

Published: 15 December 2016Authors: Mariska van Gaalen
Along the coast of Kenya, just north of Mombasa, the Watamu National Marine Park and Reserves grace the coastline. In recent years, however, Watamu has struggled with increased solid waste pollution. Read more
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Turning challenges in impact investing into prototype innovations

Published: 05 December 2016Authors: Kay Eunkyung Kang, Rainer Agster
Kenya, where our first Impact Financing Lab took place, is one of the global centres of impact investing! But even there, many challenges for deal flow exist… Read more
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Spurring the replication of eco-inclusive enterprises – towards a collaborative integrative support approach

Published: 16 November 2016Authors: Lina Frank, Mirko Zürker
At the 2016 SEED Africa Symposium in Nairobi Ligia Noronha, Director of the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, underlined that “Replication is a key theme to foster green growth and sustainable development”. But replication demands targeted support at every stage, which calls for collaboration between diverse support providers and a strong ecosystem. Read more
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Scaling Innovation at the Energy-Agriculture Nexus in East Africa

Published: 27 October 2016Authors: Christian Pirzer, Christine Meyer
With this year’s theme of the World Food Day on October 16th, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) chose a strong message that tackles key issues of our modern global society. Indeed, climate, energy and agriculture are all interconnected. Read more
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From innovative off-grid mobile solar power stations to the polymerised bitumen roads from recycled plastic - Meet the 2016 SEED Award Winners

Published: 28 September 2016
At SEED's largest annual international forum, the SEED Africa Symposium, SEED announced the 20 winners of the 2016 SEED Awards, today. These 20 outstanding eco-inclusive enterprises will be honoured during the international SEED Award Ceremony this evening. Read more
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Training Business Development Service Providers to Boost Eco-Inclusive Innovations

Published: 14 September 2016Authors: Rainer Agster
Working with more than 220 enterprises in 38 countries, we soon realized that although each enterprise is unique, topics are reoccurring. Instead of re-inventing the wheel each time, we put time and effort into ‘toolifying’ our support. Read more
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Case Study: All Women Recycling

Published: 07 September 2016
All Women Recycling (AWR) is a small business, based in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, that has created a unique product to address local social and environmental challenges. Read more
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Replicating successful business models - Moving from lighthouses to a network of street lamps

Published: 05 September 2016Authors: Christine Meyer
It is a challenge to transition to a low carbon economy while improving the well-being of the world’s nine billion people. By replicating proven solutions, positive impact from eco-inclusive enterprises can spread, and facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy while also improving social conditions as set in the SDGs. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Green the Map

Published: 21 August 2016
Green the Map (GTM) recycles waste and provides a retail network for upcycled products, generating livelihoods for disadvantaged people and spreading environmental consciousness. By partnering with waste collectors, producers, NGOs and government, the enterprise contributes to tackling urban waste problems. Read more
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From workshop to market in seven weeks

Published: 22 July 2016
The first steps as a startup are the hardest, especially for eco-inclusive startups in emerging markets. It all comes down to the right spirit and lion-hearted attitude. Read more
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The SEED Annual Report 2015

Published: 19 July 2016
2015 was a special year for SEED, in which the partnership celebrated 10 Years of SEED Awards, and took the opportunity to take stock and publish a comprehensive Flagship Report that looked not only on the success of former SEED Winners and the lessons learnt over those 10 Years of SEED Awards, but also on opportunities that could help increase the impact of locally-driven social and environmental entrepreneurship in the years to come. Read more
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